The Life Heroic: How To Unleash Your Most Amazing Self

by Elizabeth Svoboda, Chris Hajny (Illustrations)

Heroes are superhuman. Or at least it's easy to assume that when you read ripped-from-the-news stories of derring-do. But in reality, almost anyone who's motivated can be a hero, and the heroes who make the biggest impact aren't always the ones who make headlines. This approachable, research-backed guide will equip kids with the tools they need to become everyday heroes. Along the way, you'll hear from real heroes living out the truth of psychologist Phil Zimbardo's words: "Most heroes are ordinary. It's the act of heroism that's extraordinary."

Genres: Nonfiction

144 pages, Library Binding

First published October 25, 2016

About the author

I write about the science of what motivates people and helps them thrive. My newest book is The Art of Pacing (S&S), about how to set a sustainable pace in a speed-obsessed world. I am also the author of What Makes a Hero? The Surprising Science of Selflessness (Penguin Random House), and for kids, The Life Heroic: How to Unleash Your Most Amazing Self (Lerner). In addition, I've written for publications like the Boston Globe, Scientific American, Greater Good, Psychology Today, and the New York Times.

I grew up in Western New York and live in San Jose, CA with my husband, Eric, and our two energetic young boys.

Reviews

[Ryan Stoddard]

Read this with my 10-yr old son. It didn’t appeal to me as I am not its target audience but I rated it highly as it inspired him to want to find ways to make the world around him better and help others and for that reason I loved it.

[Isabelle]

I wasn't too sure about The Life Heroic by Elizabeth Svoboda when I first started it because I wasn't sure who should be reading it. But the further into the book I got, the more I enjoyed reading about the different examples of heroes and how they were always ordinary people. I'm still not sure if this is a book you should use in school to teach your students how to be a good citizen in their community or if it's something to provide for your children at home. The book is written in a way that is easy to understand and I do like that questions are provided in the back of the book to cover the material with your young readers.

[Beth]

Written to appeal to kids' idealism, this is a how-to book on recognizing what heroism is and then readying oneself to achieve it, either through making a split second decision to intervene in a situation or by working towards a goal to achieve something great. It talks about both kinds of heroism, and looks at how to be prepared for them. I liked the tone -- it doesn't talk down to kids, it assumes they are capable of many thing, but also doesn't treat them as adults.

The illustrations and layout work well to emphasize points and to keep the tone from getting sanctimonious. In these jaded times it's hard to write well about the urge to do the right thing, but Svoboda manages it.

[Karen]

A self-help book for teens using heroism as the framework for being a better person and helping others. The book provides an overview of heroism with an emphasis on everyday heroism. There is an overview of the hero’s journey and stories of real-life heroism in each chapter. The book also includes activities that readers can use to create goals and take steps to become “heroic.” Includes a bibliography for further research. A good addition for middle school library collections.

[Jonathan Johnson]

Good, simple book
I love that she weaves concepts from classic books like “the hero with 1000 faces” with real life current stories of kids making small and big differences
Not a long book, but it makes the point that any of us can be local to worldwide heroes
I recommend this book for anyone looking for deeper purpose