What does it mean to be a hero?

How was the weekend? Hope it was a least a little bit relaxing.

This week (or should I say last night) I read another YA book that I wanted to chat with you about. Each Wednesday, I feel pretty accomplished because I have read a book before then, and I have something to write to you all about. Then its about that Sunday that I realize, have I started reading another book for THIS Wednesday? Some of the time the answer is yes, some of the time the answer is no. This week it was a no. But, what needs to get done gets done, so here we are at another book blurt.

This week I read Barry Lyga’s Hero Type. Lyga is the author of The Astonishing Adventures of FanBoy and Goth Girl, and Boy Toy. Both books have been highly acclaimed by the American Library Association and many other important places like the New York Times. I haven’t had a chance to read those books, but the synopsis of Hero Type really caught my eye, so I figured I’d read it.

The book starts just after our protagonist, Kevin Ross a.k.a Kross, is in the right place at the right time to save a girl from being raped. The entire town goes “Kevin Krazy” as he calls it. Everyone wants an interview, there are “Thank You, Kevin” signs in every store window, and the mayor wants to give him the key to the city. Then, just as quickly, Kevin is thrown from his pedestal by throwing some of the medals (some which said, “Support Our Troops”) away, with a reporter taking pictures of the whole thing. Now, the entire town is outraged! They can’t believe that their “hero” doesn’t support the troops!

So begins a roller coaster of Kross wrestling with what it actually means to support the troops, and trying to convince the other people in his school, and in his town, of what he finds out. Although this book wasn’t a light read, I had a great time with it. It brought up some very interesting points on the whole issue of freedom of speech, symbols, and thinking for yourself. It also brought up some interesting points about being popular and being patriotic.

While I enjoyed the book, I do have a couple words of caution. There is some swearing and some sexual references throughout the book. The uses weren’t gratuitous, and they were realistic for the characters and situations, but they are still in there. With any book, its important to look at the whole picture, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and ask why the author put the stuff in there. It is also important to know what you look for in a book, and if you are okay with that kind of content in the books you read.