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Six Days of Impossible: Navy SEAL Hell Week - A Doctor Looks Back
HELL WEEK HAS NEVER BEEN DESCRIBED SO EFFECTIVELY. Six days in Hell define every SEAL that moves past the point of no return in their minds. Robert Adams, MD brings the experiences of his classmates into view with real, difficult to believe experiences, described in frightening detail by the men that lived through the frigid cold, filthy muddy days, and body destroying events of a winter Hell Week. Eleven of seventy men went on to graduate and serve over 40 years in almost every SEAL or UDT team with honor. Read their real time story and learn why these eleven men succeeded when so many others failed.
228 pages, Hardcover
Published November 13, 2017
96 people are currently reading
1908 people want to read
About the author
Robert Adams
3 books29 followersThese stories from the life and medical career of a Navy SEAL - turned doctor - are surprising, riveting, and inspiring. A family physician delivering babies, managing disease and trauma, and dealing with death - discovers new dimensions when he goes to war in Iraq. Treating the military, civilians and their families, “Dr. Bob” experienced tremendous joy, unbearable heartache, and deep gratitude. He shares those emotional experiences in this deeply personal memoir.
If you want to be a doctor… If you wonder how physicians learn their craft… If you crave a glimpse into the rapidly changing world of medicine, then these adventures are for you.
Some make you laugh; others make you cry. All provide insight into the challenges faced by a caring family practice doctor devoted to sharing these struggles and elations as his patients fight to live well in a dangerous world. These are medical adventures you will never forget.
His first book is:
www.sealhellweek.com
Navy SEAL Hell Week survival story of the 11 men who survived the "impossible" six days of freezing cold, no sleep, and indescribable fatigue.
The newest book about Corporal Ned Barden's letters home to his wife Sara transcribes 325 letters exactly as he wrote them while a scribe in GEN Grant's HQ.
Historic collection.
The largest collection of letters by a single author from the Civil War!
If you want to be a doctor… If you wonder how physicians learn their craft… If you crave a glimpse into the rapidly changing world of medicine, then these adventures are for you.
Some make you laugh; others make you cry. All provide insight into the challenges faced by a caring family practice doctor devoted to sharing these struggles and elations as his patients fight to live well in a dangerous world. These are medical adventures you will never forget.
His first book is:
www.sealhellweek.com
Navy SEAL Hell Week survival story of the 11 men who survived the "impossible" six days of freezing cold, no sleep, and indescribable fatigue.
The newest book about Corporal Ned Barden's letters home to his wife Sara transcribes 325 letters exactly as he wrote them while a scribe in GEN Grant's HQ.
Historic collection.
The largest collection of letters by a single author from the Civil War!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 9, 2018
I loved this book. I didn't read it to discover the "secrets" of Navy SEAL training. I read the book to discover what it means to never quit. How to keep going when your body tells you to stop. The lessons in this book are not just for the Navy SEALs or for the other Special Forces units in America's military. The lessons learned in this book are for every person alive on the Earth. I will tell as many people I can about this book. I will encourage them to read it. I can hear the disappointment and negativity already. I am not interested in the SEALs or the military. EXACTLY. This book is about you, the individual, and your attitude in life toward the difficult days, days that seem impossible, and days that never seem to end. Thank you Colonel (SEAL) Adams for manifesting your story to us. Thank you for your service to America!
March 8, 2018
Incredible
I’m afraid to give this guy anything but 5 stars. Kidding. The book was amazing to hear the stories about what they endured. Incredible group of people and I felt like the author explained everything very well. Not a book that you “can’t put down” but it was very good.
I’m afraid to give this guy anything but 5 stars. Kidding. The book was amazing to hear the stories about what they endured. Incredible group of people and I felt like the author explained everything very well. Not a book that you “can’t put down” but it was very good.
July 2, 2025
This book is an immersive, detailed retelling of the author's personal experience of the notorious "Hell Week" or Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, or "BUDS" for short.
