Ed William - Writing A Biography That Reads Like Fiction (Ep. 332)

Pre-order No One's Coming to Save You today: https://infinitebooks.com/products/no-ones-coming-to-save-you

David Rhoiney was five when his father walked out, forcing David to become the "man of the house."

Compton, Oakland, Long Beach: no matter where they turned, fear and hunger waited. Long nights in the homeless shelter. Drive-by shootings. Strangers in overalls dragging his mother away. As his world collapsed, David lost hope. No one was coming to save him.

But he could save himself.

When basketball threw him a lifeline, David grabbed it. So began an unlikely journey, one that carried him from living in a Volkswagen Jetta onto the courts of Division I, through the halls of the Naval Academy, into the corridors of national intelligence, and under the watchtowers of Guantánamo Bay. At last, scalpel in hand, David reached the operating room, where he could become the man his family needed.

Ed William, a former lawyer, spent several days interviewing David and spoke to dozens of people from his life. The result is Ed's first book, No One's Coming to Save You: The Escape of David Rhoiney, out from Infinite Books on 8 December and now available for pre-order: https://infinitebooks.com/products/no-ones-coming-to-save-you

"A powerful and deeply moving account of a boy forced to grow up too soon and the man he fought to become."

—Rob Henderson, bestselling author of Troubled

Ed joins Jim to discuss:

• The time David was forced to fight a schoolyard bully in front of his family.

• David's unusual experience of the Rodney King riots.

• The note David wrote to God every night.

• The English teacher who changed David's life in one hour.

• The prep school coach who cancelled David's credit cards.

• How a five-foot-three kid ended up playing Division I basketball.

• David as a role model for young men.

• The guilt underpinning David's success.

• The single word that describes David.

• Why Ed's interview plan fell apart in the first 5 minutes.

• Why Ed was inspired by Into the Wild and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

• How Ed captured David's voice.

• Much more!

Show Notes

Ed William & Jim O'Shaughnessy

• Ed William: Writer, editor, former lawyer and author of No One's Coming to Save You. Read Rough Cuts

• The book: No One's Coming to Save You: The Escape of David Rhoiney, out December 8, 2026. Pre-order

• Infinite Books: The publishing imprint behind the book. Infinite Books

• Jim O'Shaughnessy: Host of Infinite Loops, founder and CEO of O'Shaughnessy Ventures, and author of the New York Times bestseller What Works on Wall Street. Follow Jim on X

• Full transcripts: Transcripts and highlights from every Infinite Loops conversation. OSV newsletter

Books, Films & Ideas Mentioned

• Into the Wild: The film Ed compares to the Houston chapter, where David almost stops to rest. Into the Wild

• Raiders of the Lost Ark: Spielberg's "no boring bits" approach that set the book's pace. Raiders of the Lost Ark

• Mad Max: Fury Road: Ed's model for a story that never stops moving. Mad Max: Fury Road

• The Pursuit of Happyness and Good Will Hunting: The stories Ed sees as the book's closest film parallels. The Pursuit of Happyness / Good Will Hunting

• What Works on Wall Street: Jim's book, which David challenged him on in their first conversations. What Works on Wall Street

• Behaviorism: The mid-century "give me a baby and I'll make it anything" school Jim cites in the nature-versus-nurture debate. Behaviorism