heroes book essay

Heroes Essay Questions

By robert cormier, essay questions.

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Written by Elizabeth Shaw

How does Cormier explore the concept of a hero?

In the novel, Cormier explores the concept of heroism, and what it means to be a hero. He does this firstly through the character of Francis, whose heroic actions in warfare save his whole platoon. He is awarded a medal for bravery and is recognized by those around him as being courageous and heroic. However, due to events in his own life, such as his suicidal tendencies, he does not see himself as a hero.

The concept of a hero is also explored through the character of Larry. This character is depicted as being superficially like a hero. He looks like a stereotypical hero and also is the first man in Frenchtown to sign up for the war effort. However, when he returns he rapes Nicole, and Francis realizes that Larry is certainly not a hero. As such, we can see how the concept of heroism is questioned and explored in this text through different characters.

How are the flashbacks significant in the text?

Much of the text is in the form of flashbacks. Francis begins the story in the present day after he has returned from warfare and has sustained terrible injuries. However, the book regularly returns to Francis' memories of warfare and his childhood memories in Frenchtown.

By using flashbacks in the text, Cormier is mirroring the experience Francis feels as he is haunted by the past. He is constantly reminded of his traumatic experiences in warfare and also the trauma of witnessing Nicole's rape. As such, the use of flashbacks represents the persistence of the past and memories in Francis' life.

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Heroes Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Heroes is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What is a simile for someone who is a hero?

From the novel, or simply a simile?

The elements of literature in Heroes by Festus Iyayi.

GradeSaver has a number of literary elements available in its study guide for the unit. The examples below can be found in GradeSaver's study guide, in addition to many other.

The Lost Mother

The primary symbol coloring Georgie's...

based on the text, which of the following anecdotes most closely describes an epic hero?

Are you giving me choices here?

Study Guide for Heroes

Heroes study guide contains a biography of Robert Cormier, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Heroes
• Heroes Summary
• Character List

Plot Summary? We’re just getting started.

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Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1998

Plot Summary

Heroes, published in 1998, is a novel written by American author Robert Cormier who is known for addressing darker subjects in his books for young adults. Cormier is also the author of the award-winning novel, The Chocolate War -- one of the most frequently challenged books in the United States between 1990 and 2000 according to the American Library Association. Heroes deals with themes such as trust, betrayal, religion, and what it means to be a hero. The book tells the story of Francis Cassavant who returns home from fighting in the Second World War deeply disfigured with a Silver Star for courage and a plan to seek revenge against local hero Larry LaSalle, with whom he has a troubled history. The story is told in flashbacks of Francis’ childhood and his innocent romance with his classmate, Nicole Renard.

At the beginning of the novel Francis Cassavant returns to his hometown of Frenchtown in Monument, Massachusetts after the end of WWII with the express purpose of killing Larry LaSalle. Francis is deeply disfigured because during his time in the war he threw himself on top of a grenade to save his fellow soldiers. He is self-conscious about his appearance and so he wears a white silk aviators scarf given to him by a friend he made in the hospital over the lower half of his face and a Red Sox cap low over his eyes. Francis speaks with other veterans at the Recreation Center-- called the “Wreck” Center because it used to be a wedding hall before the tragic murder of a woman named Marie Blanche Touraine by her ex-boyfriend during her wedding reception. The building was closed and then repurposed as a community center by people hired as part of a municipal program created by the “New Deal” during the Depression. The veterans express pessimism about the future and a lack of confidence in the ability of the GI Bill to help them rebuild their lives.

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The story flashes back to Francis’ childhood. Larry LaSalle is charismatic and popular, known for encouraging fellow townspeople to dance, play sports, and join other group activities to bring the community together. Francis is a shy kid and LaSalle helps him to develop confidence by teaching him to play table tennis, earning him a reputation as a table tennis champion. Francis eventually defeats LaSalle in a game-- a source of pride until he learns that LaSalle let him win. When Francis is twelve years-old a new girl moves to town from Albany, New York named Nicole Renard and Francis instantly falls in love with her. At first Francis is too shy to even approach Nicole but when she starts dancing at the Wreck Center the two become close. Their relationship is sweet and innocent and they spend a lot of their time visiting the local movie theater. One night Larry, the first in town to enlist in the war, is home on furlough at the Wreck Center with Francis and Nicole. He asks Francis to leave so that he can have one last dance alone with Nicole. Nicole asks Francis not to go but he does anyway at Larry’s urging. Francis waits outside and stands frozen there in panic when he hears the sounds of Larry raping Nicole inside. When Nicole realizes that Francis heard what was going on but failed to protect her, their relationship deteriorates. At first, Francis considers suicide, but instead decides to forge his documentation so that he can enlist in the army, even though he is underage.

Back in the present, after the war, Francis finally encounters LaSalle again. He finds that Larry was also injured, having lost both of his legs during the war. Larry is surprised to learn that Francis knew about what he did to Nicole and shows no remorse about what happened between them. Francis can’t bring himself to make good on his plan to avenge Nicole by killing Larry and so he walks away. As Francis leaves, he hears the sound of gunshots coming from Larry’s building, indicating that Larry has committed suicide. Francis finds out that Nicole has moved back to Albany and he takes the train to New York and seeks her out. He hopes to rekindle his relationship with her but she rebuffs him, claiming that she can never forget his betrayal at the Wreck Center. Nicole gives him one last kiss goodbye and suggests he write about his experiences during the war. Uncertain about his future, Francis takes the train out of Albany. He considers taking Nicole’s advice about taking up writing, or seeking out a plastic surgeon to reconstruct his face.

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Some critics have suggested that the character of Francis Cassavant is based on the author Robert Cormier. Heroes has been described as Cormier’s darkest novel. Publisher’s Weekly writes that the story “will hold fans from first page to last, and set them thinking about what really lurks behind the face of a hero.”

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Hero's Journey 101: How to Use the Hero's Journey to Plot Your Story

Dan Schriever

How many times have you heard this story? A protagonist is suddenly whisked away from their ordinary life and embarks on a grand adventure. Along the way they make new friends, confront perils, and face tests of character. In the end, evil is defeated, and the hero returns home a changed person.

That’s the Hero’s Journey in a nutshell. It probably sounds very familiar—and rightly so: the Hero’s Journey aspires to be the universal story, or monomyth, a narrative pattern deeply ingrained in literature and culture. Whether in books, movies, television, or folklore, chances are you’ve encountered many examples of the Hero’s Journey in the wild.

