Recently out of high school, Bryan Carroll was on a river rafting trip with a group of teenagers with his parents as chaperones. Near the end of the trip there was a spot where they could dive off a cliff. Most of the others were jumping or doing flips. Bryan chose to do a beautiful swan dive. He didn’t come back up.

The others waited on the cliff for Bryan to surface so the next person could jump in. After one, then two minutes passed, one of the other young people on the shore waded out to see what had happened to Bryan and found him floating just under the surface of the water. He called to the other boys and they hurried to drag his limp body onshore.

My Name is Bryan is a true story. It is a story that will restore your belief in true love and inspire you to keep going when you want to give up. Bryan was born sometime in the late ‘50’s or early ‘60’s (the book didn’t specify) and that means that there was very little technology for the disabled in those days, unlike today. Yet Bryan was able to accomplish so much with his life, even as a quadrapledric. By nine years after his accident he was married, had an engineering degree and was the father of two children.

The story of his family as he was growing up, especially his relationship with his grandfather was very touching. The author did and excellent job of bringing each of their personalities across into the story so that we could get to know them. By the end of the book I felt like they were my friends too and I didn’t want the book to be over because I wanted to keep visiting with them.

I think that My Name is Bryan will remind readers that it is important to surround themselves with people who can support them emotionally when things are tough. Usually that would be your family, but it can be others. Giving up will never lead to success. I really liked the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Each was chosen to inspire.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves true stories, inspirational reads or just really great books. I gave My Name is Bryan 5 stars out of 5 stars. Highly recommended for all!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

This review was published on my blog Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/my-name-is-bryan-blog-tour-... ( )

Bryan has a whole future planned out. He's amazing at fixing cars, and he has a awesome girlfriend. Just like that everything changes when he goes cliff diving one summer. Bryan hits his head and breaks his neck, and just like that his life will never be the same. Bryan finds himself trying to relearn things that seemed so simple before. Bryan learns that with a positive attitude and lots of hard work you can do more than you ever thought possible.

I was very interested in this book as it is based on a true story. It was very interesting to read. Bryan is an example of how quickly your life can be changed completely upside down. One decision to cliff dive led to his broken neck. Bryan carries an amazing attitude throughout the entire ordeal though. You have no doubt that that he will accomplish just about anything he wants because you believe that he believes that. Although this book isn't all happiness. You also get a good idea of the struggle that he undergoes while trying to live his life. With the support of his family and friends, Bryan is able to accomplish much more than many people expect of him.

One thing I loved about this book was that you get a real sense of affection for the subjects. It's clear that the author knows and loves the people involved. It makes them all the more endearing to me as a reader as well. I found the entire story to be very inspiring, and it makes me want to be more positive and hard working like Bryan. Even though this is based on a true story, it's not dry at all. This is a great book for people who want to be inspired and have a greater appreciation for what people with disabilities can face.

Book provided for review. ( )