An Ordinary Man's Extraordinary Tale of Courage and the Will to Live
Ordinary Valor is not a textbook about prostate cancer or the psychology of coping, although you'll find author Robert Mignone's thoughts on both. It's not a philosophical discourse on the philosophy of faith or the existence of God, although Mignone does talk a lot about his experience of the power of faith. Rather, Ordinary Valor invites the reader to witness one man's journey of coping with the dark reality of cancer. Mignone writes:
Because my story has been ordinary, I've come to regard my experience as remarkable (even spectacular) because I've seen how it has reflected the marvelous journeys of gazillions of men and women as they've worked and loved and managed their lives as best they could and all the while no one but their intimates knowing anything of their heartaches. They've attended PTA meetings, grooved at concerts, visited families, and showed up at work every day with their game faces on and never received a medal or a news story. That's amazing. All over the world, people are quietly winning gold medals of the heart. That's the human grit, which more than ever brings tears of admiration to my eyes. Celebrities or even unsung heroes may be entertaining and sometimes inspirational, but even more awesome is every man's bouncing back. To me, they're all heroes and heroines.
