well-told story.
Thatâs what I wanted for my son.
From there, I started looking for more heroes. I wanted to hear their storiesâthe ones no one knew. It made sense to meâespecially since, as a parent, I know that the only lesson we ever teach is the one that comes from example.
One of the first stories I heard was about the Wright brothers. A friend told me that every day when Orville and Wilbur Wright went out to fly their plane, they would bring enough materials for multiple crashes. That way, when they crashed, they could rebuild the plane and try again. Think about it a moment: every time they went outâ every time âthey knew they were going to fail. But thatâs what they did: Crash and rebuild. Crash and rebuild. And thatâs why they finally took off.
I loved that story. I still love that story. And thatâs the kind of story I wanted my son to hear: a story that wouldnât lecture to him, but would show him that if he was determinedâ¦if he wasnât afraid to failâ¦if he had persistence (and a side order of stubbornness)â¦the impossible becomes possible.
Since that time, Iâve been collecting heroes and their stories for my son. (Though of course, every hero in here is heroic for both boys and girls alike. Every single one.)There are thousands of heroes. And I think thatâs what I like best. There is proofâabsolute proofâeverywhere. Look around at any life and youâll find examples of charity and honesty, leadership and humility, tenacity and dignity. These are the tools I want my son to have. And the tools I want my daughter, Lila, to have. (Iâm already working on her book.) Indeed, as this book got started, it became triply important: my younger son, Theo, was born. I want these tools for Theo too.
Does that mean every hero in the world is in here? Of course not. I purposely left out most religious leaders so thereâd be no battling among faiths.
Youâll see heroes you know, like Jim Henson and Eleanor Roosevelt. There are others who are not as well known, like Frank Shankwitz and Barbara Johns. And there are others who seem almost ridiculously obvious, like George Washington and Rosa Parks. But to be clear, this is not a book about fame. Thomas Jefferson isnât in here just because he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Heâs in here because he didnât publicize that fact (indeed, it didnât become common knowledge that he was the author until years after he was president), showing the kind of modesty that I want my sons to know about.
This isnât a book about how to be rememberedâitâs a book about how we live our lives, and what we are capable of on our very best days.
Is that schmaltzy and naive? I hope so. Because I want my sons to learn those things too.
We all are who we areâuntil that moment when we strive for something greater.
In the end, I suppose there are easier ways to share lifeâs most valuable lessons with my sons. There were moments when I thought about doing it Mr. Miyagi style and teaching it through karate. But I donât know karate. And so I do the only thing I know how to do: I tell a story. Just like my grandfather taught me all those years ago.
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BRAD MELTZER
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2009
â INNOVATORS â
the wright brothers
Inventors of the worldâs first flying machine.
When it was time to try building the first flying machine, Samuel Langley had incredible resources and tens of thousands in funding. Bicycle salesmen Orville and Wilbur Wright had a flying toy their father gave them as children and a dream they refused to give up on. Guess who won?
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E very day, they knew theyâd fail.
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Every time theyâd go out to flyâ every time âthey brought extra materials because they knew their fledgling design would crash.
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Crash and rebuild. Crash and rebuild.
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But never ever, ever give up.
J. K. Accinni
Mari Carr
Chris Kennedy
Ann Christy
Robert T. Jeschonek
Rachel Abbott
Michele Jaffe
T.W. Piperbrook
Sandra Sookoo
J.R. WRIGHT