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Hero-Type

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 859 ratings · 156 reviews

Everyone is treating Kevin as a hero. He was in the right place and the right time and he saved a girl from being murdered. Only Kevin knows though, why he was able to save her. Things get even more complicated when Kevin is seen removing two patriotic �Support the Troops” ribbons from his car bumper. Now the town that lauded him as a hero turns on him, calling him unpatri...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published September 22nd 2008 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

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Dec 30, 2012 Kristen rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Okay, I am going to try my best to be fair with this book. Try is the key word in that sentence. You know how you come on my blog and sort of expect happy 5 rose rate reviews? Well, here you go, I am human - I'm giving this book 1/5 roses.

What drove me to turn this audiobook off half-way through it? (I am the type that usually plugs through a book at this point...)

I'm going to list them because it makes me feel better.

1. Main character is a hero because he is a stalker. And I really just would h...more Okay, I am going to try my best to be fair with this book. Try is the key word in that sentence. You know how you come on my blog and sort of expect happy 5 rose rate reviews? Well, here you go, I am human - I'm giving this book 1/5 roses.

What drove me to turn this audiobook off half-way through it? (I am the type that usually plugs through a book at this point...)

I'm going to list them because it makes me feel better.

1. Main character is a hero because he is a stalker. And I really just would have been satisfied if he had admitted that very frankly. But no, he has to beat around the bush.

2. Point of View - I'm sorry, when you have a completely dull pimpled teenage boy who is a stalker and constantly talks down to himself in his head... I just can't handle that.

3. The only interesting parts were left out. Like, why was his dad discharged from the army? Just leaves you hanging and not in the way that keeps you reading to find out. No, the information just seems drop out. The main character finds out, but you don't.

4. The distraction plot. I felt like there was this weird separation between Kevin's obsession with videotaping Leah and his newer obsession with freedom of speech - started to impress Leah and then turning into a monster of its own.

5. The lack of positive female characters. Leah is an object, not a young woman in Kevin's mind. Flip's girlfriend is only around because Flip likes having sex with her. She has some better qualities but Kevin thinks of her as Flip's girlfriend, not as a person. Kevin's mom divorces Kevin's dad, loses weight, becomes a lesbian and forces Kevin to choose who he should live with - his dad or his mom and little brother. Kevin chooses his dad - and his mother and brother move states away to California. She doesn't call him unless he calls first.

Any redeeming qualities?
Not for me, but I can see guys getting into this book. As a girl it just didn't appeal and I often yelled at the CD player in the car for Kevin to admit his stalker-ness. To quote me "You're a stalker, repeat after me - STALKER". But no, there can be cursing, drugs and references to sex but he can't bloody call himself a stalker - he's just "a bad person". Lame.

I think it's also Lyga's style that I just can't get into. I could barely get through Fanboy and Gothgirl by him - and I could relate to some of the issues in that book.

So, sorry Barry, but I had to give up on this one or I might have damaged library materials (less)

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Apr 15, 2013 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hero Type is about Kevin Ross, a teenager in high school who is not popular and does not do that great in school. His popularity changed overnight though when he saved Leah Muldoon, a popular girl at school. The whole town and beyond is in Kevin’s business claiming he is a hero.He saved her life from the Surgeon, a doctor who has killed four young girls. He was in the right place at the right time…or was he? Kevin has a secret he is hiding from everyone even his closest friends, The Council of F...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Denise Kang rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kevin Ross, is not the typical high school student. After saving Leah from being murdered he is instantly seen as a hero. He claims that he was just in the right place at the right time, but he knows the real truth behind it all, the secret he fears to tell anyone about. When Kevin is told by his dad, ex troop, to remove two patriotic "support the troops" ribbons from his car, a gift from the mayor, everything becomes more complicated. Suddenly, just as quick as he was seen a hero, he was seen a...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Gabriel Gutierrez rated it 4 of 5 stars

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May 21, 2012 Bobby rated it 4 of 5 stars

After Kross had saved Leah from a serial killer he had been seen as a hero in his town. And to thank him the mayor, who owns a car dealership, gave him a car at a huge discount and without some ribbons that say he supports the troops. But when his dad makes him take the ribbons of the car his schools newspaper photographer catches him throwing away the ribbons. And the next day the headlines for the school paper tell of him hating America causing everyone to hate him.
What I really liked about...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Steven R. McEvoy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-best-of, read-2012