I came across this book after reading "Can't Hurt Me" by David Goggins. I found the descriptions of Hell Week to be very gripping, as you can't tell a story about Hell Week without telling a story of immense struggle, pain, discipline, and sheer will-power. Upon finishing "Can't Hurt Me", I wanted to read more about Hell Week, which led me to discover this book, which did not disappoint.
As I've said in other reviews, I like when some books are short, especially if you're just reading out of interest in the specific topic. Meaning, you get in, you learn a little more about the topic of interest while you're interested, and then you get out and move on to the next book. This book is another great example of that experience, I got in, learned a lot more about Hell Week from a different perspective, and got out.
The author was very detailed in this autobiography, and really puts the reader in his shoes, you can feel his pain and struggle as he progresses throughout the training, and you can laugh at the humorous interactions he has as well.
Upon completing the book, as with other books like it, I left having more respect and admiration for the men and women in our armed forces. Seals have to go through hell before they're even allowed to call themselves Seals. They almost drown themselves in hell week, just to go suffer somewhere else on the other side of the world, but what drives them is a sense of purpose - contribution to something bigger than themselves. The author describes his thought process in detail, as he joined the Navy to find real meaning in his life since he wasn't really doing much else with his life. Said again, I have a great admiration for the people who serve this country, they put themselves through hell and they don't care.
Books like this, which detail the experiences of hell week so well, remind me that things can always be worse and that our bodies are far more capable then we realize. In other words, they serve as a reminder that we can keep pushing forward. We can take a lot more than we think we can, and that makes us stronger, both mentally and physically, in the end.
I came across this book after reading "Can't Hurt Me" by David Goggins. I found the descriptions of Hell Week to be very gripping, as you can't tell a story about Hell Week without telling a story of immense struggle, pain, discipline, and sheer will-power. Upon finishing "Can't Hurt Me", I wanted to read more about Hell Week, which led me to discover this book, which did not disappoint.
As I've said in other reviews, I like when some books are short, especially if you're just reading out of interest in the specific topic. Meaning, you get in, you learn a little more about the topic of interest while you're interested, and then you get out and move on to the next book. This book is another great example of that experience, I got in, learned a lot more about Hell Week from a different perspective, and got out.
The author was very detailed in this autobiography, and really puts the reader in his shoes, you can feel his pain and struggle as he progresses throughout the training, and you can laugh at the humorous interactions he has as well.
Upon completing the book, as with other books like it, I left having more respect and admiration for the men and women in our armed forces. Seals have to go through hell before they're even allowed to call themselves Seals. They almost drown themselves in hell week, just to go suffer somewhere else on the other side of the world, but what drives them is a sense of purpose - contribution to something bigger than themselves. The author describes his thought process in detail, as he joined the Navy to find real meaning in his life since he wasn't really doing much else with his life. Said again, I have a great admiration for the people who serve this country, they put themselves through hell and they don't care.
Books like this, which detail the experiences of hell week so well, remind me that things can always be worse and that our bodies are far more capable then we realize. In other words, they serve as a reminder that we can keep pushing forward. We can take a lot more than we think we can, and that makes us stronger, both mentally and physically, in the end.
July 13, 2023
Very inspiring and insightful. Crazy what they actually go through.
Me thinking I could do it myself, but knowing damn well I wouldn't make it even far.
Me thinking I could do it myself, but knowing damn well I wouldn't make it even far.
May 12, 2018
Easy read and amazing American future leaders.
July 9, 2018
I've read quite a few books about SEALs over the years, including several that had accounts of BUD/S and Hell Week, but this is the first that takes you through it day by day, which makes it very unique and interesting if you really want to know what SEALs go through in their initial training. The author has a great story of his own path to becoming a SEAL, and moving beyond, and I'd be interested in reading about his exploits after Hell Week.
