Born in Nazi-occupied Holland in 1940, over 80 years ago, John A. Brink’s life has been an incredible journey filled with many failures and triumphs, which are now being shared in a brand-new book called: Against All Odds.
Written by Brink himself, with assistance from Echo Storytelling Agency in Vancouver, this autobiography features a chronological history of events throughout John’s life, spread throughout nine chapters and over 200 pages.
“I hope to inspire readers with my book and life’s journey to prove that anything is possible, especially during challenging times,” said Brink. “I arrived in Canada with $25.47 in my pocket, a suitcase and one set of clothes in 1965, not knowing a soul or how to speak the language. Through a positive attitude, passion and strong work ethic, you can achieve anything!”
Some of the topics covered in the book include how to use adversity to better yourself and the world; not allowing your past or liabilities to define you; the power of perseverance; and how doing the right thing often comes at a price, but do it anyways.
“In this lively and tell-all autobiography, I’ve distilled over a half-century’s worth of hard-earned lessons and turned them into simple takeaways for readers at the end of each chapter,” he said. “Pursued together, I firmly believe they will help people find success in life.”
The book will be available for purchase locally at Books and Company, as well as online on Amazon and www.johnabrink.com
This is the first book Brink has authored, but there is particular excitement about this launch because Brink also narrated an audiobook himself, a process that took four months and many hours in the studio to accomplish.
“To me, it was important to narrate the audiobook myself, instead of having a professional do it,” he said. “There are many emotional parts throughout the book that were challenging to talk about, though I felt it was important that the words came directly from me. Listeners will understand why once they hear the audiobook.”
Brink was also featured in a 10-part video interview series with Veronica Beltran, where they go into depth into about each individual chapter of the book and discuss additional stories connected to the written content in the book. Those videos can be watched at
Along with book testimonials from many leaders throughout British Columbia, Don Kayne – CEO and President of Canfor Corporation – provided the book foreword.