Kevin Ross is a hero, in his high school, his town of Brookdale, his state and even the nation, for he is a young man who single-handedly stopped a serial killer. He jumped on his back and put him in a strangle hold while a girl from his school who was about to become the next victim called 911. But what nobody knows is why Kevin was there in the first place and what he was doing. But Kevin does and it is tearing him to pieces. But just as quickly as he was placed upon the pedestal, he is torn d...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Alexis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kevin Ross doesn't consider himself a hero. Alright he saved Leah's life; he was able to stop the mugger - who turned out to be the Surgeon, a serial killer - from killing her. But he has a secret that is threatening to tear him apart. Did he really just happen to be there, at the right place at the right time?

But Kevin goes along with all the hoopla and hero treatment. He deals with it alright. Until he inadvertently does something that is considered unpopular by some members of the community....more

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Dec 25, 2010 W Habecker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, so it's 10:51 Christmas night, I just finished reading a totally different book, and I actually finished this one a few weeks ago - but still I feel it warrants a review.

Oh, and this is my first real review since my brother basically forced me into the other reviews that I have posted on here.

Enough with the jibber jabber and on with the review... jabber...

This book by far is one of the better ones I've picked up in a while. I tend to only read things that are entertaining and not books th...more Okay, so it's 10:51 Christmas night, I just finished reading a totally different book, and I actually finished this one a few weeks ago - but still I feel it warrants a review.

Oh, and this is my first real review since my brother basically forced me into the other reviews that I have posted on here.

Enough with the jibber jabber and on with the review... jabber...

This book by far is one of the better ones I've picked up in a while. I tend to only read things that are entertaining and not books that actually educate me - I avoided education like the plague when I was in school, I'm not going to willingly partake in it now that I've somehow miraculously graduated - but this one managed to sneak up and teach me some stuff. Now I need a shower to wash off all the knowledge.

I guess this is where I should warn you about possible spoilers. I don't know if I'll actually reveal anything, but just in case - here's your warning.

The book starts off with the typical idea of a storyline of the "unlikely hero" mold, but slightly different because it picks up after the inciting incident and follows the hero's rise to glory. We spend a good portion of the book finding out what exactly occurred to bring fame and glory to said hero, and why he doesn't feel he deserves it and him wrestling with his feelings of guilt and yadda yadda yadda.

Then, a few short pages in, he commits a seemingly innocuous (I think that's the word I'm looking for - feel free to correct me if I'm wrong or ream me out or whatever) act that gets blown bigger than life and he's made out to be a villain, and we spend a great deal of the book reading about him defending himself.

So while I signed up to read a book about an unlikely hero (a standard feel-good kick-back-and-relax book), I'm suddenly caught up in a storyline about a kid coming to terms with his own demons, coming into his own as a man, standing up for what he believes in, fighting mob mentality, and all the while learning a lot about the documents that founded America.

Seriously - this was some real head scratching material here.

Honestly it's very well written and has a lot of legitimate information about the bill of rights and the constitution all wrapped up in a narration that kept me entertained and flipping pages.

My brother is the history buff - I never really liked the subject. I never would have thought you'd get me to willingly pick up a book that could teach me social sciences and read it. I would have laughed if you would have told me that I would like it.

But I did like it. I liked it quite a bit. And that - I think - is quite an accomplishment.(less)

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Nov 09, 2010 Eric Newson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Conflict(man vs. man)
(man vs. society)
(man vs. self)
Plot:the story Hero type takes place in the small patriotic town of Brookdale and is about a boy named Kevin Ross who is being called a hero because he saved a girl named Leah from a man called the surgeron who abducted, raped, and murdered teenage girls. Altough kevin's life starts to turn around because of this act things start to change from better to worse as he's caled a traitor to "his country" for throwing away stickers that "supported h...more Conflict(man vs. man)
(man vs. society)
(man vs. self)
Plot:the story Hero type takes place in the small patriotic town of Brookdale and is about a boy named Kevin Ross who is being called a hero because he saved a girl named Leah from a man called the surgeron who abducted, raped, and murdered teenage girls. Altough kevin's life starts to turn around because of this act things start to change from better to worse as he's caled a traitor to "his country" for throwing away stickers that "supported his country. Even though It was his father who wanted Kevin to throw away the stickers Kevin takes the responsibility and must change the way the people of brookdale think in order to clear his fathers past, and his name. But along the way Kevin shows us that there was more than just luck that he was able to save Leah and that there are things that he cannot bury.