The writing is overall all pretty good. There are a few moments that could have used some tighter editing (a few repeated phrases/ideas, and some grammatical/punctuation errors), but it is mostly well-written with good pacing.
100% recommended for anyone with an interest in SEALs and just how intense their training is.
The writing is overall all pretty good. There are a few moments that could have used some tighter editing (a few repeated phrases/ideas, and some grammatical/punctuation errors), but it is mostly well-written with good pacing.
100% recommended for anyone with an interest in SEALs and just how intense their training is.
August 23, 2020
SIX DAYS OF IMPOSSIBLE
In Six Day of Impossible, Dr. Adams gives his personal account of a particularly pivotable week in the 20+ initial SEAL basic training course. The overall training takes over a year to complete. What makes this particular week known as “Hell Week” worthy of this special attention?
Carl Von Clausewitz has a series of chapter headings that begin “war is the province of…” Most important to appreciating SEAL training is Clausewitz’s observations: “War is the province of physical exertion and suffering” and his other observation, among many, that “War is the province of chance.”
Day by day, Adams describes a very intense and deliberate regimen of physical exertion and misery that is as extreme as it appears irrational.
The irrationality, I submit, comes in the culling of candidates (tadpoles) who are unsuitable for small unit special operations, primarily in a maritime environment.
The SEAL operator must understand that no mission is ever straightforward, easily executed, or devoid of physical misery. He must understand that in the “province of chance” life is not fair and he must accept that early fact of life early.
Senior naval officers appreciate that the small units in the field can easily generate excuses for failure or report results that cannot be verified. Hell week generates that a clear message: Quitters are to be scorned, and perseverance is the essence of the work…always. Failure to complete a mission is the greatest of all crimes.
Other less philosophical, and more practical, lessons are learned. An operator never has enough information. An operator can never fully trust those supporting his small unit. When an operator reports his information he must realize his information may not be welcome and understand the phrase “kill the messenger.”
As a physician, Dr. Adams focuses on the most obvious lesson he learned: A tadpole can do and endure far more than he thinks he can. It also becomes clear in the book that despite high motivation and an aggressive spirit, a tadpole body simply break down. War is the province of chance.
Other lessons, don’t ever allow yourself to enter a winter class. Hypothermia on top of all the other misery makes a tadpole punchy and therefore more prone to injury.
Given choice, a tadpole only select a winter class if he has a hydrant shaped physique. In this class the “dwarves boat crew” remained intact. The reviewer remembers a sizeable number of the Korean War UDT veterans had that same physique.
Bob Adams has given readers a rare insight into basic SEAL selection.
Further culling against personal intelligence and combat skills standards comes afterward.
Understandably, SEALs set their sine qua non first.
In Six Day of Impossible, Dr. Adams gives his personal account of a particularly pivotable week in the 20+ initial SEAL basic training course. The overall training takes over a year to complete. What makes this particular week known as “Hell Week” worthy of this special attention?
Carl Von Clausewitz has a series of chapter headings that begin “war is the province of…” Most important to appreciating SEAL training is Clausewitz’s observations: “War is the province of physical exertion and suffering” and his other observation, among many, that “War is the province of chance.”
Day by day, Adams describes a very intense and deliberate regimen of physical exertion and misery that is as extreme as it appears irrational.
The irrationality, I submit, comes in the culling of candidates (tadpoles) who are unsuitable for small unit special operations, primarily in a maritime environment.
The SEAL operator must understand that no mission is ever straightforward, easily executed, or devoid of physical misery. He must understand that in the “province of chance” life is not fair and he must accept that early fact of life early.
Senior naval officers appreciate that the small units in the field can easily generate excuses for failure or report results that cannot be verified. Hell week generates that a clear message: Quitters are to be scorned, and perseverance is the essence of the work…always. Failure to complete a mission is the greatest of all crimes.
Other less philosophical, and more practical, lessons are learned. An operator never has enough information. An operator can never fully trust those supporting his small unit. When an operator reports his information he must realize his information may not be welcome and understand the phrase “kill the messenger.”
