Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

American Heroes, by the editors of Salem Press. 3 vols, 1078 p. Pasadena: Salem Press, 2009. ISBN 978-1-58765-457-2. $217.00.

This three-volume set offers readers an opportunity to examine American heroes through an original lens: rather than dividing the subject into categories such as types of heroes or ethnicity, the editors at Salem Press have created a comprehensive package that combines heroes from various areas of achievement, dating from the American Revolution through today. The set features more than 200 people from broadly diverse backgrounds whom the editors feel reflect an agreed-upon definition of “hero”: the individuals place others above self, invoke courage to undertake difficult and risky endeavors in order to better the world for others, inspire others in all walks of society, and breach the minimum of what is expected to reach new heights. The essays in the three volumes follow an arranged standard that will appeal to both students and pleasure readers. The pieces open with the name of an individual (Eleanor Roosevelt) and a famous quotation (“It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.”); the bold-face, italicized type and oversized quotation marks add appeal and make the volumes fun to flip through for this feature alone. The ready-reference data that follow identify the subject and summarize the individual’s key role. Again, these informative segments can act as catalysts for further inquiry or offer an answer in a quick search. Following a short list of pertinent details such as birth date, date of death (when applicable) and area of achievement, each essay features several paragraphs that delve further into the subject’s early life, life’s work and significance. Typically two to four pages long, the essays introduce readers to heroes from categories such as aviation and space exploration, the military, religion, sports, and women’s rights, and are followed by brief bibliographies of books and other print sources. Each volume concludes with a comprehensive subjects and personages index and an ethnicity index to facilitate further research. The essays, written in a clear, accessible style, will introduce students to important Americans like Clarence Darrow, Steve Jobs and Jackie Robinson and may help all readers create their own definition of “American hero” along the way. Recommended for high school and public libraries.
—Doug Achterman