In this post, we’ll walk through the elements of the Hero’s Journey step by step. We’ll also study an archetypal example from the movie The Matrix (1999). Once you have mastered the beats of this narrative template, you’ll be ready to put your very own spin on it.

Sound good? Then let’s cross the threshold and let the journey begin.

What Is the Hero’s Journey?

The 12 stages of the hero’s journey, writing your own hero’s journey.

The Hero’s Journey is a common story structure for modeling both plot points and character development. A protagonist embarks on an adventure into the unknown. They learn lessons, overcome adversity, defeat evil, and return home transformed.

Joseph Campbell , a scholar of literature, popularized the monomyth in his influential work The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949). Looking for common patterns in mythological narratives, Campbell described a character arc with 17 total stages, overlaid on a more traditional three-act structure. Not all need be present in every myth or in the same order.

The three stages, or acts, of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey are as follows:

1. Departure. The hero leaves the ordinary world behind.

2. Initiation. The hero ventures into the unknown ("the Special World") and overcomes various obstacles and challenges.

3. Return. The hero returns in triumph to the familiar world.

Hollywood has embraced Campbell’s structure, most famously in George Lucas’s Star Wars movies. There are countless examples in books, music, and video games, from fantasy epics and Disney films to sports movies.

In The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (1992), screenwriter Christopher Vogler adapted Campbell’s three phases into the "12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey." This is the version we’ll analyze in the next section.

For writers, the purpose of the Hero’s Journey is to act as a template and guide. It’s not a rigid formula that your plot must follow beat by beat. Indeed, there are good reasons to deviate—not least of which is that this structure has become so ubiquitous.

Still, it’s helpful to master the rules before deciding when and how to break them. The 12 steps of the Hero's Journey are as follows :

• The Ordinary World
• The Call of Adventure
• Refusal of the Call
• Meeting the Mentor
• Crossing the First Threshold
• Tests, Allies, and Enemies
• Approach to the Inmost Cave
• Reward (Seizing the Sword)
• The Road Back
• Resurrection
• Return with the Elixir

Let’s take a look at each stage in more detail. To show you how the Hero’s Journey works in practice, we’ll also consider an example from the movie The Matrix (1999). After all, what blog has not been improved by a little Keanu Reeves?

#1: The Ordinary World

This is where we meet our hero, although the journey has not yet begun: first, we need to establish the status quo by showing the hero living their ordinary, mundane life.

It’s important to lay the groundwork in this opening stage, before the journey begins. It lets readers identify with the hero as just a regular person, “normal” like the rest of us. Yes, there may be a big problem somewhere out there, but the hero at this stage has very limited awareness of it.

The Ordinary World in The Matrix :

We are introduced to Thomas A. Anderson, aka Neo, programmer by day, hacker by night. While Neo runs a side operation selling illicit software, Thomas Anderson lives the most mundane life imaginable: he works at his cubicle, pays his taxes, and helps the landlady carry out her garbage.

#2: The Call to Adventure

The journey proper begins with a call to adventure—something that disrupts the hero’s ordinary life and confronts them with a problem or challenge they can’t ignore. This can take many different forms.

While readers may already understand the stakes, the hero is realizing them for the first time. They must make a choice: will they shrink from the call, or rise to the challenge?

The Call to Adventure in The Matrix :

A mysterious message arrives in Neo’s computer, warning him that things are not as they seem. He is urged to “follow the white rabbit.” At a nightclub, he meets Trinity, who tells him to seek Morpheus.

#3: Refusal of the Call

Oops! The hero chooses option A and attempts to refuse the call to adventure. This could be for any number of reasons: fear, disbelief, a sense of inadequacy, or plain unwillingness to make the sacrifices that are required.

A little reluctance here is understandable. If you were asked to trade the comforts of home for a life-and-death journey fraught with peril, wouldn’t you give pause?

Refusal of the Call in The Matrix :

Agents arrive at Neo’s office to arrest him. Morpheus urges Neo to escape by climbing out a skyscraper window. “I can’t do this… This is crazy!” Neo protests as he backs off the ledge.

#4: Meeting the Mentor

Okay, so the hero got cold feet. Nothing a little pep talk can’t fix! The mentor figure appears at this point to give the hero some much needed counsel, coaching, and perhaps a kick out the door.

After all, the hero is very inexperienced at this point. They’re going to need help to avoid disaster or, worse, death. The mentor’s role is to overcome the hero’s reluctance and prepare them for what lies ahead.

Meeting the Mentor in The Matrix :

Neo meets with Morpheus, who reveals a terrifying truth: that the ordinary world as we know it is a computer simulation designed to enslave humanity to machines.

#5: Crossing the First Threshold

At this juncture, the hero is ready to leave their ordinary world for the first time. With the mentor’s help, they are committed to the journey and ready to step across the threshold into the special world . This marks the end of the departure act and the beginning of the adventure in earnest.

This may seem inevitable, but for the hero it represents an important choice. Once the threshold is crossed, there’s no going back. Bilbo Baggins put it nicely: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Crossing the First Threshold in The Matrix :

Neo is offered a stark choice: take the blue pill and return to his ordinary life none the wiser, or take the red pill and “see how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Neo takes the red pill and is extracted from the Matrix, entering the real world .

#6: Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Now we are getting into the meat of the adventure. The hero steps into the special world and must learn the new rules of an unfamiliar setting while navigating trials, tribulations, and tests of will. New characters are often introduced here, and the hero must navigate their relationships with them. Will they be friend, foe, or something in between?

Broadly speaking, this is a time of experimentation and growth. It is also one of the longest stages of the journey, as the hero learns the lay of the land and defines their relationship to other characters.

Wondering how to create captivating characters? Read our guide , which explains how to shape characters that readers will love—or hate.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies in The Matrix :

Neo is introduced to the vagabond crew of the Nebuchadnezzar . Morpheus informs Neo that he is The One , a savior destined to liberate humanity. He learns jiu jitsu and other useful skills.

#7: Approach to the Inmost Cave

Time to get a little metaphorical. The inmost cave isn’t a physical cave, but rather a place of great danger—indeed, the most dangerous place in the special world . It could be a villain’s lair, an impending battle, or even a mental barrier. No spelunking required.

Broadly speaking, the approach is marked by a setback in the quest. It becomes a lesson in persistence, where the hero must reckon with failure, change their mindset, or try new ideas.

Note that the hero hasn’t entered the cave just yet. This stage is about the approach itself, which the hero must navigate to get closer to their ultimate goal. The stakes are rising, and failure is no longer an option.

