My Hero: Extraordinary People on the Heroes Who Inspire Them

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.