As a physician, Dr. Adams focuses on the most obvious lesson he learned: A tadpole can do and endure far more than he thinks he can. It also becomes clear in the book that despite high motivation and an aggressive spirit, a tadpole body simply break down. War is the province of chance.
Other lessons, don’t ever allow yourself to enter a winter class. Hypothermia on top of all the other misery makes a tadpole punchy and therefore more prone to injury.
Given choice, a tadpole only select a winter class if he has a hydrant shaped physique. In this class the “dwarves boat crew” remained intact. The reviewer remembers a sizeable number of the Korean War UDT veterans had that same physique.
Bob Adams has given readers a rare insight into basic SEAL selection.
Further culling against personal intelligence and combat skills standards comes afterward.
Understandably, SEALs set their sine qua non first.
September 5, 2019
An enjoyable & informative read about how tough the Navy Seals are. You felt like you were following him in his day by day accounts of the process. Loved that he included pictures! Look forward to the next book he is working on.
October 20, 2018
This is a nonfiction book about SEAL trainees going thru hell week in 1975. It left me shaken. I knew from specials on TV that SEAL training is not for the fainthearted. The degree to which these men push themselves during this week is unbelievable, and it is easy to see how only the very few make it to the teams. It is a very readable book, not a lot of acronyms or "military speak" that is not explained. You find yourself rooting for every man going thru this training and feeling for those who do not finish. Even more, you are intensely proud of those who complete the training. I recommend it highly. It is a small book and a fast read.
September 24, 2018
An outstandingly detailed memoir of BUDS training on the early 1970’s. The author is now a doctor so he masterfully interweaves the medical/physical events he and the other BUDS candidates went through. The value of this book is how each of us can push ourselves far beyond or self perceived limits - physically and mentally. And in its own way, it left me challenged to find that line, that limit and see if I can push beyond it too in my personal achievements and professional goals. I highly recommend this book!
December 5, 2018
A True Study and Refelction on the Foundation of a Limitless Life
Amazingly well written and eye opening. There is much I could write, but I feel the Epilogue says it all:
Many have faced the indescribable moment, when absolutely everything that they hold dear hangs in the balance. Those who completed Hell Week discovered much about themselves that most will never learn or need to know. They discovered what very few can. That the perceived impossible is possible.
Amazingly well written and eye opening. There is much I could write, but I feel the Epilogue says it all:
Many have faced the indescribable moment, when absolutely everything that they hold dear hangs in the balance. Those who completed Hell Week discovered much about themselves that most will never learn or need to know. They discovered what very few can. That the perceived impossible is possible.
November 26, 2019
Well told account of one man's experience going through Navy Seal training. Adams effectively explores the question why some (a tiny percentage) of those who begin actually finish v. those who ring the bell and leave. It is fascinating that the Navy has studied this again and again and cannot come to a consensus answer. In reading these books, I am always left wondering at the fortitude of these men.
May 21, 2020
I would start boot camp March of 1976, I was pulled out of the pool by a guy in camo and told to report to the base theater in Orlando. I was shown that rec
The recruit movie for the seals but I chose to cook on a aircraft carrier! I would watch the seals run the beach when we pulled into North island! We would offer beers and they would tell us maybe later! I question my choice since I love the ocean but I respect and know that we have the bad As s seals watching our backs!
The recruit movie for the seals but I chose to cook on a aircraft carrier! I would watch the seals run the beach when we pulled into North island! We would offer beers and they would tell us maybe later! I question my choice since I love the ocean but I respect and know that we have the bad As s seals watching our backs!
May 19, 2018
Motivation and perseverance required!
Admiration for all these men endure to protect our nation and freedoms is not nearly enough. The depth of strength in mind and body required to complete the challenges presented to the men in this program is unimaginable to me. This book is very eye opening.
