One Step Beyond

by Chris Moon

One step Beyond is Chris Moon's account of his life thus far - his remarkable adventures and unique experiences are conveyed with wit and charm, while the moral narrative concerning his work in dangerous areas of the Third World is awe-inspiring, gripping, often hilarious and at times, immensely moving.

Genres: Autobiography, Biography, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[Susan Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad to have finished this. I didn’t really relate to the character and some parts were tedious but he did have an amazing story to tell and the info on demining and adapting to amputations were interesting.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow . What a great read . Chris you’re twice the man of me .

A must read book . Hopefully the will be another one step beyond. (Two steps beyond? )

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris is one amazing person. This book is split broadly into 3 bits. The first bit is Chris's early life and the development of his love of farming and the great outdoors and his journey into the army. He tries to throw in some anecdotes and humorous bits of his childhood but there is so much crammed into the short section that it all seems rushed somehow. No matter because part 2 is his experience of being captured by the Khmer rouge and surviving. I thought that Chris was alone when he was captured - he wasn't, he had some local people who were helping him in the land mine clearance jobs in the Land Rover and a truck of locals following. So not only was Chris looking out for himself he had the responsibility of ensuring that all of the people in his charge survived and came home. Which he did. This is engrossing stuff and, hats of to him, he did a remarkable job of keeping the whole situation under control and leading his people to safety. Incredible. Part 3 tells of the way that a land mine claimed his limbs, the race to safe his life and his return to living in society (and running the London Marathon and the stupid race in the Sahara). Again, an unbelievable tale which leaves you almost breathless in its enormity. We hear a lot about people who loose limbs from bombs and mines and explosions and Chris's tale opens a new window on what it is really like to experience that, the huge effort needed to keep the victim alive and seal up the wounds and the very long and painful journey to a place where, if you are as lucky as Chris, you can lead a reasonably normal life. I was astounded at the passage "A healthy man has a hemoglobin count of sixteen. If it drops rapidly below four, as a result of a traumatic injury, it's usually fatal. Yours was two when you arrived."

The whole book is very intimate and very detailed and Chris must have relied upon many other people to fill in the bits of the story that must have been missing. Knowing Chris, and running with him from time to time I hold him in very high regard. Its been remiss of me to take so long to read this story. I would highly recommend it to people if, for no other reason than to help put your own life in perspective.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy is a serious hard case! In the face of horrible injuries he still maintains a textbook British "can do" attitude to life which both entertains and inspires!

[Leon Foot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational.

[Emma-louise Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring. . And you will never complain again after reading this.