Heroes, Legends, Champions: Why Heroism Matters

I was looking forward to reading and thinking about this new book. After slogging through 1/4 of the book, I have thrown in the towel. Because… Andrew Bernstein is unwilling to use the pronoun he as a noun describing both genders. In place of he which has been accepted for thousands of years, perhaps from the beginning, he resorts to the awkward and clumsy he and she. If that were it, I could accept his quirky habit and proceed. That is not it. He will not make up his mind about how best to describe man and employ he. He fluctuates all over the map. And makes it impossible to easily follow along with him as he builds his case. In one instance he moves through three paragraphs employing initially he and she, then moves to hero or heroine, followed by hero, his/her, he and finally, thank God, ends with hero. Without examination or definition. In a related matter he introduces the reader to Ellen McDonald and describes her as a British woman in the 21st century who has celebrated her 100th birthday. A few pages later he explains how an honest man performs an act of abstraction. “He/she observes many characteristics of a specific hero—some good, some bad, some indifferent—acknowledges,. without denial, the existence of all—but selectively focuses on: The hero’s undismayed, effective dedication to life-supporting values in the face-off formidable opposition and/or danger. “The honest observer recognizes but holds in abeyance the hero’s (or heroine’s) specific gender, his/her race or religion, the country or continent of origin, the era in which lived, and other subordinate data.” Good God! At some point someone came up with variations such as he/she, he or she, s/he and they in place of the simple, direct, easy-to-comprehend he. The fad has caught on and is embraced by more and more people in journalism, speech and conversation. E.B. White in The Elements of Style briefly addressed this matter and resolved it in a very few paragraphs. The use of he was, is and will continue to be proper. Yes, all men are still created equal but how they employ their skills and abilities can vary from one to another. Yes, I have given up on Bernstein and will read instead an early Perry Mason mystery, The Case of the Fiery Fingers, by Erle Stanley Gardner who knew a thing or two about the construction of language.!

Fans of Andrew Bernstein’s writing are well aware of his ability to draw on thorough knowledge of his subject matter, then share facts and explain conclusions in a readable, entertaining way.In Heroes, Legends and Champions, he does exactly that. After tackling the challenge of giving an accurate definition of the concept hero, he cites examples from history, literature and current events. He explains what’s wrong with the tiresome modernist anti-hero approach in movies, literature and biography, and how it detracts from the uplifting response and inspiration one feels at the sight of heroism. He also suggests a uniquely rational approach to evaluating flawed heroes: those who perform admirably heroic deeds, but may do dishonorable things in other aspects of their lives.Calling on a lifetime of personal hero-worship, Bernstein provides readers with a fascinating study of heroes and heroism. Along the way, he provides us with valuable insights into how “everyman and everywoman” can be inspired by other’s heroic achievements to become something of a hero in our own lives.Heroes, Legends and Champions is another estimable winner by Professor Bernstein.

Inviting and inspiring on so many levels! Dr. Bernstein’s book is a sumptuous celebration of heroic individuals from real life (e.g., Thomas Edison, Maria Montessori, Frederick Douglas, Ernest Shackleton, Louis Pasteur, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington) and from literature (Shane, Cyrano, Odysseus). With such examples, he explores what makes a person heroic and what soul-fueling role they can play in our personal lives. Such heroes inspire us to set and pursue our personal goals, strengthen our courage to overcome difficulties, and bring out the best within ourselves, not out of duty or selflessness, but out of a passion for our own lives and happiness.

What an enormous pleasure it was to read Andrew Bernstein’s inspiring “Heroes, Legends, Champions: Why Heroism Matters.” This book celebrates both the relentless pursuit of values by and the dauntless courage of true heroes like: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Louis Pasteur, Ernest Shackleton, Maria Montessori, Thomas Edison, and many more. Using the fictional hero, Shane, in Jack Schaefer’s superlative novel “Shane,” Dr. Bernstein illustrates the principles involved in understanding heroism and why heroism matters to young and old alike. He smashes the self-sacrifice moral code previously ascribed to heroes in order to reveal that heroes are actually passionate valuers. Heroes pursue their highest, life-enhancing values which they defiantly refuse to surrender, even at the risk of death.Dr. Bernstein walks the reader step-by-step through the cognitive processes to determine how to define heroism, including what it is, self-fulfilling, and what it most definitely is not, self-sacrificing. He shows that heroism requires the exercising of superior prowess in relentless pursuit of life-enhancing human values, while dauntlessly overcoming the huge obstacles thrown up by nature, mankind, or culture. Ernest Shackleton relentlessly pursued a physical goal while he exercised dauntless courage and great ingenuity in overcoming incredible natural obstacles. Maria Montessori created a life-enhancing, intellectual revolution in educational theory while battling societal and cultural prejudice against women entering the medical field. Since Montessori developed her individualist educational theories in 1930s Italy, she was literally risking her life in defying the collectivist-racist ideas of two mass-murdering, fascist dictatorships.If you want to be inspired and uplifted in our era where feckless, human anti-heroes fill the literary and film culture, then you definitely want to buy and read this book and send copies to all your friends and family to spread the inspiration.

As well as explaining "Why Heroism Matters", I found the book to be a useful example of how to "chew" on ideas to understand them - breaking them down and digesting them - going from abstract ideas to concrete and back again in several iterations. It doesn't present the answers straight-off, but takes you through the thought processes. In other words, it shows you how to think through a topic. I found this meta-lesson as valuable as the content itself.

I read this book during the first week of the COVID-19 lockdown, among a grim and bleak cultural atmosphere. What an uplifting breath of fresh air it was! Bernstein offers a philosophical view of heroism, concretized in multiple examples of different kinds of real and fictional heroes. It clarifies many common misunderstandings on what makes one a hero, and builds upon the uplifting vision of Ayn Rand: of human beings as they could be, and as they should be.

Bernstein does a superb job at explaining the essential traits possessed by heroes and their important relationship to human life. He uses concrete examples of great heroes to illustrate the courage and determination required to achieve immense, life-fulfilling values, and discusses how the example they lead can be used as great inspiration in your own life.After reading this book, your deeper understanding will enable you to greater appreciate heroes and encourage you to strive to lead your best life.