The Hero Project: How We Met Our Greatest Heroes and What We Learned From Them - Softcover

Hatch, Robert; Hatch, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0071449043 ISBN 13: 9780071449045

Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 2005

Synopsis

For the first time, living legends and popular heroes tell teens how they survived their adolescence

When they were 11 and 14, respectively, brothers Robert and William Hatch embarked on an ambitious project: to discover how many of their heroes dealt with the challenges of early adolescence. The result is The Hero Project, a fascinating collection of interviews with some of the most prominent names in sports, science, politics, entertainment, the arts, and religion.

From dealing with bullies to overcoming health problems, feeling lonely and different to growing up in a broken home, what they thought of the world around them to their own heroes and role models, these luminaries share their candid recollections of life as a teen and offer young readers advice on how to grow up to be heroes themselves. In addition to the interviews, each chapter contains a brief biography of the selected interviewee, along with the fascinating back story of how the brothers made contact with the hero in question.

Heroes of The Hero Project:

Pete Seeger, Madeleine L’Engle, Florence Griffith Joyner, Jimmy Carter,Orson Scott Card,Yo Yo Ma, Elouise Cobell, Carroll Spinney, Desmond Tutu, Lance Armstrong and Linda Kelly Armstrong, Steven Wozniak, Dolores Huerta, and Jackie Chan

About this title

About the Author

Robert and William Hatch are brothers who, between the ages of eleven and fourteen, conducted the interviews for this book. Robert, now sixteen, is an Eagle Scout and school debater. William, now twenty-two, studies English at the University of Montana.

From the Back Cover

"Talk about ingenious, proactive young authors! Who and what and how and why Robert and William Hatch got these interviews and produced this book make them heroes 'in my book.' Each visit was fascinating, enlightening and often humorous. Robert and William's style is so readable, they were obviously influenced by these remarkable people, as will any reader be."
--Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

Brothers Robert and William Hatch interviewed the most famous, accomplished people in a variety of fields--sports, music, politics, the arts--and what they learned will surprise you, inspire you, and give you plenty to think about. These exclusive one-on-one interviews reveal the kind of stuff you really want to know.

You'll learn how five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong motivates himself to be the very best--even in the worst of times. You'll discover the secret of breaking through self-imposed limitations from former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and how award-winning author Orson Scott Card comes up with his ideas.

Most of all, you'll learn how your favorite heroes made their dreams come true--and how someone like you has the makings of a hero, too.

Includes new and original interviews with:

• Desmond Tutu, South African archbishop and peace activist
• Dolores Huerta, Mexican-American labor leader
• Florence Griffith Joyner, Olympic gold medalist
• And many more!

Reviews

Grade 6 Up–Over 12 years ago, two teen brothers began an interview project. The result is this book, which consists of conversations with 13 of their heroes. Each chapter begins with a brief summary of the person's life and accomplishments and a description of how the meeting came about and ends with the interview. The selections are candid and thoughtful, with the boys asking questions about political and spiritual beliefs as well as queries about childhood heroes and family pets. Both writers are intelligent and well spoken, but their tone is often mature beyond their years, making it difficult for young readers to relate. Lance Armstrong, Jackie Chan, Madeleine L'Engle, and Orson Scott Card will appeal to a wide audience. Other contributors will be less familiar, such as Dolores Huerta, Elouise Cobell, and Carroll Spinney. Even though the popularity levels of the heroes chosen is mixed, the entire collection is of high quality, and those who pick it up for the celebrity appeal may learn a little something extra.–Michelle Roberts, Merrick Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eight years ago, when they were ages 11 and 14, brothers Robert and William Hatch embarked on this ambitious project: to interview their heroes and write a book about "how they have made America a better place." The 13 men and women interviewed here are not the usual boyhood heroes: along with athlete Lance Armstrong and movie star Jackie Chan, there is novelist Madelene l'Engle, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Blackfeet Indian activist Louise Pepion Cobell. The boys are inquisitive and sometimes probing, even urgent with a child's concerns; Will presses l'Engle, for instance, to explain how, after an unhappy childhood, she could forgive and become close to her parents. The conversations range widely: Pete Seeger talks about the civil rights movement and having rocks thrown at him during a concert with Paul Robeson; Florence Griffith-Joyner speaks about her belief in God; cellist Yo-Yo Ma discusses raising his own children differently than his traditional Chinese parents raised him. The subjects speak clearly and simply, very aware that they are addressing a young person, and young adults seeking inspiration and new ways to think about difficult questions will probably be the best audience for this precocious book.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About 12 years ago, then 11-year-old William Hatch had a chance encounter with one of his parents' heroes, legendary folk singer Pete Seeger. He began writing letters to the famous singer, and Seeger wrote back, encouraging the boy to think about who his heroes are and to write to them. That exchange evolved into this 11-year project, in which Will, and later his younger brother, Rob, doggedly pursued their heroes through letters, e-mails, phone calls, and lucky meetings, eventually interviewing some of the biggest names in sports, science, politics, the arts, and religion, including Olympic gold medalist Florence Griffith-Joyner, Jimmy Carter, Yo-Yo Ma, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Lance Armstrong, and Jackie Chan. The directness and innocence of the questions posed by the youths to these heavyweights is quite amazing. In one great moment, Rob shocks Apple Computer's Steve Wozniak by bluntly asking him, in the midst of a discussion on file sharing, whether he believes in God. Topics range from books, family, and pets to the challenges of growing up in poverty or with an otherwise difficult childhood or adolescence. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0071449043
• ISBN 13: 9780071449045
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208