A Call to Heroism - by Peter H Gibbon (Paperback)

About the Book

In A Call to Heroism, Peter Gibbon argues that the heroes we honor are the embodiment of the ideals that America was founded on: liberty, justice, and tolerance chief among them. Because the very concept of heroism has come under threat in our cynical media age, Gibbon believes that we must forge a new understanding of what it means to be a hero to fortify our ideals as we engage our present challenges and face those that lay ahead. Gibbon examines the types of heroes that we have celebrated throughout our history, and along the way, he contemplates the meanings of seven monuments and artworks dedicated to heroes to examine what these places and things say about the America of their time--and what they mean for Americans today.

Full of insight and inspiration, A Call to Heroism is a provocative look at a timeless subject that has never been more important.

Book Synopsis

In A Call to Heroism, Peter Gibbon argues that the heroes we honor are the embodiment of the ideals that America was founded on: liberty, justice, and tolerance chief among them. Because the very concept of heroism has come under threat in our cynical media age, Gibbon believes that we must forge a new understanding of what it means to be a hero to fortify our ideals as we engage our present challenges and face those that lay ahead. Gibbon examines the types of heroes that we have celebrated throughout our history, and along the way, he contemplates the meanings of seven monuments and artworks dedicated to heroes to examine what these places and things say about the America of their time-and what they mean for Americans today.

Full of insight and inspiration, A Call to Heroism is a provocative look at a timeless subject that has never been more important.

Review Quotes

About the Author

Peter H. Gibbon is a research associate at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Each year he travels across the nation to speak to students at over fifty schools about heroism and American ideals for the twenty-first century.

Peter J. Gomes is the chaplain of Harvard University. His best-selling books include The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart and Sermons: Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living.