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Outlook: Andy McNab: Soldier, writer, psychopath

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A soldier in stands in silhouette in a forest holding a gun (credit: Getty Images/south_agency)

22/07/2019 GMT

Andy McNab: Soldier, writer, psychopath

BBC World Service - Outlook, Andy McNab: Soldier, writer, psychopath

The former elite soldier on how learning to read aged 16 taught him empathy

Andy McNab has sold millions of books, which is incredible given he learned to read aged 16. As a diagnosed psychopath, it was also through books that Andy understood empathy.

Andy McNab's books have sold millions of copies around the world. And while his name will be recognisable to many, his true identity is known to very few. After years working in the British special forces, he uses a pseudonym and conceals his face in photos for his own safety.  Andy took part in some of the most daring raids in British military history, but is best known for his writing. Surprisingly, he only learned to read aged 16. He credits reading with teaching him empathy, which, as a diagnosed psychopath, he had to learn. He spoke to Jo Fidgen about his childhood, military career, and his writing. His new children's book is called Get Me Out of Here and has been co-written by Phil Earle. 

Lipa Schmeltzer has been called the Jewish Lady Gaga. That's because Lipa’s style of traditional singing is filled with pop flair. He grew up in a Hasidic Jewish family in upstate New York, without much influence from the outside world. His father was a Holocaust survivor and wanted Lipa to become a rabbi. But the pull of music proved too strong for Lipa. First he was involved with the traditional singing of his community, and then found pop when he heard it for the first time on the radio aged 20. Outlook’s Colm Flynn went to meet him.

(Photo: silhouette of a soldier. Credit: South agency/Getty Images)

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