The Hard Way: Adapt, Survive and Win

by Mark 'Billy' Billingham

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER.

‘The SAS and all it stands for is exemplified in men such as Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham. They are the backbone of the British military and I for one am thankful he is on our side!’ – Sir Ranulph Fiennes
'The most experienced Special Forces soldier in recent memory. The Hard Way is brutally brilliant.' – Tom Marcus, Number One bestselling author of Soldier Spy
‘Billy is inspirational and always humble. A giant of a man!’ – Bear Grylls

Billy Billingham grew up tough. Leaving school at eleven, the threat of borstal hanging over his head, running with gangs in Birmingham, and almost being killed in a knife fight eventually led to Billy discovering the British armed forces at sixteen. It would be the making of him.
 
Billingham would graduate from the Royal Marine cadets to enlisting with the Parachute Regiment in 1983, where he would serve with distinction as a Patrol Commander and expert sniper. In 1991 he applied to join the SAS – the fearsome and secretive elite special forces unit with a well-won reputation for excellence in operating in extreme and hazardous conditions. He excelled in this life, rising to the rank of sergeant major for the regiment, and undertaking dozens of classified and extremely dangerous missions. He spent seventeen years with the SAS, serving in countless war zones, winning a commendation for bravery and was awarded the MBE. After leaving the army, he embraced the life of a bodyguard to Hollywood stars such as Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Sir Michael Caine, Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe, before being recruited as one of the lead instructors on SAS - Who Dares Wins for television.
 
Billy has a reputation for excellence, honesty and integrity, supporting his comrades Ant Middleton, Jason Fox and Ollie Ollerton, but alos intimidating and inspiring the contestants who take on the gruelling challenges each week. The Hard Way details Billy’s story thus far, but will also educate and enthral those wishing to seek a challenge and conquer it – the SAS way.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Audiobook, War, Military Fiction, Memoir

Hardcover

Published October 31, 2019

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually the best biography of the four SAS DS. Very real, very interesting and a charming narrative.

[Rob Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read all the books by Who Dares Wins instructors [and enjoyed them too] I was looking forward to reading this one. After all, Mark is an ace sniper and served in the SAS for two decades. He earned an MBE for leading a hostage-saving mission. He tracked down, acquired and delivered mass killers to the War Crimes Tribunal. Along with many other perilous missions. But we don't get to hear about them! Subsequently, I found the book a little light. There is little, to nothing, about his time in the SAS.

He focuses on his life outside of the Special Forces. No doubt Mark has had a tough upbringing. Plus he's done a lot too but the general lack of depth and detail was disappointing. It felt like a summary. A collection of anecdotes designed to capitalise on his celebrity. Plus the writing was poor too. I suspect the other members of Who Dares Wins used experienced ghost writers? Anyway, all a bit disappointing and mediocre I'm afraid.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Audible**

After having watched SAS: Are You Tough Enough? since the first series and having read First Man In: Leading from the Front by Ant Middleton it was an easy choice to pick this little cracker. It is quite short at just over 6 hours but it is packed full of Billy's life and exploits; his childhood, his time in the SAS and his close protection work with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and, of course, his TV appearances on SAS: Are You Tough Enough?. Along with the usual fisticuffs you get with these types of books it is non-stop action and thoroughly fascinating.

The prologue and epilogue are both read by Billy himself but the chapters themselves are read by Simon Slater. After reading a few reviews beforehand this seemed to have annoyed a few people but I'm not sure why. I thought Simon read this brilliantly and overall this is a great read (or listen) to while away a few hours.

[Jodie Sheerin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought all of the books by the DS from SAS: Who Dares Wins, and I think Billy’s was one of the ones that I was most looking forward to reading. Billy, to me, just looks like a man with a lot of stories to tell, and I couldn’t wait to hear some of them. And I was not disappointed by his book! A brutally honest book where we get to learn about Billy all the way from being a young boy, to his time in the military, to the amazing work he does outside of the military. Some parts were upsetting whilst others had me laughing out loud. You will definitely feel a lot of emotions whilst reading The Hard Way. A very interesting read, and hard to put down. Once I started reading I didn’t want to stop, and I’m hoping that Billy will bring out some more books in the future! I can’t say too much more without commenting on the contents of the book, so all I will say is - read it!!

