When did you give up on your dreams?
“Jean-Philippe’s life is like the ultimate ultra-marathon, where hope, perseverance, and grit determine the outcome.”
— Dean Karnazes, ultramarathoner and NY Times bestselling author
What is your childhood dream?
A fantasy you no longer believe in as you grow older, or the conviction that impossible goals can become a reality? It's for each of us to decide.
“I didn’t want my life to be an occasional adventure. I wanted adventure to be my life.”
— J-Philippe Soulé (Excerpt from I, Tarzan)
“A riveting, emotional memoir witnessing the evolution of an adventurer. Truly inspirational.”
“Marco Polo meets Tom Sawyer, I, Tarzan is the roller-coaster chronicle of Jean-Philippe Soule’s early life of challenge and adventure. He skillfully and candidly guides us through his journey of discovery, from the depths of emotional anguish to towering personal achievements. This is a story of success, wrought in the fires of despair and wrapped up in good old-fashioned storytelling.”
— Ian Adamson, author and world's most celebrated adventure racer
(X-Games Gold Medalist, 5-sport world champion, 6x world record holder)
I, Tarzan: Against All Odds
An inspiring real-life story of courage, hope, and true resilience
By age thirteen, I was an alcoholic—anything to numb myself from my world of emotional abuse.
That wasn’t who I wanted to be.
My dreams of adventure and exploration were so far out of reach. I’d never become Tarzan. I’d never become Jacques Cousteau.
But I was wrong.
This is my story . . .
“The Adventure begins as soon as we start dreaming it”
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“I, Tarzan tears at the heartstrings and brings to remembrance every unfulfilled childhood dream. Jean-Philippe’s story lends us the courage to see them as future possibilities. His grit and determination inspire and electrify. An emotional journey of enduring accomplishment. I highly recommend it.”
— C. J. Anaya, USA Today bestselling and multi-award-winning author of The Healer Series.
I, Tarzan - Excerpts from the book
1968 - J-Philippe at age two. French Pyrenees.
“Jacques Cousteau did more than inspire me to attempt a record-breaking freedive in the bathtub, he inspired the rest of my life. At four, I was already determined to live a life of great exploration and adventure.”
— Excerpt from I, Tarzan (age 4)
“It requires courage to fight back and defend yourself, and I had none. Each beating had further lowered my self-esteem. Each beating had destroyed every ounce of courage I’d ever possessed. Despite the imaginary justice I dished out in my perfect world in the woods, I didn’t believe I could defend myself, so I never tried.”
— Excerpt from I, Tarzan (age 9)
“My life became all about survival — and the only way I knew how to do that was by fighting. I didn’t care whether I lived or died. Dying would come as a relief. In every fight, a part of me hoped to be killed…
…Slipping into a criminal world, lacking guidance and support from my own family, I’d lost my soul. I was on the surest path toward self-destruction.
But deep inside my heart, despite the pain and the doubts, there lived a breath of hope: a distant childhood fantasy. I can only attribute the endurance of this hope to its unfailing strength in my earlier childhood.
It was the only thing that kept me alive.”
— Excerpt from I, Tarzan (age 13)
1985 - J-Philippe at age eighteen.
1985 - J-Philippe at age eighteen (third man). French Mountain Commando.
"Between my eighteenth and twentieth birthday, I learned about death, but more importantly, I learned what it meant to be alive. It is in our toughest moments that we really discover who we are."
— Excerpt from I, Tarzan (age 20)
“The honesty of the writing is bold, often raw, and my emotions bounced through discomfort, shock, awe—then without warning, I’d be laughing out loud... This epic life story kept me on the edge of my seat throughout and is arguably the best real-life book I’ve read since ‘Touching the Void’ by Joe Simpson.”
— Nick Tribe
“After these experiences, I understood that life was extremely precious, and I had this epiphany. My childhood fantasies were not fantasies at all. I could be Tarzan and Jacques Cousteau if I wanted to. I could be whoever I wanted to be. I could achieve whatever I wanted because I was young, strong, and healthy. And most importantly because I understood the beauty of being alive. Life was too short not to live it to the fullest.”
— Excerpt from I, Tarzan (age 20)
1987 - J-Philippe at age twenty - Opening a new canyon, French Pyrenees.
1993 - J-Philippe at age twenty-six. With his friend, a Balliem chief from Irian-Jaya.
“Imagination is the source of all adventures, be they real or fiction. It was time for my fictional world to become reality. A permanent reality.
I didn’t want my life to be an occasional adventure. I wanted adventure to be my life.”
— Excerpt from I, Tarzan (age 26)
“Nothing ever comes easy. Some choices may require more effort or sacrifice than most people are willing to give or can even comprehend. Sometimes opportunities don’t exist; we have to create them. But we always have a choice. This is the Maze of Life. This is our life, and it’s never set in stone.
The adventure begins as soon as we start dreaming it.“
— Excerpt from I, Tarzan (age 26)
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1993 - J-Philippe at age twenty-six. Nepal.
“The book is the « making-of » of Jean-Philippe Soulé, his story and history of tenacity and perseverance, his voyage from a hard boyhood to an even harder manhood. Along this gripping trip, he shares with us a life lesson on how to follow one's dream: but he does not simply follow his dreams, he actively and relentlessly creates the life he’s wanted all along, refusing any and all compromise, and overcoming quite tall odds.”
— Dominique Blachon
What would you sacrifice to live YOUR life?
“It is in the toughest moments that we discover who we really are.”
A childhood of physical and emotional abuse will break you unless you recognize the possible amidst the impossible. I was determined to take what life threw at me and forge my own path, refusing to give up on my dreams. But can determination alone overcome all adversity?
I've discovered the journey is far more valuable than the destination, and with I, Tarzan, I invite you to join me on that journey…
— J-Philippe Soulé
After the award-winning Dancing with Death,
J-Philippe’s new book I, Tarzan is coming soon!
I, Tarzan
Against All Odds
Get notified of its release and receive the first chapter free!
Anything is possible.
It’s a matter of how much you desire it!
Did you give up on your goals?
Do you dream of Travel,
Adventure or Sports?
This awe-inspiring book will touch your soul and have you reflect on your life.
Dancing with Death
An Epic and Inspiring Travel Adventure
Dancing with Death, depicts this enlightening and oftentimes grueling journey through a compelling narrative. Amazon bestseller and winner of four international book awards.
Two men, three years, seven countries, 3000 miles…
This riveting memoir of physical and emotional endurance will leave you breathless as you experience their victories, misfortunes and sacrifices.
The Author
Jean-Philippe Soulé
If there was only one word that could be used to describe Jean-Philippe, that word would be “passionate”. Passion for people, travel, culture, mountains, oceans, jungles, the great outdoors, and life.
After a childhood filled with life-changing experiences and the pursuit of personal achievements, driven by his desire for adventure, his quest to discover new lands and culture, and his heartfelt interest in meeting diverse people, Jean-Philippe left France to travel the world.
Inspired by Jacques Cousteau and great explorers before him, he became the well-travelled world-adventurer he longed to be.
J-Philippe inspires people with his true-story books
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