Chracter: Kevin in the begining of the story is a boy who does'nt think much of himself, he has few friends and his parents went through a divorce when he was a kid. His father's a war veteran and his mother moved to california with his little brother Jesse and is dating a woman Named Rita which makes his life a little bit more wierd for him. As the story progresses we see that Kevin starts to change the more he starts telling us about his past and the more he starts getting to his secret. At the end of the novel Kevin completely changes as he gets an epiphany realizing why he had such a serious crush on Leah(but i won't tell you you will have to read it for yourself.)

Writing style: for the writing style i chose two quotes that ad a similar tone of mystery but they still have an incredible impact on the character.
"They showed a reenactment of the whole thing, shot in grainy black and white, with some little emo kid playing me, running down the alley jumping... It was t.v. They didn't tell the whole story, of course. Maybe that's because i didn't tell them the whole story.
Through this quote the author captures the reader making them wonder what is the whole story. This shows us that Kevin knew more of what happened than anyone else.
"I stand there quiet. I'm in Leahs bedroom. The first thing i say is this: I wish my camera wasn't broken. That summer two years ago when i first taped her. When it all began."
This quote also caprtures the reader telling them that something happened two years ago that might explain Kevin's other confession at the begining of the story. the Author is trying to entice the reader with the endless possibilities of what happened.

Theme: the theme of the story was that being a hero isn't just going around saving lives. It's about being there for family and friends who need you the most. Throughout the story Kevin starts to realize this as he goes through his past.

I highly reccomend this book, it's incredibaly addicting and the way the plot slowly unfolds will leave you in shock as you discover Kevin Ross's secret while he faces the ridicule of his fellow students as well as the town that is Brookdale.

(less)

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Oct 27, 2010 Jake rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 21, 2010 Nataytay rated it 4 of 5 stars

omg. Omg. OMG. okay so first off what i like is tht this book is real i mean the author basically harbored all the emotions, thots, and typical (and not so typical) actions of some random slightly depresssed kid living on standby i mean how does an old guy (ok maybe hes not tht old BUT hes not still in his teenage years) know what it would feel like?? that definitely takes skill. con-ish things: okay so i mean you have to admit the plot was a little weird, i mean i've never heard of a book where...more

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May 02, 2010 Sandi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kevin Ross saves a classmate from a serial killer and goes from a nobody to hero overnight. But his reasons for being in the right place at the right time are not exactly something he wants everyone to know and he doesn't exactly feel like a hero. His time at the top doesn't last long when he is seen removing some 'Support the Troops' ribbons from his car and he goes from hero back to zero. Suddenly, he is viewed as someone who doesn't support the troops and hates America.

My Thoughts:
I love Barr...more

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Dec 07, 2009 Suzanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

A happenstance hero quickly becomes a pariah in his town when he is caught on film removing "support our troops" ribbons from the used car he is buying with reward money. Kevin, riddled with bad skin, a dysfunctional family, and low confidence saves longtime crush Leah from a serial killer. He neither welcomes nor understands the sudden limelight, but he does become angry and motivated to stand up for his right not to have a ribbon on his car, even though it was his ex-military father who asked...more

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Jul 09, 2009 Clare D' Lune rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: ages 13 or 14 and older

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ok, not gonna lie, this book had a lot of crap in it. Crude language and subjects, etc. I would not suggest it to anyone under age 13 or 14. But it also had some excellent points. All that Kevin (Kross) was trying to prove about the flag and the magnets being symbols really made sense, and I have to say I agree. It helped that the book was written in a form that teenagers can relate to. Also, I think the writer did a great job on Kevin as a character. The way he described Kross stalked that girl...more

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Jan 11, 2010 Brie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

Okay, at the end, this story got preachy. Very very preachy, but I can see why:

this entire book made me so so so angry. But for the reasons it was trying to - most people (most Americans) don't/can't think for themselves. There was an article a few days ago, about how Jane Lynch (in Glee) blamed Obama for the lack of movement for Gay Rights.

