My Hero: Extraordinary People on the Heroes Who Inspire Them [Hardcover]

The My Hero Project (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2005

In "My Hero," some of the brightest lights from around the globe share -- in their own words -- stories about the people who have been the greatest source of strength and inspiration to them. With essays by military heroes, political leaders, and Nobel Prize winners, sports heroes, firefighters, scientists, and schoolteachers -- and with an introduction by basketball legend, businessman, and philanthropist Earvin "Magic" Johnson -- this collection gathers individuals who themselves are shining examples to tell us about the people who have illuminated their own lives.

- How did Dana Reeve come to find such grit and grace when her fairy-tale prince was thrown from his real-life steed, paralyzed from the neck down?

- What traits of baseball great Ted Williams have inspired war hero Senator John McCain since childhood?

- What impact did Nelson Mandela have on boxing legend Muhammad Ali?

- Why does one of the all-time greats of baseball, Yogi Berra, believe that he owes each of his legendary home runs to his brothers?

- How did Michael J. Fox find a woman who would walk away from a spectacular career in finance in order to fight for a cure for Parkinson's disease at the helm of his nonprofit foundation?

- Why does John Glenn, a man who flew into space twice and served a quarter century on the Senate floor, look up to his own wife, Annie Glenn, as the true hero in the family?

In a world hungry for good examples, "My Hero" reminds us that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. It also teaches us that the words and deeds of those who inspire us are as varied as the stars that illuminate the night.

The editors of "My Hero" and the contributors are donating all royalties fromthis book to the nonprofit My Hero Project.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This anthology of tepid uplift celebrates the democratization of the once larger-than-life status of the hero. Initiated by the myhero.com website of inspirational postings aimed at kids, the volume gathers short essays from heroic (or at least well-known) people paying personal tribute to their own heroes. The old prerequisites for heroism-nearly super-human achievement and self-sacrifice for the public good-have now broadened to include graceful coping with the normal vicissitudes of life and being friendly and supportive of other people. Close relatives of the contributors constitute the largest category of heroes, often extolled for their care-taking and courage in the face of their own or others' illnesses and disabilities; teachers and career mentors come in a close second. Many of these salutes amount to little more than wan personal appreciations: Physicist Leon Lederman calls his wife his hero, citing her skills as a hostess, horsewoman and photographer, while WNBA star Sue Bird admires her older sister because "she's real-with no pretensions and no airs." Nelson Mandela is the primary exemplar of old-school heroism, named by figures like heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali and children's troubadour Raffi. A few offbeat tributes-social scientist Felton Earle credits Charles Darwin as inspiring his opposition to the Vietnam War, while Senator John McCain celebrates baseball great Ted Williams for his sheer orneriness-add some interest.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

The My Hero Project is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to inspire the hero in all of us by shining a spotlight on real-life examples of people at their best. The three founders: Karen Pritzker, formerly a magazine editor, works as an advocate for literacy and children's issues. She served as Editor for this book. Rita Stern is an artist and Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and was an architect of the original My Hero web site. Jeanne Meyers is a film and multimedia producer who helped develop and has continued to direct the award-winning My Hero web site since its inception. The founders can be reached at www.myhero.com. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743283457
• ISBN-13: 978-0743283458
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,073,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where do we find inspiration?, November 2, 2005

By 

AW "Alex on first" (Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Hero: Extraordinary People on the Heroes Who Inspire Them (Hardcover)

I have two books to recommend to readers if they are looking for books that focus on finding Inspiration. One is Michele Geraldi's Calling in the Night, and the other is Karen Pritzker's My Hero. These books show the importance of finding inspiration and applying it to your everyday life. My Hero is a vast collection of inspirational stories, written by some of the most influential people in the world, during some of the most controversial and trying times the world has ever seen. It does not try to be inspiring, so much as it focuses on the importance of a person finding something in his/her life to be inspired by. There is a big difference there. I found the stories uplifting, and I came from the book knowing that My Hero is a good read and a good tool that teaches a person to always keep his/her eyes open for the one little thing that might move the spirit to become better, and then hopefully, eventually move the spirit's of other people as well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great example for Adults and Children on how to hang in, November 15, 2005

By 

Lisa D. Schneider - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Hero: Extraordinary People on the Heroes Who Inspire Them (Hardcover)

This book is wonderful because it gives you courage. It speaks of Heros, and defines Heroic Acts. All of the People in this book have been committed to producing great services for people. MY favorites were Colonel Jack Jacobs,Senator John Glenn, Sue Bird,and Dr. Bernard Lown. Each talked about their successes and their disappointments. This book speaks from the heart. It promotes living a quality life full of meaning and discipline. All of the people in the book were extremely disciplined. It was the reason they were able to accomplish so much. I think this is a book that the whole family can enjoy. I could imagine a family sitting down to read this book together.
It simply inspires and shows how dreams do come true. I highly recommend this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring stories, November 14, 2005

By 

C. McMahon "Avid Reader" (Santa Barbara Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Hero: Extraordinary People on the Heroes Who Inspire Them (Hardcover)

The My Hero book is a spirit lifter that highlights the importance of
recognizing and commemorating those people who inspire us and who add
fuel to our creativity so that we may achieve great things. The intro by Karen Pritzker and forward by Magic Johnson provide a great back drop to this
collection of hero stories. I really enjoyed reading the essays written by Muhammad Ali,Frank O. Gehry , Rob Warden, Kathy Eldon,Erin Gruwell, Senator John Glenn, Senator John McCain and Elie Wiesel. We all learn from example, and people who accomplish amazing feats all have heroes or inspiring individuals whose ideas or actions made those accomplishments possible. This book enticed me to identify my heroes and as a result I came a way with a positively warm feeling of
thankfulness.

I highly recommend this book for a holiday gift to those you admire
and as a gift to some of the people you know that might be searching for
some inspiration of their own.