NOT AN ORDINARY LIFE is the compelling and adventurous autobiography of Les Hody. This remarkable life story unfolds in Hungary, a country caught up in frightening political and social issues during the 1940's and 50's. His early life was one of privilege, but this changed quickly and Les and his family were declared "enemies of the state". Yet through incredible determination and endurance Les reached the pinnacle of basketball success and popularity. At the peak of his sporting prowess and despite his status as a European champion and Olympian, Les was forced to escape Hungary during the 1956 uprising against communism, facing an uncertain future as a refugee. His steel will and adaptability enabled him to succeed and triumph as an Olympian once again, this time for his adopted country of Australia. Anecdotes of ambition, hope and courage enliven the bleak backdrop of his impoverished circumstances as he sought to establish a new life in Australia, finally finding peace in his religious faith.Agnes Zillner OAM *** I am grateful for the work Les Hody has put in to write his biography. He dedicates much of his story to his basketball experiences, but the way in which he describes life in Hungary during those dreadful years of his youth and the way in which he describes his family, his business ventures, his love for his brother, John and his conversion to Christianity, is a story that could easily be attracted to a Hollywood film maker. It is a story that despite the odds has a happy ending.Lindsay Gaze OAM *** 'Not an Ordinary Life' is packed full of anecdotes, some funny and uplifting, others sometimes brutal and sad spanning eighty years of Les Hody's life. By taking risks and never looking back he has certainly lived an extraordinary life. Melanie Zuben, Author
About the Author: I have faced countless challenges throughout life, but writing my life story ranks high on the list. It has truly been a labour of love. The Hody family experienced two world wars and two revolutions. Throughout that time the face of Europe changed dramatically. New countries were created by land annexations and some old ones disappeared. Our forefathers enjoyed a few decades of peace but far more periods of war and dictatorship. Hungary, a proud and self sufficient country for the previous 1100 years, was annexed in 1918 after World War I and consequently lost two thirds of its land and sixty five percent of its population. This was the landscape where my family carved out an existence, always adapting to changing circumstances. Many of them experienced upheaval, injustice and torture, but also enjoyed wealth and prosperity. Since the age of eighteen I have traveled the world many times, visited seventy-eight countries on all continents as a sportsman, businessman and later as a semi retiree. I have lived in three; Hungary, Australia and New Zealand. I was also the first male athlete in the modern Olympics to represent two different countries; Hungary in 1952 at the Helsinki Games and Australia in 1964 in Tokyo. In addition, I was selected to play in additional Olympics; the Hungarian National Basketball Team at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the Australian National Team in 1960 Rome, and again in 1968 at the Mexico City Games. Unfortunately, much to my disappointment, I missed out on participating for a combination of political, bureaucratic and economic reasons completely out of my control. The Hungarian National team won silver at the European Championships in Moscow in 1953, gold in the World University Championship in 1954 in Budapest finished on top of the European Basketball Championships in 1955. Had I lived in a different era I most probably would have had a longer and more successful career. In addition to sport, I've tackled trades, had numerous businesses, and lived at more addresses than I can possibly remember. The school of life offers many courses, but it is in the difficult classes that we learn the most about who we really are.