Unbreakable

The trailblazing SAS soldier who never backed down

De: Melvyn Downes, Billy Billingham - foreword

Narrado por: Daon Broni

Brought to you by Penguin.

A frightened boy pursued by racist bullies who grew up to become a trailblazing soldier in the British Army and then the SAS, Melvyn Downes was one of the first British-born Black men to join the elite regiment. During his 24 years of service, he was involved in secret missions across more than 50 countries and since leaving active duty has travelled to some of the world’s most dangerous places, protecting charity workers and journalists amidst natural disasters and in brutal conflict zones.

In this gripping memoir, Melvyn takes us behind enemy lines and onto the front line of war, never shying away from the darker side of what he endured, such as losing friends, experiencing psychological traumas and facing racial harassment head-on. Yet, he believes that with the right willpower and mindset, anyone can overcome life's challenges.

Melvyn wasn’t born fearless, strong or confident; these traits were forged through hard work, a willingness to learn from his mistakes and a desire to push himself out of his comfort zone. Inspired by the founding principles of the SAS – humility, integrity, humour, classlessness and the unrelenting pursuit of excellence – Melvyn embodies these values in every aspect of his life. And in Unbreakable, he shows that you don’t need to be a soldier to follow these ideas – we can all use them to build resilience when life throws us curveballs, and to live a life without limits.

© Melvyn Downes 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The honesty

Loved it all made me cry thinking about the racism he had to deal with growing up

Very relatable

Mel’s story is amazing and the resilience he shows in adversity is inspiring. I can relate to a lot of it. If you have served then you know and if you have not this will be a way to understand the plight of many an armed forces member oh and he is wickedly funny too!