But if she READ or knew ANYTHING about the Government, she'd realize that he doesn't have much, if any power for that. They moved it to the states. And he ca...more

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Aug 28, 2009 E. Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kevin' doesn't think he's much of a hero. The whole town considers him one, though, since he saved a girl from his school from being kidnapped by "The Surgeon," a brutal serial killer and rapist. Sometimes the attention is nice, since his dad barely pays attention to him at home and it's not like he's the most popular guy or the handsomest guy in school - he's far from it. Kevin told everyone that he was just at the right place at the right time, which, in a way he was. But the truth is there is...more Kevin' doesn't think he's much of a hero. The whole town considers him one, though, since he saved a girl from his school from being kidnapped by "The Surgeon," a brutal serial killer and rapist. Sometimes the attention is nice, since his dad barely pays attention to him at home and it's not like he's the most popular guy or the handsomest guy in school - he's far from it. Kevin told everyone that he was just at the right place at the right time, which, in a way he was. But the truth is there is more to that night, and the secret reason that he was there to save the girl - Leah, the unwitting object of his affection - is less than honorable, perhaps even perverse. So when the town stops worshiping Kevin and starts treating him like the villain he really is, it wouldn't bother him so much, except that they still don't know his secret. They're up in arms over the "Support the Troops" magnets that he refuses to put on his car. And it's not even that Kevin doesn't support th troops - he just believes in free speech, and he doesn't think that putting magnets on your car does very much for the soldiers fighting overseas. So Kevin starts a debate, one he is sure to lose. Meanwhile his friends, the self-appointed "Council of Fools" are pulling some politically-inspired pranks all over town. But when the local paper starts publishing less than flattering stories about Kevin's dad, and the Council starts to lose perspective, Kevin sees that proving his point about free speech is more important than he could have imagined. And so is confronting the ugly truth about the night that he saved Leah.

Lyga's presentation of some very relevant issues is engaging and fast-paced. The character of Kevin, despite all of his flaws (the darker of which come to light over the course of the novel) is sympathetic and his problems aren't unlike those of most teenagers - he isn't in with the in crowd, his self-image is terrible, and he has trouble at home. As Kevin narrates the story, while sometimes the reader is acknowledged in a way that nearly pulls him away from the fiction at hand, it is done with a skillful conversational tone that is easy to fall into. Hero-Type is an important book, one that should be considered for high school libraries across the country.(less)

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May 17, 2013 Leonid Musheghyan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: swag

I chose this book because the cover seemed interesting and the preview was a cliff-hanger. This book is about a kid in high school who is not popular but saved the girl of his dreams from getting murdered. The whole town loves him for this until he does one silly mistake, which he thought was not a big deal, and starts to get hate from everyone, except the girl of his dreams. My favorite quote is when Kevin is talking to his dad;

“Kevin: 'Hey, Dad. How do you stop people from being stupid?'

Dad: '...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Zi Lin Li rated it 4 of 5 stars

Being a Hero
Hero Type Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008, pg 295, $16,
Barry Lyga 978-0-547-07663-8

“And then I get into my car, and I don't look back. Tell the truth, it's the most heroic thing I’ve ever done.” Hero. What does a hero mean to you? Don't think that all heroes have a happy life. Kevin Ross, the hero in this novel, who fall in love with a girl that he saves and was turn against his town for some reasons.

Hero Type, the name of this book, is written by Barry Lyga. Hero Type is the only...more

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Dec 08, 2008 Sherrie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a very thought provoking book for young adults. Kevin Ross (KRoss) is hailed as a hero when he saves a beautiful classmate from an attack by a serial killer. However, the reader soon learns that the reason KRoss was there TO save her was because he was stalking and secretly filming this classmate himself. The mayor of his hometown rewards KRoss with a good deal on a used car, complete with a requisite "Support the Troops" magnetic ribbon. Kevin's father, ambivalent about his own military...more

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Oct 12, 2009 Ms. Warchol rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-high-school-readers-and-beyond, for-my-marvelous-middle-schoolers

I loved going back to Brookdale after The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl.