Approach to the Inmost Cave in The Matrix :

Neo pays a visit to The Oracle. She challenges Neo to “know thyself”—does he believe, deep down, that he is The One ? Or does he fear that he is “just another guy”? She warns him that the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

#8: The Ordeal

The ordeal marks the hero’s greatest test thus far. This is a dark time for them: indeed, Campbell refers to it as the “belly of the whale.” The hero experiences a major hurdle or obstacle, which causes them to hit rock bottom.

This is a pivotal moment in the story, the main event of the second act. It is time for the hero to come face to face with their greatest fear. It will take all their skills to survive this life-or-death crisis. Should they succeed, they will emerge from the ordeal transformed.

Keep in mind: the story isn’t over yet! Rather, the ordeal is the moment when the protagonist overcomes their weaknesses and truly steps into the title of hero .

The Ordeal in The Matrix :

When Cipher betrays the crew to the agents, Morpheus sacrifices himself to protect Neo. In turn, Neo makes his own choice: to risk his life in a daring rescue attempt.

#9: Reward (Seizing the Sword)

The ordeal was a major level-up moment for the hero. Now that it's been overcome, the hero can reap the reward of success. This reward could be an object, a skill, or knowledge—whatever it is that the hero has been struggling toward. At last, the sword is within their grasp.

From this moment on, the hero is a changed person. They are now equipped for the final conflict, even if they don’t fully realize it yet.

Reward (Seizing the Sword) in The Matrix :

Neo’s reward is helpfully narrated by Morpheus during the rescue effort: “He is beginning to believe.” Neo has gained confidence that he can fight the machines, and he won’t back down from his destiny.

#10: The Road Back

We’re now at the beginning of act three, the return . With the reward in hand, it’s time to exit the inmost cave and head home. But the story isn’t over yet.

In this stage, the hero reckons with the consequences of act two. The ordeal was a success, but things have changed now. Perhaps the dragon, robbed of his treasure, sets off for revenge. Perhaps there are more enemies to fight. Whatever the obstacle, the hero must face them before their journey is complete.

The Road Back in The Matrix :

The rescue of Morpheus has enraged Agent Smith, who intercepts Neo before he can return to the Nebuchadnezzar . The two foes battle in a subway station, where Neo’s skills are pushed to their limit.

#11: Resurrection

Now comes the true climax of the story. This is the hero’s final test, when everything is at stake: the battle for the soul of Gotham, the final chance for evil to triumph. The hero is also at the peak of their powers. A happy ending is within sight, should they succeed.

Vogler calls the resurrection stage the hero’s “final exam.” They must draw on everything they have learned and prove again that they have really internalized the lessons of the ordeal . Near-death escapes are not uncommon here, or even literal deaths and resurrections.

Resurrection in The Matrix :

Despite fighting valiantly, Neo is defeated by Agent Smith and killed. But with Trinity’s help, he is resurrected, activating his full powers as The One . Isn’t it wonderful how literal The Matrix can be?

#12: Return with the Elixir

Hooray! Evil has been defeated and the hero is transformed. It’s time for the protagonist to return home in triumph, and share their hard-won prize with the ordinary world . This prize is the elixir —the object, skill, or insight that was the hero’s true reward for their journey and transformation.

Return with the Elixir in The Matrix :

Neo has defeated the agents and embraced his destiny. He returns to the simulated world of the Matrix, this time armed with god-like powers and a resolve to open humanity’s eyes to the truth.

If you’re writing your own adventure, you may be wondering: should I follow the Hero’s Journey structure?

The good news is, it’s totally up to you. Joseph Campbell conceived of the monomyth as a way to understand universal story structure, but there are many ways to outline a novel. Feel free to play around within its confines, adapt it across different media, and disrupt reader expectations. It’s like Morpheus says: “Some of these rules can be bent. Others can be broken.”

Think of the Hero’s Journey as a tool. If you’re not sure where your story should go next, it can help to refer back to the basics. From there, you’re free to choose your own adventure.

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Essays About Heroes: 5 Examples And Topic Ideas

Here, we’ll look at examples of essays about heroes and questions that can be used as topics for essays about an imagined or real hero .

A few different images likely come to mind when you hear the word hero . You may imagine Superman flying above the world with his superpower of flight. You may imagine a personal hero , a real person who has made a significant impact on your life for the better. You might think of a true hero as someone who has shown heroic qualities in the public eye, working to help ordinary people through difficult situations.

When writing an essay about your life hero , it’s important to consider the qualities of that person that make them stand out to you. Whether you choose to write an essay about how your mom got you through tough times and became your role model or about a political figure who made a difference in the lives of people in history, it’s key to not just focus on the person’s actions —you’ll also want to focus on the qualities that allowed them to act heroically.

Here, we’ll explore examples of hero essays and potential topics to consider when writing about a hero .

For help with your essays , check out our round-up of the best essay checkers

Examples Of Essays About Heroes

• 1. These Are The Heroes Of The Coronavirus Pandemic By Ruth Marcus
• 2. Why Teachers Are My Heroes By Joshua Muskin
• 3. Martin Luther King Jr.—Civil Rights Activist & Hero By Kathy Weiser-Alexander

4. Steve Prefontaine: The Track Of A Hero By Bill O’Brian

5. forget hamilton, burr is the real hero by carey wallace, topic ideas for essays about heroes, 1. what makes a hero, 2. what are the most important characteristics of heroes in literature, 3. what constitutes a heroic act, 4. is selflessness required for heroism.

1.  These Are The Heroes Of The Coronavirus Pandemic  By Ruth Marcus

“Is this what they signed up for? There is some danger inherent in the ordinary practice of medicine, but not this much. I confess: I do not know that I would do the same in their circumstances; I am not sure I am so generous or so brave. If my child were graduating from medical school, how would I deal with her being sent, inadequately protected, into an emergency room? If my husband were a physician, would I send him off to the hospital — or let him back into the house in the interim?” Ruth Marcus

Healthcare workers have had no choice but to go above and beyond in recent years. In this essay, Marcus discusses the heroism of those in the healthcare field. He delves into the traits (including selflessness and courage) that make doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers heroes.

2.  Why Teachers Are My Heroes   By Joshua Muskin

“Teachers are my heroes because they accept this responsibility and try extremely hard to do this well even when the conditions in which they work are far from ideal; at least most do. Our jobs as society, education systems, and parents is to do our best to be strong allies to teachers, since their success is essential to ours.” Joshua Muskin

In this essay, Dr. Muskin discusses the many challenges teachers face and what parents, administrators, and education researchers can do to help teachers support students. Muskin explains that most teachers go above and beyond the call of duty to serve their classrooms.

