Heroes - Hardcover

Cormier, Robert

3.39

4,117 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385325908 ISBN 13: 9780385325905

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 1998

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In Heroes, Robert Cormier explores the nature of heroism through a young and tragic life.

Francis Cassavant returns from World War II to seek revenge on his childhood hero. He lost his face in France when he fell on a grenade, earning the Silver Star for Bravery. His hero also holds the Silver Star for Bravery--but do either deserve it? Examine the nature of heroism in the latest powerful novel from Robert Cormier.

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Review:

Eighteen-year-old Francis Cassavant has returned from World War II an unwilling hero. Although he can still see and hear, a grenade has blown away his nose, his ears, his teeth, and his cheeks, leaving him faceless. Hiding his ghastly wounds with bandages and a white silk scarf, Francis welcomes the anonymity his mutilation brings him, for he has returned to his hometown with a secret mission--a plot for revenge (against his enemy Larry LaSalle) that he values more than his own life. Francis's eerily matter-of-fact acceptance of his hideous mien, along with his sweetness and selflessness, contrast sharply with his obsessive need for vengeance. No one recognizes him as the quiet kid who once loved Nicole Renard and hung out with fellow teens at the Wreck Center. LaSalle, formerly a charismatic youth leader, has also come back from the war a hero, and only Francis knows the dark side of this older man's concern for young people. But does LaSalle's one evil act wipe out all the good he has done? And is Francis just as guilty because he could have prevented it and didn't?

Robert Cormier--winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award and many other honors--has once again crafted a riveting yarn of psychological suspense. Francis's story is revealed only gradually in hints that keep the reader guessing. Young teens will find it a quick and absorbing read, and older adolescents (and full-fledged adults, too) will relish pondering the many-sided ethical questions Cormier raises about heroism, guilt, and forgiveness. (Ages 13 to 16) --Patty Campbell

From the Publisher:

Praise for Heroes:

*"[Cormier's] story, as dark as any he has written thus far, will hold fans from first page to last, and set them thinking about what really lurks behind the face of a hero."
--Publishers Weekly, starred

*"Once again, Cormier has written a suspenseful novel that addresses serious questions of concern to most young adults."
--Voya, starred

"...Cormier sketches the dark underbelly of a brief historic time in shadows that will follow the reader long after the story has ended."
--Booklist

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