Hero-type is Kevin's story. Everyone in his town is celebrating him as a hero, because he saved a girl from a serial rapist/killer. He has been in the newspaper and on t.v. But Kevin doesn't think he deserves any of this special attention, because of the circumstances surrounding this rescue.

Kevin's popularity goes from savior to sinner when he is photographed removing patriotic magnets from the car the tow...more

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Apr 18, 2010 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Kevin is a hero. He saved a popular girl, Leah, from getting raped and murdered, and if that wasn't good enough, the person he saved her from is a serial killer. So, Kevin went from a fool that tried to not really get noticed to the center of attention. In school, everyone wants to be his friend and sit next to him. He is even given a pretty good deal on a car from the mayor of the town, who also owns the car dealership. Only, Kevin doesn't feel like a hero. Actually, he is keeping a secret that...more Kevin is a hero. He saved a popular girl, Leah, from getting raped and murdered, and if that wasn't good enough, the person he saved her from is a serial killer. So, Kevin went from a fool that tried to not really get noticed to the center of attention. In school, everyone wants to be his friend and sit next to him. He is even given a pretty good deal on a car from the mayor of the town, who also owns the car dealership. Only, Kevin doesn't feel like a hero. Actually, he is keeping a secret that makes him feel worse every time his heroism is brought up. To make matters worse, a local reporter catches him throwing away two magnetic patriotic ribbons off of the back of his car when Kevin's father tells him to. This reporter turns Kevin into a villain. Kevin is all of a sudden everyone's enemy because they believe that he is not patriotic. Instead of coming clean and just saying that his dad made him do it, Kevin takes hold of this new image and brings about a debate about free speech. Not only does Kevin have to deal with this new villain treatment, but he also has to deal with the secret that he is keeping, and his mom wants him to move to California away from his dad.

I usually like Barry Lyga, but I just did not get into this book. There were too many issues that were happening at one time and I don't believe that any of them were written well enough for me to grip onto and struggle through with the main character. Lyga may have shared what was going on, but it was not done in a way that I cared about. I think part of the problem is that I just never really cared about Kevin. I could relate to him from time to time, but he wasn't a character that I liked. The challenges that Kevin goes through in order to find his identity and what is important to him are not gripping. The secret that he struggles with is easy to figure out within a few pages of the story and it probably turns me off to the character as a whole. All in all, I really think that Lyga was trying to do too much with this novel and because of that he barely scratches the surface of each topic making this book shallow and not worth the extended amount of time it took me to read it.

I gave it a 2/5 stars. I finished it and it was written by a great author, but I don't recommend it and I would not read it again.(less)

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Mar 05, 2009 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: high-school-and-beyond, adults-reading-ya-lit, first-person-narrator-all-ages

Nothing But the Truth (AVI) meets Silent to the Bone (Konisburg). meets The Gospel According to Larry (Tasjian). Kevin is hailed as a hero when he saves Leah from a serial killer, only he knows how he happened to be 'on the scene' when he really does rise to the necessity of the occasion and truly save Leah. In the course of the ensuing adulation and scrutiny by his community, scoop seeking reporters most especially, Kevin's patriotism is challenged. He is nudged to carefully consider personal f...more

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Jul 10, 2009 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-reads, library

Rating B+
Review In the opening paragraphs of this book Lyga is setting up a scenario in which Kross says he's a "Before" picture--ugly smile, bad teeth, bad skin, scrawny physique--which is a set up for the first 85-90% of the book where Kross does some serious self-loathing. And, in my estimation, the self loathing isn't completely off base (nor does Lyga want it to be).

Plot: The plot of this book was good--not a lot of "action" per se, which I think a fair number of guys might want in their re...more Rating B+
Review In the opening paragraphs of this book Lyga is setting up a scenario in which Kross says he's a "Before" picture--ugly smile, bad teeth, bad skin, scrawny physique--which is a set up for the first 85-90% of the book where Kross does some serious self-loathing. And, in my estimation, the self loathing isn't completely off base (nor does Lyga want it to be).