3.  Martin Luther King Jr.—Civil Rights Activist & Hero   By Kathy Weiser-Alexander

“During this nonviolent protest, activists used boycotts, sit-ins, and marches to protest segregation and unfair hiring practices that caught the attention of the entire world. However, his tactics were put to the test when police brutality was used against the marchers, and King was arrested. But, his voice was not silenced, as he wrote his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to refute his critics.” Kathy Weiser-Alexander

In this essay, Weiser-Alexander details both the traits and the actions of Dr. King before and during the civil rights movement. The author touches on King’s commitment to justice, persistence, and willingness to stand for his beliefs despite difficult circumstances.

“I remember this so vividly because Prefontaine was a hero to me, a hero in a way that no one was before, or really has been since. A British commentator once called him “an athletic Beatle.” If so, his persona was much more Lennon than McCartney. Actually, I thought of him more as Mick Jagger — or ultimately James Dean.” Bill O’Brian

A hero to many in the running world, Prefontaine’s confidence, unique style, and unmatched athletic ability have been heralded for decades. In this essay, O’Brian shares how he, as a distance runner during the era of Pre, related to his struggles and ambition.

“Burr fought against an ugly tide of anti-immigrant sentiment in the young republic, led by Hamilton’s Federalist party, which suggested that anyone without English heritage was a second-class citizen, and even challenged the rights of non-Anglos to hold office. In response, Burr insisted that anyone who contributed to society deserved all the rights of any other citizen, no matter their background.” Carey Wallace

In this essay, Wallace explains why Aaron Burr, the lifelong nemesis of founding father Alexander Hamilton, should be considered a historical hero . This essay exposes someone seen as a villain but much of society with a different take on their history. 

It can be interesting to think about your definition of a hero . When describing what the term hero means to you, you may want to choose a person (or a few people) you look up to as a hero to solidify your point. You might want to include fictional characters (such as those in the Marvel universe) and real-life brave souls, such as police officers and firefighters.

A word of caution: stay away from the cliche opening of describing how the dictionary defines a hero . Instead, lead-in with a personal story about a hero who has affected your life. While talking about a public figure as a hero is acceptable, you may find it easier to write about someone close to you who you feel has displayed heroic qualities . Writing about a family member or friend who has shown up as a heroic main character in your life can be just as exciting as writing about a real or imagined superhero.

From Beowulf to Marvel comics, heroes in literature take on many different traits. When writing an essay on what trait makes a hero come alive in a short story, novel, or comic, choose a few of your favorite heroes and find common themes that they share.

Perhaps your favorite heroes are selfless and are willing to put themselves last in the name of sacrifice for others. Perhaps they’re able to dig deep into the truth, being honest even when it’s hard, for the greater good. There’s no need to list endless heroes to make your point—choosing three or four heroes from literature can be a great way to support your argument about what characteristics define heroism in literature.

When someone is named a hero in real life, we often picture them saving people from a burning building or performing a difficult surgical operation. It can be difficult to pin down exactly what constitutes a heroic act. When writing about what constitutes a heroic act, think about people who go above and beyond, performing feats of courage, honesty, and bravery to support themselves or others. When writing about what constitutes a heroic act, discuss real-life or literary examples of heroes at work.

To many people, being a hero means giving back to others. While giving something away or trading in one’s well-being for others can certainly be seen as a heroic act, many people wonder if selflessness is required for heroism or if a hero can serve the greater good in a way that also supports their happiness. When writing about whether selflessness is required for heroism, choose examples from literature and real-life to support your point.

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

If you’re still stuck, check out our available resource of essay writing topics .

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Hero — Heroes

Hero Essay Examples

Hook examples for hero essays, anecdotal hook.

Picture this: a lone figure standing in the face of adversity, unwavering and resolute, ready to sacrifice for the greater good. Such is the essence of a hero's journey. Join me as we explore the extraordinary stories of those who inspire and uplift us.

Quotation Hook

""A hero is someone who has given their life to something bigger than oneself."" These words from Joseph Campbell encapsulate the profound essence of heroism and selflessness that we encounter in the tales of heroes throughout history.

Heroic Archetypes Hook

Heroes come in many forms, yet they often share common characteristics. Delve into the world of heroic archetypes and explore how these universal traits shape the heroes we admire.

Real vs. Fictional Heroes Hook

Heroes exist not only in the pages of literature but also in the real world. Analyze the distinctions and similarities between fictional heroes and the heroes who walk among us in everyday life.

Heroic Acts of Courage Hook

What does it take to perform acts of extraordinary courage? Explore the moments of heroism that define individuals and alter the course of history, from firefighters battling infernos to everyday people facing life-altering decisions.

Unsung Heroes Hook

Not all heroes wear capes or stand in the spotlight. Some heroes quietly make a difference in the lives of others without seeking recognition. Discover the stories of unsung heroes whose contributions often go unnoticed.

Heroism in the Face of Adversity Hook

Adversity has a way of revealing heroes among us. Analyze how individuals rise to the occasion in times of crisis, demonstrating remarkable heroism in the midst of challenges and turmoil.

The Unsung Heroes: Child Care Workers

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The Best Heroes in YA Fantasy

R. Nassor may spend more time with books, tea, and ceramic mugs than recommended by professionals but it hasn’t failed her so far. Nassor has a MA in English Literature from Georgetown University, where she looked at the way medieval and early modern literature reappear in fantasy books today. She’s been writing about romance, fantasy, science fiction, and pop culture for quite a while, starting at Book Riot in 2020. She’s also written for Tor.com. You can follow her on Tiktok and contact her through her website .

View All posts by R. Nassor

Featuring gorgeous designed edges, dazzling metallic foil designs on the jacket and case, and an exclusive endpaper map that reveals new unexplored territories, Tomi Adeyemi’s #1 bestselling Legacy of Orïsha series comes to an earth-shaking conclusion.

Are you holding out for the best heroes in YA fantasy? Well, these are the kind of teen heroes we build dreams, legacies, and franchises on.

They swoop into communities and just save the day from inexplicable odds with enough bravery and sincerity to impress even the most cynical. After all, everyone loves a hero.

It’s not too surprising that heroes dominate fantasy books. In classical Greek mythology, a hero is often a human possessing superhuman or divine skills. Really, the modern definition hasn’t drifted too far off, and YA fantasy, in particular, is a genre made up of young heroes saving the day.

Heroes have to overcome unbeatable odds for the greater good, despite their fear, because they feel compelled to act. Oftentimes, their actions are the kind that have you yelling at your book because you, too, fear for their safety. I have to admit that I love a good YA hero in the midst of nail-biting danger — even when the books require I keep a tissue box on hand for oncoming tragedy.

