A Call to Heroism
Renewing America's Vision of Greatness
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An “engaging and provocative” exploration of American history’s heroic figures—from how we define a hero to the monuments we build to honor them (Arthur Schlesinger Jr.).
Heroic ideals are fundamental to the enterprise of American liberty and to the fabric of our nation’s culture. Throughout history, men and women such as George Washington, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King Jr., and Lucretia Mott have brought together our society of dreamers and achievers.
In A Call to Heroism, Harvard research associate Peter H. Gibbon surveys the lives, struggles, and accomplishments of these and other great individuals. It also considers the meaning of seven monuments and artworks dedicated to heroes, examining what these memorials say about the America of their time—and what they mean for us today. The result forges an enlightening understanding of what it means to be a hero.
With a foreword by Peter J. Gomes
“Fascinating and inspiring . . . Gibbon’s book emphasizes the importance of guiding young people to more realistic definitions of hero.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“A concise history of the hero in America and a realistic formula for determining who deserves the accolade.” —The Tampa Tribune
“This book is a delightful Grand Tour, taking us from war to sports to great literature. You will enjoy it.” —Jay Mathews, The Washington Post
“Lively fare for classrooms and board rooms throughout the country.” —Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Is Michael Jordan a hero?... Lenny Bruce?... Why can't Charles Manson be a hero?" These are among the questions teenagers pose to Gibbon when he addresses them on the subject of heroism. Gibbon, a research associate at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, answers in a series of brief reflections. Examining the writings of Emerson and Carlyle, the 19th century's premier thinkers on the subject, Gibbon extracts several characteristics of the hero: sincerity, persistence, intuition, austerity, bravery and virtue. He then defines a hero as a "person of extraordinary achievement, courage, and greatness of soul." Reading through these lenses, Gibbon establishes his own hall of heroes, many not surprising: Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr. and Frederick Douglass; others more unexpected: Lucretia Mott, artist K the Kollwitz, educators Martha Berry and Horace Mann. He examines the models of the warrior-hero and the athlete-hero and their impact on American notions of the hero. Disgusted by the contemporary cult of celebrity, Gibbon asserts that celebrities lack the greatness of soul and moral vision that being a hero requires. Yet he explores with great candor the shortcomings of his own representative men and women. While Gibbon's enthusiasm for restoring the notion of heroism is admirable, his definitions are subjective and depend on the unlikely chance of our returning to a society like Emerson's in which values are commonly shared.