Plot: The plot of this book was good--not a lot of "action" per se, which I think a fair number of guys might want in their reading, but I enjoyed it. I also immensely enjoyed the ending. The ending makes all of the 85-90% of Kross' self-loathing completely worth it. At some points there might be a tendency to get bogged down in the story and want to give up (I admit that during the second debate on free speech, which kind of goes on a little too long in my opinion, I started skimming). My recommendation to would-be readers of this book is: don't put it down, skim, skip, do whatever you must, but get to the ending. You need to read the ending. The ending is awesome.

Characters: I had mixed feelings about the characterization in this book. The characters that Lyga uses most prominently--Kross; his friends Flip, Tit, and Fam; Kross' family; Leah; and the high school "it" boy, John Riordon--are all done very deftly. They all are distinct characters with interesting idiosyncrasies that are essential to the plot and development of the book and their interactions are worth reading and thinking about. Unfortunately, my problem lies in the fact that there were other characters who muddied it up, most notably were two other friends in Kross' inner circle nicknamed Speedo and Jedi. I think that Lyga might have wanted some additional friends in the circle for laughs and/or to make it plausible when the Band of Fools pulled some pranks, but they were throw-away characters. (And I hate throw-away characters.) I strongly feel that a character should impact the story, be moved to the background as a nameless, faceless "other person at school," or cut all together. But above all, please don't leave them in the book with a bunch of details and back story that you want me to remember if they're non-essential to the book.

Themes: All that being said, the subjects that Lyga tries to tackle: What makes a hero? How should we judge others? What does freedom mean to us? etc., are all important topics for young adults (and older adults) to be thinking about, and the author does a good job of presenting them so that teens can do that grappling.

The final verdict on this book is that I think that Lyga writes about great topics in an incredibly relevant way for teens, this isn't his strongest book, but it's still really good. (less)

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Feb 21, 2012 Gabriele E. is currently reading it

I am currently reading "Hero Type," which is about a teenage guy who had saved one of his classmate's life and now he is being praised for it, but he is also having to deal with his strong feelings of guilt and fear because no one but him knows why he was at the right place at the right time. Everyone in his small town is looking up him, calling him a hero, and even going to such heights as to making highway signs that read "Our Hero Kevin." Kevin now has to not only continue looking back on why...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Mary Z rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-teachers

This book made me remember those long ago high school days(10 years already?) when my homeroom teacher would say "now everyone who loves our country can stand and say the pledge" and glare at me, and I would just stand there silent. And when the rest of the musical cast ostracized me because I wouldnt sing the national anthem in the green room. And when they had the petition to keep my picture out of the yearbook. And when they kicked me out of the Christian club. And when they tried to kick me...more

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Aug 21, 2010 Ryan Mishap rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: novel

Kevin, a smart high school kid with C-grades and a group of friends called The Fool's Council, saves another student from a serial killer.
All of a sudden he's a hero and a nondescript kid nobody paid attention to is getting high fives in the hall and mayoral speeches. Oh, but if they all knew why he was there to save Leah that day--Leah, the object of his obsession....He was following her and videotaping her--I don't think it is a spoiler to give that away as it is obvious from the get-go. It i...more Kevin, a smart high school kid with C-grades and a group of friends called The Fool's Council, saves another student from a serial killer.
All of a sudden he's a hero and a nondescript kid nobody paid attention to is getting high fives in the hall and mayoral speeches. Oh, but if they all knew why he was there to save Leah that day--Leah, the object of his obsession....He was following her and videotaping her--I don't think it is a spoiler to give that away as it is obvious from the get-go. It isn't prurient taping, but stalker behavior anyway. A lot of the first part of the book deals with thee tension between the outward hero aspect and the inward self-loathing and I'm just a kid. We also learn that he lives alone with his Dad after his mom took his little brother and moved to California where she met and fell in love with a woman. Kevin's dad is a veteran and has little personality flare-ups.

As you can tell, a lot is going on in this book, but we haven't even got to the part where the Mayor, owner of a car lot, gets Kevin a car. Before Kevin drives off the lot, the Mayor slaps some yellow ribbon and support the troops magnets on the car. Kevin doesn't care, he just went from a broke loser to a guy with a car and reward money coming. When he gets home, his dad makes him remove the magnets--and a school reporter catches it on film as Kevin throws them in the trash. From hero to traitor that fast.