When it comes to the selection of the best heroes in YA fantasy books, I went with my gut. (As an aside, I will use the gender-neutral hero/heroes here.) There is a mix of high and low-fantasy books and a range of hero archetypes — from common thieves to superheroes, to high schoolers trying to fix the world. They are not always likely heroes or even likable heroes, but these are the heroes that captured my heart.

Brave Heroes in YA Fantasy

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

In this Mexican-inspired fantasy series set during the deadly Sunbearer Trials, the 17-year-old trans son of the goddess of birds, Teo’s, heroism is put to the test. In this set of trials, ten teen semidioses — including Teo — must go through a series of challenges to participate in a ritual that will keep evil at bay. Since the contestant who loses is sacrificed in the same ritual, the stakes are high. So, every time Teo chooses to help another contestant, he risks his life. The fact that he does it anyway makes him a hero.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Heroes: The Crows

In Ketterdam, the greatest heroes are the Crows themselves of course. Sure, they are performing a heist that will result in financial gain and overall stability, but at every turn, they could make selfish choices and they simply don’t. Kaz is creating a social safety net for anyone under his protection; Inej’s goal in life is to take down enslavers; Wylan does the best he can to help who he can when he can; Matthias saves people he was trained to hate; Nina risks her life for her friend’s time and time again; and Jesper always, always fixes unfixable problems.  

Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer

Kemmerer knows how to write a hero stacked against the odds, but Jax’s show of bravery against the odds may just make him her best hero yet. In the small village of Briarlock, Jax is a blacksmith living with a below-the-knee amputation and an alcoholic father. When a noble offers him money to pass off a message, Jax says yes, even though it’s suspicious. After all, his best friend, Callyn, is behind on rent at her bakery and they both need the money to survive. Jax is a hero because when the dashing King’s courier, Tycho (who Jax can’t help but fall for), tells him about the plot to upend a kingdom that has never helped Jax, he does his best to stop them — even when he has so much to lose.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Bree is the best hero in YA fantasy. Inspired by African American and Arthurian legend, Bree lives in a version of our world where a secret society of the descendants of Arthurian knights protects the world from demons. When she discovers her mother’s mysterious death might be linked to the secret group at her campus, Bree uses her connection to one of the knights to gain entry to the group and uncover what really happened to her mom. Bree balances managing her burgeoning powers and a secret investigation, all while risking her life trying to save others. The fact that she is afraid to act but does anyway makes her a true hero.

The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon

Hero: Wyatt

When Wyatt’s royal fae fiancé finds him and asks him to come back to the kingdom he escaped, he wants to say no. In the human world, he can be a trans witch in peace with a family that loves him. After his parents and the kingdom shunned him for being a witch, Emyr wants him to return so they can marry and secure his throne. Wyatt’s heroism shines through every difficult choice he makes to stand up for witches, as he does his best to confront and disarm bigotry in his kingdom.

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

Hero: Yumeko

Half human, half kitsune, raised by monks, Yumeko is an upbeat, clever hero. When her home and family are lost in an attack, she must run if she wants to save the ancient scroll they died protecting. On a long journey reluctantly accompanied by the deadly samurai Kage, she does her best to keep the scroll a secret. Yumeko’s failure would threaten not only her life, but the lives of everyone affected by the magic held within the scroll. Through it all, Yumeko’s sincerity and ability to bend any truth helps her just as often as her illusion magic.

Skyhunter by Marie Lu

Hero: Talin

In this science-fantasy dystopia where the Federation seeks to conquer all, Talin, a mute refugee and member of one of the last free nations’ elite fighting forces, is the greatest hero. When the Federation attacked, Talin fled her home with her mother and witnessed the devastation they left. She will train as hard as she can, even with a group that doesn’t fully trust her, in the hopes that her new home will remain free. So when they bring a prisoner from the frontlines, Talin is the first and only person who believes he can be used to help their fight. Talin risks everything for a nation that barely accepts her because she knows that if she doesn’t, everyone’s freedom will be gone.

Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan

Heroes: Jasalyn and Felicity

Ryan’s spin-off series has two heroes that snuck up on me— and not just because, by night, Princess Jasalyn’s enchanted ring grants her a kiss of death, and Felicity can shape-shift daily. The half-human princess will become fae by her 18 th birthday, and she cannot stand the idea of becoming the very creatures who imprisoned and tortured her. She will do anything to escape. So, when a charming rogue from her past introduces her to Felicity with a plan for her to take Jas’ place on an upcoming trip to the Wild Fae king, she says yes. Both women are talented, but they are heroic because they struggle to do the right thing. Quite often, they do the selfish thing and then work to fix the problems they cause. It’s that moral difficulty that makes Jasalyn and Felicity compelling heroes.

If the best heroes in YA fantasy can teach us anything, it’s that heroism is subjective. What makes an excellent hero to some, may not even register as heroic to others. As circumstances push characters beyond their limits and they overcome the improbable, their chance to become heroes emerges. It’s the ones who decide to try anyway, despite the odds, that are the real heroes.

Are you still thinking through heroes in YA? Try this list of heroes we want to see in YA Fantasy , or this essay on the superficiality of villainy .

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• Not All Heroes Wear Capes: 9 Books About Ordinary and Everyday Heroes
• Take This Queero Quiz to Find Out Which Queer Superhero You Are
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Hillary Clinton announces new book as a "warning to all voters" about democracy

“something lost, something gained: reflections on life, love and liberty” will be release sept. 17, by nardos haile.

Hillary Clinton is releasing her new book as a collection of essays highlighting the former first lady's and presidential candidate's experiences with politics, her marriage to husband and former President Bill Clinton and her relationship to her faith.

On Tuesday, Simon and Schuster announced  Clinton's book, “Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love and Liberty” will be released on Sept. 17. The book is said to be a "warning to all American voters," that will discuss the long-standing Democrat's "unvarnished views on politics, democracy, the threats we face and the future within our reach.

"She takes us along as she returns to the classroom as a college professor, enjoys the bonds inside the exclusive club of former first ladies, moves past her dream of being president, and dives into new activism for women and democracy," Simon and Schuster said.

“This is the Hillary Americans have come to know and love: candid, engaged, humorous, self-deprecating — and always learning,” the statement concluded.

Clinton has written several other books detailing her experiences as a woman in politics but most famously she released the memoir "What Happened" in 2017 after she had lost the 2016 election to former President Donald Trump.

