"Against Terrible Odds" is an exploration of resilience, the capacity in every child to overcome his or her traumatic experiences. We are introduced to the lives of children who have lived through the horrors of war, incest, poverty, and racism, yet have become successful and thriving adult human beings. The media thrives on stories of children at risk, whose early years have been marked by the brutality, suffering, abuse, and trauma which tabloid journalism has made into daily headlines. They are labelled victims and then relegated to failure because it is believed such children could not possibly rise beyond their circumstance. Everyone is saddened by these stories, but we accept them as part of the fabric of social disintegration. But, what if the stories are not all sad? What if there are stories of children, like the ones in this book, who found many different ways to transcend their years of suffering, using a variety of resources, and ultimately prevailing against the odds. Organised very simply around a five themes -- War, Affliction, Trauma, Poverty, and Prejudice, the book pursues a simple idea-we can all learn from, and be inspired by, the most unlikely heroes who have made a difference as individuals.