The Publisher's Weekly reviewer said the novel turns didactic here--but critics only say that when they disagree with the politics or sentiments. I'll say that we get to watch Kevin learn about how free speech works in theory, practice, and in its complexity. Once the kids start treating him like shit, Kevin doesn't back down or blame his dad, but starts researching the Pledge of Allegiance and wondering what unquestioning support of government means.

The resolution of the Leah story-line was less than needed, but what Kevin learns from this and from the only girl in The Council of Fools, Fam, is that women are people--don't treat them with disrespect but, equally important, don't put them on pedestals as objects of desire. That's probably the most important lesson in the novel for young men to take away.

So, this isn't the greatest novel of all time or anything, but it is willing to take on some issues and I would give this book to any adolescents I knew.(less)

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Nov 29, 2009 Sydney Miller rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comfort-books

This book is about a boy named Kevin Ross who saves another girl, Leah, from being medicated, raped, and murdered by a rapist known as 'The Surgeon' because he was a doctor, and and medicated his victms.
I learned about this book on my own. It was in my teacher's library, and I was looking for an intresting book to read, within a short amount of time. I think the author wanted us to take away from the book what the meaning of a hero is. There is a lot of different ways to think of hero, but aft...more

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Oct 20, 2010 Cindy added it

Shelves: young-adult-reads

Kross, or Kevin Ross, is making it into all the headlines. It all begins when he became a hero for saving Leah from a murder and rapist. Kross gets all kinds of recognition and awards for his heroic act. His father, a military man, encourages him to get rid of all the ribbon and awards because that is not what being a hero is about. Unfortunately that is caught by the media as well. It doesn’t turn out in Kross’ favor.

This story will make readers contemplate what is meant by real heroism and pa...more

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May 06, 2009 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-eval-book

After Kevin Ross saves Leah Muldoon from a serial killer known as The Surgeon everyone calls him a hero and wants a piece of him, the news media, the mayor, everybody. Kross, as he’s known by his friends in the Council of Fools, was on a national news program, the school had an assembly honoring him, and he received a $30,000 reward; and all because he happened to be at the library when Leah was attacked. He wonders what people would think if they knew the real reason he was in the right place a...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Darci rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

Wow. I can sum up Hero Type in that one word.

Now, I am not what you would call patriotic or political, so this book was not the most appealing to me. With that being said, I am SO glad I read it. This book makes you think. REALLY think. I learned so much from Hero Type. It's incredible. I mean, I don't necessarily say the Pledge of Alligiance everyday anymore because I didn't really see the point. Like Kevin talked about in the book, we did it just because its what was expected of us. I didn't...more

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About Barry Lyga

Barry Lyga is a recovering comic book geek. When he was a kid, everyone told him that comic books were garbage and would rot his brain, but he had the last laugh. Raised on a steady diet of comics, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years, but now writes full-time because, well, wouldn't you?

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl is his first novel.

http://www.barrylyga.com ...more

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Books by Barry Lyga

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, #1)

Goth Girl Rising (The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, #2)

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Quotes from Hero-Type

“Kevin: 'Hey, Dad. How do you stop people from being stupid?'

Dad: 'You don't.'

Kevin: 'Really?'

Dad: 'I've tried to explain to people when they're being stupid, but then I realized something: Most people like being stupid.'

Kevin: 'I don't get it.'

Dad: 'Some people just prefer it. It makes their lives easier if they let other people think for them.'

Kevin: 'But that doesn't make sense. That's just stu...Oh...” — 3 people liked it

“He turns to the Council. 'Sounds like Foolish behavior to me, boys. I hereby nominate the human race for membership in the Council of Fools!' He raises both arms and shouts to the sky. 'Humanity! Join us! Join your masters! All opposed, say nay!"

And then nothing but silence and Flip's panting as he strains, listening.

'There are no dissenting votes!' he cries. 'I hereby admit humanity to the Council of Fools!' He punches the air in triumph. 'Dude,' he says, grinning, 'I just upped our membership by six billion. Not bad, huh?” — 3 people liked it

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