History | June 21, 2024

The Real Story Behind ‘The Bikeriders’ and the Danny Lyon Photography Book That Inspired It

A new film dramatizes the story of a motorcycle club chronicled by Lyon in the 1960s, offering a tribute to the outlaw spirit

Ellen Wexler

Assistant Editor, Humanities

Danny Lyon considered himself a bikerider, but there were glaring differences between him and the members of the Chicago Outlaws , a notorious motorcycle club. They were blue-collar Midwesterners riding Harleys and living on the outskirts of society. Lyon was a college-educated photographer who rode a Triumph and toted around two cameras and a seven-pound tape recorder .

It was the mid-1960s, and Lyon was following in the footsteps of Hunter S. Thompson, the journalist who rode with—and wrote about —the Hells Angels around the same time. Lyon even sent a letter to Thompson, perhaps expecting encouragement from a like-minded chronicler. Instead, the writer advised Lyon to “get the hell out of that club. … I’ve seen the Angels work, and they scare the hell out of me.” Lyon bristled at this advice, which he later summed up thusly : “[Thompson] advised me not to join the Outlaws and to wear a helmet. I joined the club and seldom wore a helmet.”

Lyon documented the Outlaws for several years, but he was not an objective observer. When The Bikeriders , a collection of photographs and interviews, came out in 1968, Lyon—who had become a full member of the club in 1965—billed it as an “attempt to record and glorify the life of the American bikerider. It is a personal record, dealing mostly with bikeriders whom I know and care for.”

Now, more than 50 years later, The Bikeriders forms the basis of a new movie adaptation of the same name. Directed by Jeff Nichols , the film uses verbatim quotes from Lyon’s interviews for around 70 percent of its dialogue. The plot, meanwhile, is a work of fiction created by weaving the interviews together.

The movie is concerned less with telling a true story than with capturing the feeling of freeways and freedom, of outlaws and open roads—what Lyon calls the “spirit of the bikeriders: the spirit of the hand that twists open the throttle on the crackling engines of big bikes and rides them on racetracks or through traffic or, on occasion, into oblivion.”

Here’s what you need to know about The Bikeriders (both the book and the adaptation) as the film, which stars Austin Butler , Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy , arrives in theaters in the United States on Friday.

The outlaw archetype

In 1957, about a decade before The Bikeriders , Jack Kerouac published On the Road , his famous chronicle of disillusioned, peripatetic young travelers wandering the country and searching for answers. One reviewer described Kerouac as a “kind of literary James Dean,” the actor responsible for a formidable percentage of the motorcycle’s cultural cachet.

Like many young men, Lyon, who was 15 when On the Road came out, was inspired by the book. In the summer of 1962, after wrapping up a semester at the University of Chicago, he asked friends to drop him off along Route 66, “ the road Jack Kerouac used ,” and hitchhiked to Cairo, Illinois, where he saw future congressman John Lewis speak and began photographing scenes from the civil rights movement. By 1964, he was back in Chicago , where he started planning The Bikeriders .

Around this time, Lyon wrote to a publisher about the project. When he revisited the letter many years later, he realized he came across as “a kind of crazy person who writes in this sub-Jack Kerouac-style prose about the open road and the freedom of being an outlaw,” as he told the Observer in 2014.

American motorcycle clubs were also fueled by this outlaw spirit. Their history stretches back to the end of World War II , when returning veterans —particularly those having trouble reintegrating into civilian life—began to form new groups. The lifestyle combined several values these former soldiers clung to: As Vox put it in 2015, “Nostalgia for the camaraderie and risk-taking of the war made the clubs’ focus on male bonding and dangerous activities like, say, riding motorcycles particularly attractive.”

Many such clubs were part of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). Membership in the organization, which was founded in 1924 and still exists today, requires adherence to strict rules. Some clubs resisted these rules and formed without the group’s stamp of approval. As Lyon wrote in The Bikeriders , they “are so far in spirit from attitudes of the AMA that they neither want nor could receive AMA sanction. These are known as outlaw clubs.”

Members of outlaw clubs are also known by another term: “ one-percenters .” This identifier comes from an oft-repeated (but possibly false) story about the AMA insisting that 99 percent of motorcyclists are mainstream, law-abiding Americans. The outlaw clubs proudly position themselves in that remaining 1 percent.

One of the first such clubs was the McCook Outlaws , which formed in McCook, Illinois, in the 1930s. After a period of dormancy during World War II, the group came back together and ultimately relocated to Chicago, becoming the Chicago Outlaws in the 1950s, about a decade before Lyon started tagging along.

The bikeriders’ best storyteller

Each of Lyon’s interviewees had a unique perspective on outlaw culture and how they fit into it. Cal, a former airman, had been to 18 countries and “seen what most people have read about.” Rodney Pink, meanwhile, was a motorcycle racer who insisted that “being on a motorcycle don’t make you special at all” and lamented that while “everyone wants to be part of something,” nobody wants to “have any responsibility unloaded on ’em.”

The bikeriders also spoke candidly about the dangers of their lifestyle. Johnny Goodpaster, who once broke his leg in 17 places, called such injuries an “occupational disease,” while “Funny Sonny” described watching a “little guy on his Honda” with a “helmet and everything” who accidentally drove over a cliff.

But as Lyon recalled in a 1997 preface to a new edition of the book, the “best storyteller” of the group was Kathy Bauer , 26, who “didn’t even ride a motorcycle, but was married to Benny, a member of the club.”

According to her interview, Kathy noticed Benny while she was at a bar with a friend, who advised her not to get involved. “Every time he gets up on his bike, he has an accident,” the friend warned. Benny persisted, planting himself outside Kathy’s house and refusing to go home.

“My boyfriend would still come over, and Benny would still sit here, and I’d tell him, ‘You better go home.’ And he wouldn’t go,” she recalled. “So finally, my boyfriend left, and Benny was still around. So he says, ‘Let me take you to the meeting. Everything’ll be real nice.’ So I went to the meeting. After that, I started goin’ out with him. I only went out with him, never with any of the other guys in the club. And five weeks later, I married him.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Danny Lyon (@dannylyonphotos2)

In The Bikeriders , Kathy describes the arc of the couple’s relationship in a series of startling anecdotes and off-the-cuff reflections:

I’ve had nothin’ but trouble since I married Benny. I’ve seen more jails, been to more courts and met more lawyers, and it’s only a year. That’s a short time for so much to happen.   Benny thinks that when you die, you’re better off than when you’re living. You know, like when his dad died, he said, “It’s just as well, he’s better off that way.” When his friends got killed, well, they’re better off that way. No feelings.   I thought I could change him, you know? Every woman thinks that she can change a guy. Not to her own ways, but to be different. Not to be different, but to be, I don’t know. Like he’s wild. I used to think he’d get over that. But he don’t.