[Miss Dizzy Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring!

[Jake Ryland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, i found myself reading page after page about billys life and not wanting to put the book down

[Liv Rutherford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was interesting, it took me up to page 28 to get hooked. Not sure if that's because I was also reading another book at the same time.
This book chronicles the author's chapters in his life, obstacles he has overcome and his life mantra of "just a little further". This book should inspire those who feel that things in life are out-of their reach. I was worried it was going to be an egotistical account of how good the author has been in his life. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. Such a good read, could have been much longer.
I chose this book after watching SAS who dares wins celebrity on channel 4. Really enjoyed the programme and enjoyed Billy's ethos and persona on the programme.

[Jake Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Amazing story of Billy’s life minus the in depth details about his time in the SAS or Regiment as he calls it. He does give his reasons why he can’t go into any sort of depth.

[Gareth Huw Snaith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloody brilliant.

[IFL HORROR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read but I wanted more stories from his time in the forces.

[Julie Makin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge fan of all things SAS this did not disappoint. The most genuine I’ve read of them all so far. A down to earth man from Walsall who has pushed himself to the limits with huge achievements. Highly recommended.

[Harry Sabs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billingham comes across well, a lad that wanted to work hard growing up and acknowledges his mistakes along the way. The book’s structure is predictable and it’s obviously a template that the publishers are keeping the SAS gents to when the books come out but it’s still interesting to hear about what he accomplished after his time in the regiment and the mind set he has carried forward. Easy, short read.

[Valerie Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never having seen Who Dares Wins, I actually thought I'd bought Mark Billingham (the crime writer's) memoirs. Having said that the purchase was serendipitous. He may well be a flawed individual but he certainly has a story to tell. I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact I might go back and watch SAS Who Dares Wins just to complete the picture.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Probably the easiest read of the 4 SAS Who Dares Wins books - definitely biography, but some interesting stuff during the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake that didn’t make the news. Mark talks candidly about his childhood, relationship with his dad, his inspirations and his experience leading and with Hollywood A-listers. A great read.

[Mike James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me at all this - I found it lacking in just about every area. The writing was poor and I feel the stories were just dull.

Perhaps experience gained writing this will bring a more creative side out in Mark (or get a ghost writer) but for a book I was looking forward to reading. It missed the Mark completely for me.

[Dale Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this read. Interesting to see the background of the SAS guys (from Channel 4's SAS:Who Dares Wins) and Billy is a real humble person.

If this is your kinda thing you'll definitely enjoy.

[Stephen Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read that gives a glimpse of a life that most of us know so little about. Teaches hard work, being humble and never giving up.

[Jamie Foxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it. Mr Billingham came across well and I found it an easy read.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you might know if you follow my blog, I'm a big fan of the reality TV series SAS Who Dares Wins, which Billy is in as one of the Staff. I was interested in finding out more about these guys and their careers so I was pleased when the books started coming out. I've now read all of the books released so far and this one was a cracker.

Billy admits that he grew up in a rough area and was out of control by the time he was nine. Running with local gangs, Billy never ducked away from a fight and at the age of 15 he nearly died after being stabbed by a rival gang. He was minutes from bleeding to death in front of his mother. His upbringing in this area was totally brutal and quite shocking to read and he is honest about what he was getting involved in. The shocks keep coming in this book as at 15 he got an illegal job working in an electroplating factory, falling feet first into a vat of caustic soda which again could have killed him or destroyed his legs. Lucky was not the word for it.

When he was nine he stole a hat from an old man who surprised him not only by giving chase to him, but instead of thumping him or getting the police, he offered Billy training at his illegal boxing club and from there he progressed to a local boxing club where he was winning fights. But it was after a stint in the Cadets that Billy started to look at a military career, inspired by the story of a Falklands veteran who came to speak to them. So at 17, Billy was applying to join the Parachute Regiment and began his career there. I very much enjoyed him talking about his experience with the training as I always like finding out what they had to do.

The book goes on to talk about his deployments. These bits were really interesting, covering the jungle training in Belize which Billy really enjoyed, the cushy Cyprus deployment that turned into scary conflict, and the dangerous tour of Northern Ireland to do battle with the IRA. I really liked reading this section, along with how he became an instructor and ensured that he was in the best condition possible before trying out for the elite SAS. Billy was able to describe in detail the first part of selection and that sounds like utter hell to endure so I can only imagine what the rest of it was like. It was fascinating! The men that pass the whole selection really are elite soldiers and it never ceases to amaze me what normal people from a normal background can achieve.

