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  • First Man In

  • Leading from the Front
  • By: Ant Middleton
  • Narrated by: Ant Middleton
  • Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (19,539 ratings)
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First Man In cover art

First Man In

By: Ant Middleton
Narrated by: Ant Middleton
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Summary

Number one Sunday Times best seller.

No one is born a leader. But through sheer determination and by confronting life’s challenges, Ant Middleton has come to know the meaning of true leadership. In First Man In, he shares the core lessons he’s learned over the course of his fascinating, exhilarating life.

Special forces training is no walk in the park. The rules are strict, and they make sure you learn the hard way, pushing you beyond the limits of what is physically possible. There is no mercy. Even when you are bleeding and broken, to admit defeat is failure.

To survive the gruelling selection process to become a member of the elite, you need toughness, aggression, meticulous attention to detail and unrelenting self-discipline - all traits that make for the best leaders.

After 13 years' service in the military, with four years as a Special Boat Service (SBS) sniper, Ant Middleton is the epitome of what it takes to excel. He served in the SBS, the naval wing of the special forces, the Royal Marines and 9 Parachute Squadron Royal, achieving what is known as the ‘holy trinity’ of the UK’s elite forces. As a point man in the SBS, Ant was always the first man through the door, the first man into the dark and the first man in harm’s way.

In this fascinating, exhilarating and revealing book, Ant speaks about the highs and gut-wrenching lows of his life - from the thrill of passing Special Forces Selection to dealing with the early death of his father and ending up in prison on leaving the military - and draws valuable lessons that we can all use in our daily lives.

©2018 Ant Middleton (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"The best book of the year. First Man In will supercharge your life. Incredible." (Tom Marcus, author of best seller Soldier Spy)

"[A] thumping best seller...searingly honest." (Sunday Times

"Superb, fist-biting fun." (GQ

What listeners say about First Man In

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected at all

I expected a biography about his SAS career but got an incredible lesson on leadership, life and mental attitude. Absolutely brilliant, highly recommended. I hope he does more I think we can all learn a lot from Ant.

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83 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible book. Strong, powerful and inspiring

really enjoyed it, especially having Ant reading it. It made the whole experience more real. some great life lessons.

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58 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply Brilliant!

Even if you have no interest in the army, SAS/SBS or the challenges of these companies, Ant Middletons book is a must read.
A well woven mix of humour, self help, self discovery and action, everyone can take something from it.
Now I have listened on audio book I will definitely be treating myself to the hardback copy.

A little warning; the language can be fruity, but it adds authenticity rather than detracts from the text.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A hypocritical autobiography

This isn't so much a book about leadership, as it is a journey through Ant's life which, in my opinion appears quite hypocritical. He spends quite a bit of time criticising people he has come across who are like "loose cannons" or "live grenades" who can't control their temper, however as you learn, Ant is the epitome of this having lost his temper on numerous occasions. One occasion in an assault on Police where he totally lost it and served a custodial sentence. At that point I lost a lot of respect for the guy. I don't feel people like that should be such an exemplary role model as he is being portrayed to be at present. He's being propelled to fame by some very very good PR.

There isn't much in the way of concrete tips or practical advice about leadership. It's still quite an enjoyable listen, he's got an interesting story to tell, but just be mindful it isn't a great book on leadership.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Makes you look at yourself

This teaches you all the traits of becoming a good leader, this will work in any environment you chose to become a leader, this highlighted some of my weaknesses which i can now change.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Shockingly poor

This reads like a cross between a disjointed, second rate, self help book, where much of the 'advise' is poor, and the diary of a nightclub bully.

I'm really shocked his publicist let this go out, as in my opinion it shows him as a very unlikable person.

I've never seen him on TV, so had no preconceived notion of what to expect.

Clearly aimed at the average Sun newspaper reader, it is extremely dull, desperately lacks continuity, has ZERO about the SBS, and I do mean ZERO.

There is a small, very poorly written section, about the 'selection' then it just stops, and jumps forward years, I thought I'd accidentally skipped a chapter.

I was unable to finish the last hour, it was just too irritating, I shall be returning it.

It left me with a feeling of talking to someone who liked to start sentences, but rarely completed what they were talking about.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing tales of pure stupidity and thuggery

I love Ant on SAS Who Dares Wins and was expecting this book to be an inspirational tale of a warriors life, leading by example with the usual bumps in the road. Instead, I gritted my teeth through Ant beating people up for no reason, assaulting the police, dreaming of assaulting people, drink driving (twice in 4 days), being borderline racist, and all round an idiot with little sign of remorse. I expected far better, and was surprised this is the same wisdom filled leader we've all enjoyed watching. Disappointed.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Inspiring

This autobiography doesn’t just let you an insight into someone else’s life, it gives you the mental tools to learn and better yourself and your life. After listening to this book I now have a completely new view on life and how I am going to live mine. The change it has had on me mentally is nothing but positive. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has hit a rough patch in life or even to anyone who wants to prepare for the future, that is what this book has done for me it has helped mentally prepare for future life and get what I can out of it.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very good read

enjoyed the book, decent fella. Great story and I like his mind set. recommend this to anyone who wants to be inspired to get up and do something with their life and take it to the max

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • JG
  • 11-12-18

Don’t read if you liked him on TV

I got this book as I liked Ant a lot on Mutiny and SAS are you tough enough. Unfortunately this book gave too much insight into his real character. He comes across as arrogant and a rather unlikeable character.

He always seems to have an excuse for why he repeatedly gets arrested for violent offences - he even made out that he was going to get a fake passport and run off to Australia after he was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Not exactly the actions of an innocent man...

For a book about life lessons, leadership and taking responsibility, there is an awful lot of blaming other people.

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11 people found this helpful