Lyon’s book features one photograph of Kathy. Sporting a dark beehive haircut with side-swept bangs, she stands in a bathroom with three mirrors, each reflecting her profile at a slightly different angle. In the main reflection, she looks directly at the camera, lips slightly parted, at ease but alert.

Benny, meanwhile, is an elusive figure. While Kathy describes him at length, he was never interviewed. The book features two photographs identified as him: One shows him gripping a pool table covered with ring stains; his head hangs between his shoulders, obscuring his face. The other captures him from behind on his motorcycle, wearing a “Chicago Outlaws” jacket and backlit by headlights.

Adapting The Bikeriders for the screen

The film adaptation, which debuts Friday, follows characters based on Kathy (played by Comer), who also narrates the story, and Benny (Butler). Some scenes play out just as the anecdotes in the book, such as the pair’s first meeting. Kathy is at a bar with a friend when she notices Benny, who is leaning against a pool table in a nearly perfect recreation of Lyon’s photo. Here, though, he looks up. We see his face, hear his voice and find out what happens next.

Ahead of the movie premiere, Lyon heard from a man named Kirk: Kathy and Benny’s son. He learned that Kathy had died, but Benny was living in Florida. “So I call Benny up,” Lyon tells the Telegraph . “We have a great talk. He’s totally upbeat. And then he says, ‘Hey, you know the picture of me at the pool hall?’ I said, yeah. He says, ‘It’s not me.’ What? ‘Check out the tattoos. It’s not me.’”

The movie is structured in two parts. The first half follows a group of misfits finding a family; much like Lyon’s book, it is meant to “glorify the life of the American bikerider.” As one of the club members, Brucie (Damon Herriman), says, “We don’t belong nowhere else, so we belong together.” The second half is a darker meditation on the dangers of outlaw life. As members of a younger generation join up, they introduce a newfound aggression and propensity for cruelty.

“[The violence] in the second half is fairly cruel, and that’s the important part,” Nichols tells PA Media . “If you just have the first hour, this would be a film glamorizing violence. Nobody wants that, nobody needs that, the world doesn’t need that. If you take the two parts as the whole, I think it says, ‘Here are the consequences of choosing to live this kind of life.’”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Benjamin Nichols (@benlucero74)

The book does not feature this second chapter. But while Lyon has retained an affection for the outsider spirit—“I like rebels and think they are intrinsic to the survival of our democracy,” he told the Chicago Reader in 2014—his views have evolved with time.

By the end of his stint with the Outlaws, Lyon was already growing disillusioned with the group. As he said to the Observer , he remembers getting into a “big disagreement with this guy who rolled out a huge Nazi flag as a picnic rug to put our beers on. By then, I had realized that some of these guys were not so romantic after all.”

What became of the Outlaws

Today, more than 300 outlaw motorcycle gangs operate across the United States. According to the Department of Justice , which defines the groups as “organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises ,” the Outlaws have some 1,700 members in more than 100 chapters around the world. The club has engaged in criminal activities such as “arson, assault, explosives, extortion, fraud, homicide, intimidation, kidnapping, money laundering, prostitution, robbery, theft and weapons violations.”

The real Outlaws are “certainly aware of the film,” Nichols tells the Globe and Mail , but he has not had any contact with them. In the film, the club is called the Vandals, a fictional name intended to distance the project from existing groups, which the director had no desire to portray on screen. “If I’m being completely honest, I’m not really interested in contemporary biker culture,” he adds. “I was interested in the people in Danny’s book.”

Besides, Lyon believes the two groups have little in common. The people he knew in the 1960s were quite different from today’s biker types, whom he notices in connection with news events like the January 6 insurrection . Instead, the photographer tells A Rabbit’s Foot , the closest analogues are perhaps “the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux fighting the oil pipeline and the catastrophe of climate change.”

Today’s Outlaws appear to have an internet presence, albeit a limited one. One website, belonging to the Outlaws M.C. , instructs, “Everything is done face to face NOT online DO NOT write us asking how to join! Find an Outlaw and ask him!” Another site, belonging to the Outlaws M.C. World , features an article titled, “What is [an] Outlaw M.C. one-percenter today?” “To say that one-percenters are criminals or people of a lesser moral code than the rest of society is a tainted opinion,” the pseudonymous author argues. “We may not live by the rules of society, but we do live by its laws.”

Another language quibble: “Bikerider” is not a word, strictly speaking. It does not appear in the dictionary. According to Lyon, it is a word that once held a narrow definition, describing a subculture as it existed at a specific time and place.

“Back then in Chicago, they had a lot of names for things, names that were of the Midwest, and of that city, words belonging to that place and to the people who lived there,” wrote Lyon in the 1997 preface. “One of those words was bikeriders . No one there ever called them motorcyclists . The machines were called bikes , and the riders were called bikeriders . The word biker was simply never used in the Midwest by anyone at that time.”

After finding a publisher for the book, a copy editor explained that the title would need to be two words: The Bike Riders . Lyon pled his case—and won. In the years that followed, he was aghast to see “biker” become widespread. “I even use it myself,” he wrote. “The term that I heard and loved, and used with such pride, has all but been forgotten.”

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Ellen Wexler | | READ MORE

Ellen Wexler is Smithsonian magazine’s assistant digital editor, humanities.

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Book review: Intimate and creative, Jennifer Brice’s long-evolving essays present her sharp mind at work

“Another North: Essays in Praise of the World That Is”

“Another North: Essays in Praise of the World That Is,” by Jennifer Brice

By Jennifer Brice; Boreal Books/Red Hen Press, 2024; 240 pages; $17.95.

It used to be said that “essays don’t sell, nobody wants to read them.” That was never really true, and, in the hands of a gifted writer like Jennifer Brice, we can delight in the form defined by essayist and teacher Phillip Lopate as “a record of a mind tracking its thoughts.”

“The great promise of essays,” Lopate wrote, “is the freedom they offer to explore, digress, acknowledge uncertainty; to evade dogmatism and embrace ambivalence and contradiction; to engage in intimate conversation with one’s reader and literary forbears; and to uncover some unexpected truth, preferably via a sparkling prose style.”

Brice, the author of two previous books — ”The Last Settlers,” a work of documentary journalism, and “Unlearning to Fly,” a memoir — has compiled a dozen exemplary essays written over the course of 25 years. They are both intimate and intelligent, and they shine in their use of creative forms and their “sparkling” language.