He also got involved in security, as a bodyguard to the stars. It was interesting to hear his opinion on working for Tom Cruise, and Brad and Angelina, as well as the friendship that he formed with Sean Penn, which continued when both men gave up their time and energy to work in Haiti after a dreadful natural disaster to help the local people. Billy also talks briefly about arranging for his friends to rescue Anderson Cooper from Egypt. Billy also gets involved in the search for the infamous WMD and the anti-poaching movement. This man has led a fascinating and varied life and of course he tells how he was recruited for SAS Who Dares Wins, and had a film role in a Sean Penn film.

If you like a good mixture of grim upbringing, military experiences and a varied lifestyle, then this is a memoir that I very much recommend. It was well written and gripping, written with no frills and bad language.

[Boris Bacic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the book has its moments, it's mostly a letdown. The author - although a legend - shares a lot of details about his life starting from the age of 9 and leading up to when he joins the army, but just when you reach the part where he joins the SAS and you expect to read about all of his endeavors and operations - a big portion gets skipped and we suddenly see Billy talking about his retirement and private security jobs.

While I can understand that the operations with the special forces are classified, if that's the case then you shouldn't write a book about your time in the special forces.

I've also noticed random, sometimes pointless moments described in a lot of details, while a lot of the important things were briskly written with no details whatsoever.

One recurring thing I did see in the book is the author's hard work, perseverance, and motivation to succeed. He describes being pushed to his limits time and time again, which is commendable and impressive. One such example is completing the SAS selection course called the Fan Dance, which is essentially climbing over the tallest hill and reaching the checkpoint 24km away with full gear (120 lbs). The author describes the mental and physical strength the SAS members need to have, but again, we don't see that strength used in life-or-death scenarios.

Overall, it's a good book if you need to figure out how to motivate yourself and work harder, but that's pretty much it.

[Toni Lolo Lolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
I did not know anything about the author but came across the book and read it.
It is interesting to read and hard to put down, so I just finished it in a few days. I would recommend it to almost anyone interested in personal development and it is good to learn about life from his story.
I liked the ways he tells his story starting from his childhood, how he was not going on the right path but luckily he met a boxing coach and started boxing which gave him discipline and something to dedicate himself to. Also it was very important in his developing that he join the cadets (amateur military training for the youth) and he liked it and got along well with the guy in charge. Somehow, he managed to redirect his life toward something purposeful that he was good at. He describes how mentally and physcally challenging was the military training. I also liked that he acknowledges his mistakes in life (for instance, in his relathionships) and his disasspointments (like with his bussiness partner), yet he manages to reinvent himself multiple times in different jobs. He is somehow that was able to follow his passion despite having to pay the price for it sometimes.

[Cee Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the fourth of the former 'SAS - Who Dares Wins' DS autobiographies I have read, and as with those by Jason Fox, Ollie Ollerton and Ant Middleton, this one didn't disappoint.

I have the utmost respect for these guys and their colleagues and find it fascinating to see what type of person actually wants to put them through the situations they find themselves in. Their backstory is always interesting.

I'm way too old now, and certainly not brave or daft enough to have ever wanted to join up, but I always enjoy the physical challenge of training - just for sport in my case. So to read what these guys do is mind blowing. I would have loved to have been able to give that aspect of being an SAS operative a try.

It's a little frustrating, but obviously understandable that Billy couldn't include details of any specific battle situations in which he found himself. But there are some general references, s o the reader is left in no doubt as to the stress our soldiers had to deal with.

An excellent and 'easy' read.

[Sarah Stocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love SAS: who dares wins and wanted to know more about DS Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham. This is an honest and sometimes raw autobiography from Mark’s upbringing in Walsall. I loved how there have been people in Marks’s life who have steering him in the right direction. Going nowhere at school and getting in constant scales he admits he could have ended up in prison or worse.
He nearly dies twice before getting into 3 Para then the SAS. Some people have complained there is nothing about the SAS but he explains he can not talk about this! Whilst it would have been interesting to know more about it, there is so much in his life that it is not needed e.g bodyguard to the celebrities, his work in Haiti 🇭🇹, work with poaching prevention and then the tv work. I also did not know he had been in a film!
You really get a feel for who Mark is and I liked him and would love to chat some more over a beer….

