It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
Mud, Sweat and Tears

Mud, Sweat and Tears

Summary

'Well told, personable, fast-paced, and undoubtedly a fascinating read' Daily Telegraph

Gripping, moving and wildly exhilarating, Mud, Sweat and Tears is a must-read for adrenalin junkies and armchair adventurers alike.


Bear Grylls is a man who has always sought the ultimate in adventure. Growing up on the Isle of Wight, he was taught by his father to sail and climb at an early age. As a teenager he found identity and purpose through both mountaineering and martial arts, which led the young adventurer to the foothills of the mighty Himalaya and a grandmaster's karate training camp in Japan.

On returning home, he embarked upon the notoriously gruelling selection course for the British Special Forces to join 21 SAS - a journey that was to push him to the very limits of physical and mental endurance.

Then, in a horrific free-fall parachuting accident, Bear broke his back in three places. It was touch and go whether he would ever walk again. However, only eighteen months later Bear became one of the youngest ever climbers to scale Everest, aged only twenty-three. But this was just the beginning of his many extraordinary adventures . . .

Known and admired by millions, Bear Grylls has survived where few would dare to go.

Readers are calling Mud, Sweat and Tears:

'Extraordinary'
'Inspirational'
'Heart pounding'
'Awe-inspiring'
'A breath of fresh air'
'Thrilling'
'Courageous'

Reviews

  • Men don't come much tougher than daredevil climber and adventurer, Bear Grylls
    Sun

About the author

Bear Grylls

BEAR GRYLLS spent three years as a Trooper with 21 SAS Regiment, before breaking his back in a free-fall parachuting accident in Africa. Grylls recovered and went on to become one of the youngest climbers ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

He first hosted the hit Discovery Channel series Man vs. Wild, which became one of the most-watched shows on the planet, reaching an estimated 1.2 billion viewers. Since then he has gone on to host more extreme adventure TV shows across more global networks than anyone else in history, including Running Wild with Bear Grylls and the Emmy Award-nominated interactive Netflix show You vs. Wild.

His autobiography, Mud Sweat and Tears, spent fifteen weeks at Number 1 on the Sunday Times bestseller list and he has written over ninety books, selling in excess of nineteen million copies worldwide. He is an Honorary Colonel to the Royal Marines Commandos, the youngest ever UK Chief Scout, and the first ever Chief Ambassador to the World Scout Organization, representing a global family of some fifty million Scouts.

He is married to Shara, and together they have three sons: Jesse, Marmaduke and Huckleberry.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more