Born and raised in Fairbanks, Brice has taught English and Creative Writing at East Coast colleges (presently Colgate University) for many years. Now at the start of her sixth decade, with three grown daughters, she’s been willing to look back at her family and personal history, her relationships to others, the person she was and is still becoming, and her influences. Readers will very much feel in conversation with a sharp and inquisitive mind, and Alaska readers may especially find resonance with their own lives.

The first essay, “Another North,” opens as a sleep-deprived “gray-haired professor of English” lands at the Fairbanks airport on winter solstice. The wobbliness she feels about a change in runway signs sets her up for a series of short segments that gather a story that “could begin anywhere” but does begin in 1961, when “the woman who will become our protagonist’s mother,” a newly minted nurse, leaves New York City and drives to Fairbanks for her first job. Then, in 1962, “Carol Ann’s husband of just a few months” is taking off from the Fairbanks airport on his first solo flight. 1964, Carol Ann parks the pram with baby Jennifer outside the Second Avenue Co-op and tells the family husky to “mind the baby” while she shops. Then 1967 and the Fairbanks flood, the start of pipeline construction, a prom, a crush, homesick years at an east coast women’s college, learning to fly “in order to prove something to myself, although it’s not yet clear just what that might be.” In just 12 pages, with specific details, digressions through time and place, and reflections on identity, direction, and love, Brice introduces her mode of thinking about the large and small things that influence a life and leads readers into the expanses of her mind.

The second essay, “Playing Bridge with Robots,” continues with a similarly segmented form and inquiry. Here, Brice toggles between her obsession with the game of bridge — especially playing it on-line with computer-generated partners — and her long friendship with another writer (one who will be recognized by Alaska readers.) At first the back-and-forth play might seem odd, but connections gradually emerge as the friendship slows and founders. “We weren’t doing what I am doing right this minute, which is trying to capture some fugitive truth about her. Or about me and her. Or maybe just about me.”

The remaining essays continue the pattern of employing unusual structures to contain fragments of memory, thought, and reconciliation, along with references to literary works and cultural phenomena. “On Keeping House,” is formatted around a series of possible guides to, literally, homemaking but more expansively to living as a woman.

“Occasional Lapses into Indulgence” examines the author’s complicated relationship with her “fabulist” grandmother and includes excerpts from letters between the two and her grandmother’s correspondence with the writer James Michener and various political figures. (Grandmother Brice felt free to advise them on their clothing.)

“I Am the Space Where I Am” discusses Brice’s move to upstate New York (where a neighbor instructed her on just what she needed to do with her house and yard to fit in) and how she squared her love for her Fairbanks home with her adopted one. “After Alaska,” she writes, “being in New York is a little bit like being on Prozac: the highs are not as high, the lows not as low.”

One of the longest, most creative, and most personally revealing essays, “My Essay on Flowers and How Things End” takes the form of an abecedarian, in which each of the 26 sections begins with a letter of the alphabet, in this case naming a flower. A is for Astroemeria (a showy lily), B for bittersweet, and so on. While each section references a flower, the passages are not about the flowers per se but associated with the author’s life, in particular her relationships with men. Time here is fluid, flowing back and forth across decades to tie together a bouquet of self-discoveries.

Because Brice’s essays were written at different times, with different purposes, and are meant to stand alone, some facts and even scenes reappear throughout the book. In another writer’s hands, these could be repetitive and annoying, but the different contexts in which they’re presented multiply their effect. The family origin myth, central to the entire book, returns with increasing meaning, and only at the end does Brice uncover an astonishing truth about it.

Poignant, funny, introspective, sparkling in its language, “Another North” deserves a place, not just on a shelf of essays, but among the books we turn to for appreciating the gifts and burdens of our lives.

Nancy Lord is a Homer-based writer and former Alaska writer laureate. Her books include "Fishcamp," "Beluga Days," and "Early Warming." Her latest book is "pH: A Novel."

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In an inspiring celebration of Black literary talent, ESSENCE Authors 2024 returns to showcase the brilliance and diversity of authors during the 30th anniversary of ESSENCE Festival of Culture.

The star-studded lineup includes best-selling authors and literary icons whose works have not only entertained but also sparked important conversations about race, identity, entrepreneurship, wellness, and much more. Notable authors such as Roxanne Gay, Jay Ellis, Rickey Smiley, Bakari Sellers, Dr. Ian K. Smith, Natasha Alford, and others will be on hand for insightful discussions and book signings.

At a time when the works of Black creators are being threatened, now it is more important than ever that we amplify our authors’ voices and the critical conversations that their work stimulates.

ESSENCE Authors 2024 is not just a literary event; it’s a movement affirming the significance of Black stories in shaping our world. There’s always a palpable sense of inspiration and empowerment among all who attend, and we’re here for it! Check out the lineup of amazing panels and fireside chats happening this year.

Black Brilliance: Navigating Entrepreneurship and Innovation

From startup success stories in beauty to strategies for moving up the corporate ladder, our panelists will share valuable insights, practical advice, and inspiring journeys of entrepreneurship in a capitalist society. Connect with like-minded individuals, gain practical advice, and be inspired by stories of resilience and triumph. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate and learn from Black women’s achievements in corporate and entrepreneurial spheres.

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Hillary Clinton to release essay collection about personal and public life

Hillary Clinton’s next book is a collection of essays, touching upon everything from marriage to politics to faith, that her publisher is calling her most personal yet

Hillary Clinton’s next book is a collection of essays, touching upon everything from marriage to politics to faith, that her publisher is calling her most personal yet.

Simon and Schuster announced Tuesday that Clinton’s “Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love and Liberty” will be released Sept. 17.

Among the topics she will cover: Her marriage to former President Bill Clinton, her Methodist faith, adjusting to private life after her failed presidential runs, her friendships with other first ladies and her takes on climate change, democracy and Vladimir Putin.

“The book reads like you’re sitting down with your smartest, funniest, most passionate friend over a long meal,” Clinton’s editor, Priscilla Painton, said in a statement.

“This is the Hillary Americans have come to know and love: candid, engaged, humorous, self-deprecating — and always learning.”

Clinton, the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary and presidential candidate, will promote her book with a cross country tour. “Something Lost, Something Gained” comes out two months before Bill Clinton’s memoir about post-presidential life, “Citizen.”

Financial terms were not disclosed. Clinton was represented by Washington attorney Robert Barnett, whose other clients have included former President George W. Bush and former President Barack Obama.

Clinton’s previous books include such bestsellers as “It Takes a Village,” “Living History” and “What Happened.”

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