You Can't Crack Me.... I'm a Rubber Duck!

by Charlie Northage

An extraordinary tale of one man's triumph over incredible odds. From a thirteen-year-old runaway sleeping in a “cardboard box city” deep within London’s urban streets, Charlie somehow summoned the stamina and resilience to triumph over a relentless string of adversities, betrayals, rejections, and losses which persistently dogged his life, to pursue a successful twelve-year career in the British Army.

            Leaving military service, and forced to accept any kind of low-wage labour, he struggled with an undiagnosed case of PTSD which eventually led to alcoholism and attempted suicide. Yet throughout his life he continued to meet each new challenge with a firm determination not to be beaten.
    
            You Can’t Crack Me…I’m a Rubber Duck! is an account of frequent personal misjudgments, failures, and heartbreaking remorse. Without indulging in self-pity or self-justification, this is the story of an honest man, one who searches the very depths of his hidden pains and personal failings as well as his deepest joys and achievements. Without pulling any punches he reveals himself to us as he is.

            Sprinkled with loving kindness, abiding affection, and heartwarming compassion and gratitude for those closest to him, it is, above all, an attempt by a father to divulge his life story in order to bequeath a legacy to the children he lost years ago. They never realized the deep love their father had for them, nor the anguish their absence caused him.
           
Ever hovering in the back of his conscience are the faces of his children and an underlying sense of loss. From their father who loves them deeply, this is their legacy.

304 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2016

About the author

From a thirteen-year-old runaway sleeping in a “cardboard box city” deep within London’s urban streets, Charlie somehow summoned the stamina and resilience to triumph over a relentless string of adversities, betrayals, rejections, and losses which persistently dogged his life, to pursue a successful twelve-year career in the British Army.

            Leaving military service, and forced to accept any kind of low-wage labour, he struggled with an undiagnosed case of PTSD which eventually led to alcoholism and attempted suicide. Yet throughout his life he continued to meet each new challenge with a firm determination not to be beaten.
    
            You Can’t Crack Me…I’m a Rubber Duck! is an account of frequent personal misjudgments, failures, and heartbreaking remorse. Without indulging in self-pity or self-justification, this is the story of an honest man, one who searches the very depths of his hidden pains and personal failings as well as his deepest joys and achievements. Without pulling any punches he reveals himself to us as he is.

            Sprinkled with loving kindness, abiding affection, and heartwarming compassion and gratitude for those closest to him, it is, above all, an attempt by a father to divulge his life story in order to bequeath a legacy to the children he lost years ago. They never realised the deep love their father had for them, nor the anguish their absence caused him.
           
Ever hovering in the back of his conscience are the faces of his children and an underlying sense of loss. From their father who loves them deeply, this is their legacy.

Reviews

[Lizette Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

You Can't Crack Me...I'm a Rubber Duck by Charlie Northage is a memoir of substance.
You can tell Charlie put his heart and soul into writing this book, and for someone who did not attend school, this is an awesome accomplishment. Charlie takes you on an emotional journey through the climax and pitfalls of his life, of which there are many. However, it is a down to earth, easy read and flows chronologically, much like a diary.

The language is not always fragrant, yet it reveals the depth of emotion Charlie felt and conveys well throughout. You can tell it has been quite a rollercoaster of a journey for Charlie, but just like his rubber duck, he has definitely held on tight!

The accounts of his children and later the PTSD are very traumatic and show how our life's choices are fundamental. Charlie is indeed a survivor and refers to every crisis as "another lesson learned."

I loved reading this book as you can really feel the warmth and sincerity of this man on every page. It is an honest account and I love the way Charlie also has a great sense of humour which I believe is what has carried him this far, and makes for entertaining reading.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves reading about 'real' life but most of all, I hope Charlie's children read this book.

[Melenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

So it's really hard for me to rate this book. I enjoyed reading it, but there are certain things about the writing style that made it hard for me to read. The extra short paragraphs and constant 'singling' out of words drove me crazy, but you can tell he really wrote with his heart and really put a lot into this book so I don't want to take away from that. I'm not sure how I felt at the end of the book... It kind of just ended... Making it feel a little incomplete. Overall I would recommend it.

[Marie (UK)]

for someone with no money, no resources, he has travelled allover the world to work or holiday even whilst bankrupt.

[Kevin Landrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book about a man's journey through a life which can be so cruel.