[Khamis Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Mark Billy Billinghams book extremely inspiring. I enjoyed the storytelling aspects of each chapter and how he shows that every part of his life created the path that and unlocked each stage of his military career, charity work and overall life.

Billingham does such a great job of not forgetting all those who helped lead him along the way and how we all have a responsibility to help other ourselves not leaving it to anyone else or no one at all as that thinking leads to more damage.

I really loved his openness in his Reflections of his failed relationships, past thinking and how he wished he could have changed things. He own it and it was very relatable.

I listen to the audiobook and really enjoy it.

[BookishBenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook while I was at the gym or running and it did help me to feel more motivated which is something I look for in books written by former special forces/soldiers.

I think Billy has lead a wildly interesting life and this is a great overall summary, however, that’s all it is unfortunately. He glosses over so many active years in the military and while I know he can’t tell us certain details I felt that compared to David Goggin’s book, Can’t Hurt Me, this felt lacking by comparison.

If you want to hear Billy’s story then this will give you what you want. If you want the true story about the SAS action Billy was involved in then I don’t think this will satisfy you.

A good book that I would have bought on Kindle also but not a full priced paperback. Audible narrator did a good enough job but would have been so much better if Billy had read his own story.

[William Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic autobiography of a very decorated hero of our great nation. In my mind I wanted to hear about all of the SAS heroic endeavours but official secrets will probably never be spilled. Subsequently his service in the SAS is understandably not addressed, hell, it would go against everything he is if he had. What remains is a fantastic set of events that showcase what a person is capable of, no matter where they come from. A great read. 'billy' is at heart a totally normal guy that has honed his craft with all he has, a guy I would definitely want on my side. If you are after an SAS compendium of missions, this is not it! This is not about the SAS, it is his story, and a bloody interesting one it is.

[Joseph Mitcham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billy's huge personality comes through throughout this book. His massive scope of experience makes for a deeply interesting read and shows him to be a truly righteous individual - the kind of person that we should all aspire to be.

The book is written in a style that is easy to read and full of funny and exciting stories that servicemen, veterans and civilians alike will find engaging and entertaining.

Whilst Selection and emulation of Selection (TV content) is covered in detail, the activities that we would all like to know about Billy's SAS tours of duty is sadly, but understandingly missing, however the rest of his full and adventurous life makes it well worth reading about.

[Emma Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve bought most of the books by the DS from SAS: Who Dares Wins and I’m slowly working my way through them but I have to say Billy’s is definitely one of the best I’ve read so far. This is a very open, honest book telling us about Billy’s childhood from being a young boy, all the way through his teen years to when he first joined the military, including some of the mistakes and bad decisions he’s made along the way. Billy goes into depth of all parts of his military career, SAS selection, becoming one of the Direction Staff (DS), bodyguarding for some huge A-list celebs and through a lot of his charitable work which up until reading this book I knew nothing about. You can tell this book was wrote by Billy because his personality shines through the pages and had me laughing on multiple occasions. A very candid and interesting read indeed!

[Emma Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved Mark’s true story, it’s honest and open but also quite eye-opening. As a fan of SAS who dares wins (a tv show over in GB) it was really nice to get to know Mark better through this book which focuses on his true self reflections of who he is, where he came from while also depicting what it took for him to become a special forces operative. I found myself very humbled to hear of the huge relief effort he launched for a charitable cause after a humanitarian disaster.

Mark also describes his journey into private security which leads him to protecting some very high profile celebs with household names—to find out which ones however, you will have to read his book 😉

[Jeff Farnham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very inspirational book. Mark "Billy" Billingham is a highly decorated British SAS soldier and in this book he shares his story. He started out as a punk and almost died twice (stabbed and an industrial accident). He stole a hat of an elderly man and that was a life changing experience when the man chased him down and gave him an opportunity to improve himself. He joined the military and went through some of the most difficult training in the world. I enjoyed his story immensely and the only disappointment was he did not go into great detail on some of his missions with the SAS but he has an obligation that prevents him from doing that. I highly recommend this book.