Admiration for all these men endure to protect our nation and freedoms is not nearly enough. The depth of strength in mind and body required to complete the challenges presented to the men in this program is unimaginable to me. This book is very eye opening.
September 26, 2018
Great book showing what people who want to become Navy SEALs have to endure. The author describes what it feels like to go through the famous Hell Week, day by day. Reading this book and you will think differently about your mind and body and how strong they are. You will also learn about what it takes to succeed. This book is very eye-opening.
May 18, 2018
So wonderfully written, I couldn’t put it down
This was a quick read about one of the most difficult training experiences in the world. The author wrote so well, you almost felt as if you were there.
This was a quick read about one of the most difficult training experiences in the world. The author wrote so well, you almost felt as if you were there.
November 13, 2018
A different perspective
I would definitely recommend this book esp if you are appreciative of these kinds of people there's always lessons and motivations that you can use in your own life in great books like this one
I would definitely recommend this book esp if you are appreciative of these kinds of people there's always lessons and motivations that you can use in your own life in great books like this one
August 4, 2019
Superb, excellently written, brings the reader close up to the real thing.
April 8, 2020
An excellent book !!
This is an excellent book!! As I read through the chapters it became more & more interesting. A lot to learn from this book.
Hooyah !!
This is an excellent book!! As I read through the chapters it became more & more interesting. A lot to learn from this book.
Hooyah !!
January 19, 2023
Robert Adams' portrayal of the Coronado CA-based Navy Seal training is the best that I've read about this now-famous program, by far. As a medical doctor, he provides objective glimpses into what the trainees minds and bodies are going through during Hell Week, which makes for a gripping read. Although recounting a series of events that are now 50 years old, you'd never know it. He also touches on the humanity and strong bonds that form during training Read this if you want to find out what it takes to survive Hell Week, and also which personalities tend to ring the bell.
July 27, 2021
If I hadn't read so many similar books covering this community, I might have enjoyed this one more. I absolutely salute the service and resilience of the author, but a glance at the publication date begs the question as to why another variant of what is now a very familiar Hell Week story covered in many other books and documentaries was needed. At this point, team guys sworn to a life of quiet professionalism may need their own subsection of the bookstore.
July 3, 2024
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway a while back.
First, to the author, thank you for your service.
This was an absolutely fantastic read. I know a former SEAL, and he doesn't talk in great detail about BUD/S so trying to grasp what the training entails has been left to some documentaries and books like this.
First, to the author, thank you for your service.
This was an absolutely fantastic read. I know a former SEAL, and he doesn't talk in great detail about BUD/S so trying to grasp what the training entails has been left to some documentaries and books like this.
September 25, 2024
Hard to put down!
I stayed up almost all night because I couldn’t put this book down! This book is reality that reads like fiction, because who could really endure all this? Many of these stories will stay with me always, as I learned what makes real heroes. I am forever grateful to their service for our country.
I stayed up almost all night because I couldn’t put this book down! This book is reality that reads like fiction, because who could really endure all this? Many of these stories will stay with me always, as I learned what makes real heroes. I am forever grateful to their service for our country.
January 31, 2025
As a man obsessed with the Navy SEALs and fascinated by Hell Week, this was an awesome glimpse into that experience from people who were there. It takes you through the BUD/S experience but focuses mostly on the 5.5 days known as Hell Week and I enjoyed every minute of it! Extremely inspiring.
February 22, 2022
Little-known guilty pleasure of mine: stories of physical endurance, especially military training (aka things I absolutely could never do and don’t fully understand).
October 6, 2022
I'm surprised any of these guys actually make it out alive after hell week. It literally seemed as though they were trying to kill them.
October 16, 2022
These guys are the best of the best and the toughest around.
September 2, 2024
Well written account of what these men go through to achieve their dream.
April 23, 2025
A deep dive in what it takes to successfully complete Navy SEAL training.
May 20, 2025
Shark bait ru ha ha
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews