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Choosing Courage: Inspiring True Stories of What It Means to Be a Hero
How does an ordinary person become a hero? It happens in a split second, a moment of focus and clarity, when a choice is made. Here are the gripping accounts of Medal of Honor recipients who demonstrated guts and selflessness on the battlefield and confronted life-threatening danger to make a difference. There are the stories of George Sakato and Vernon Baker—both of whom overcame racial discrimination to enlist in the army during World War II (Sakato was a second-generation Japanese American, Baker an African American) and went on to prove that heroes come in all colors—and Clint Romesha, who led his outnumbered fellow soldiers against a determined enemy to prevent the Taliban from taking over a remote U.S. Army outpost in Afghanistan. Also included are civilians who have been honored by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation for outstanding acts of bravery in crisis situations, from a school shooting to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Adding depth and context are illuminating essays on the combat experience and its aftermath, covering topics such as overcoming fear; a mother mourning the loss of her son; and “surviving hell” as a prisoner of war.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2015
97 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
About the author
Peter Collier
105 books22 followersFounder of Encounter Books in California, Collier was publisher from 1998-2005. He co-founded the Center for the Study of Popular Culture with David Horowitz. Collier wrote many books and articles with Horowitz. Collier worked on the website FrontpageMag. He was an organizer of Second Thoughts conferences for leftists who have moved right.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
March 1, 2022
In the novel, "Choosing Courage", Sammy Davis says, "If I don't do my job, these guys behind me ain't got a chance"(Collier 90). The subject in this book is making brave and dangerous decisions, and to never back down from it. After reading this book, I give it a rating of four stars. My first point is how much I love the way the book describes the situation these soldiers are in. The author paints a clear picture in my head and makes me want to read more. In addition, the author perfectly describes the way the soldiers are feeling. I like how the book includes that the soldiers feel nervous or scared, but still push through because they have a mission to complete. Furthermore, I am amazed on when the veterans receive the medal of honor, they are always humble about it. They never brag or treat themselves as big celebrities but as a soldier who simply just did their job. They honor those who died on the battlefield and fully believe they all deserve the same medal. Lastly, the resolution to all these veterans' war stories are heart warming. Many of these veterans were alive to receive the medal of honor from the president, and still live on to tell how brave they were. I personally enjoyed one particular story where a soldier met the fellow soldier that saved his life on the battlefield, and later on became life-long friends. However, my last point will be a negative one. I would have liked these stories to include a little more information on how the soldiers got themselves into the situations and the book to include any other encounters the soldier had.
February 10, 2023
Really good book. There was a guy who fought against whole fleet of the Korean army, and then he hopped in the trenches and just started spraying. It was cool.
March 2, 2017
Each chapter features a different soldier. The stories are succinct and are a nice, brief overview of their life and the courage they possessed in difficult times.
Some of these stories are more quiet acts of courage, which I appreciated. Not every story is about throwing yourself on a grenade, etc. These are not soldiers that were in it for the glory. These are people who did what they needed to do, regardless of the danger their own lives were in. I appreciate the few female stores (there probably could have been more - even from earlier wars). I also appreciated the story of a mother who lost a son.
A variety of disciplines and wars are covered in this book. It's easy to skip around and read what interests you, as each chapter is about a different individual.
* Note: the story of Desmond Doss (Hacksaw Ridge movie is about hime) is included in this book.
Some of these stories are more quiet acts of courage, which I appreciated. Not every story is about throwing yourself on a grenade, etc. These are not soldiers that were in it for the glory. These are people who did what they needed to do, regardless of the danger their own lives were in. I appreciate the few female stores (there probably could have been more - even from earlier wars). I also appreciated the story of a mother who lost a son.
A variety of disciplines and wars are covered in this book. It's easy to skip around and read what interests you, as each chapter is about a different individual.
* Note: the story of Desmond Doss (Hacksaw Ridge movie is about hime) is included in this book.
March 29, 2016
This book is simply amazing. I just couldn't put it down. And it usually takes me at least two weeks to finish a non fiction book. Some of the quotes were so inspiring. I think everyone should read this book. I LOVED IT!!!
March 25, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this book. Certainly the people it profiles are remarkable courageous, all of them heroes in one way or another. And many of their stories are compelling. I'm also pleased to see that the stories of some people of color are highlighted, as well as the stories of how they were often not awarded their medals until many years later. But. One, I feel like this book--despite a few rather weak attempts to the contrary--glorifies war. It seems to suggest that war is what makes heroes, and in many of the stories, the men profiled talk about how the army gave them a purpose and how their experiences in war shaped them into confident, successful citizens. This may well be true . . . but I wish there were more discussion about the horrible cost of war. Certainly many of the men talk about the sadness of losing buddies, etc., but on balance, it just doesn't sit right with me. Also, the book was supposed to also feature civilian heroes, but it is wayyyyy skewed toward war heroes. In the civilian heroes section, some of the featured heroes have a military past, or the situation still occurs during a war. And because the Congressional Medal of Honor (which all of the featured military heroes in the book received) can only be awarded to those involved directly in combat, all of the war heroes featured are men. Only one woman ever received the congressional medal of honor, and she was not in the book (which I think is a major oversight). Only one woman is featured in the entire book (in the civilian section). This is a PA choice book for 2017-18.
November 30, 2021
Definitely inspiring!
November 28, 2016
Peter Collier has collected some amazing stories in this book about heroes. While many of the accounts shared focus on recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, there are some that don't. The stories about ordinary people who do extraordinary things are particularly touching, such as the middle school teacher who talks down an armed fourteen-year-old, putting her own life on the line for her students. These kind of stories I find particularly touching in the face of modern day celebrity worship. The men and women whose stories are told in this book make sacrifices that in many cases are very costly to themselves. Throwing oneself on top of a grenade to save one's comrades, leaping through heavy gunfire to rescue an injured buddy, enduring years of torture with honor, stepping forward to serve your country after being confined to an internment camp. It's impossible to read these stories without being touched by the individuals who experienced them. One commonality among these individuals is that none of them see themselves as a hero, and yet all of them did heroic things. Since many of these stories involve warfare, there is all too much violence depicted in both actual combat, torture, and recovery, as well as death. A powerful collection of stories demonstrating the power of sacrifice and courage in doing one's duty.
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February 9, 2017I finished this a while ago, but it was a pretty good book. I usually don't like reading biographies or auto-biographies, because they're usually pretty boring. But this book, even though it's a collective biography, had an actual story line, and each small story was interesting and intense, making me want to read more.
October 31, 2017
I'm 1/42 of the way through and this is just not compelling narrative non-fiction! The author doesn't have a distinctive voice and many of the biographical snippets sound very similar. I do find the foreward in which the author basically says you have to serve in the military in order to be a hero pretty gross. It glosses over real problems like PTSD and serviceman violence, but it does at least include enlisted men and women of color. Its just terribly dry and I doubt a kid who wasn't desperate for more military biographies would be interested. For the age group, portions of the book just come across as really naive, such as the treatment of the extended "War on Terror" in the way it brushes over the U.S.'s longest military action and the President's ability to send troops anywhere until terrorism is over.
January 8, 2018
The collection has stories by different authors, so the writing is uneven. That said, I found lots to love about this book and the hero's stories therein.
May 18, 2018
Have you ever wonder what your grandparents did when they were younger? This is your chance to see what they went through but through a different point of view. What they have be through. Where they were when what ever happen to them.This book tells whats happen during the wars and what happened to the people that served in the wars.
The author of my book is Peter Collier. He has wrote the book named Wings of Valor. He has won the medal of honor foundation. He typically writes historical fiction. He also likes to write fiction books.
My book is fiction. The intended audience for this work is people that like books about wars. The purpose of this book is to teach people about what happened in the wars. The books audience would be people that like book that have different points of view. This book has different places the author puts you.
The main theme of this book is about how the wars were.They contribute to the work by talking about the wars.They are effective because they talk about how the people were treated. The book can not be effective because most of the people don't like talking about what happen to them. They contributed by letting them talk about what happened to them.
I would describe the particular style is boarding at first. It can be accessible to all if they like a boarding start. It can also be just for some. I would describe the author’s particular style can be good. Most people won’t read this book.
The argument was is set up by talking about the past wars. He asks people from the past war to talk about what happened to them.The work does fulfill the purpose. It also supports the argument. The support comes from people that what to talk about what happened to them in the past war.
The main idea is to talk about the past wars. It makes it good for people to learn about the past wars. They wanted to get the story out about the war they were in. They wanted to tell what happened to them. They wanted to tell wanted the government did.
There is no main characters. The main point is to talk about the past wars. There isn’t a main character. The main purpose is to get people get understand the wars that were going on. The main purpose to get people to understand what was going on and what happened to them.
The author does provide revealing information because the book talks about war. The guest author does not provide the introduction. There are no judgments about the book. The author can’t make a preconceptions about the book. There can’t be any judgments or preconception about the wars.
There are character that do work. The principle characters change in the different points of view. They affect the story by telling their own stories about the wars. I do empathize with them. They also affect the story by letting the author write in his own words.
I would describe the particular style is boarding at first. It can be accessible to all if they like a boarding start. It can also be just for some. I would describe the author’s particular style can be good. Most people won’t read this book.
The author of my book is Peter Collier. He has wrote the book named Wings of Valor. He has won the medal of honor foundation. He typically writes historical fiction. He also likes to write fiction books.
My book is fiction. The intended audience for this work is people that like books about wars. The purpose of this book is to teach people about what happened in the wars. The books audience would be people that like book that have different points of view. This book has different places the author puts you.
The main theme of this book is about how the wars were.They contribute to the work by talking about the wars.They are effective because they talk about how the people were treated. The book can not be effective because most of the people don't like talking about what happen to them. They contributed by letting them talk about what happened to them.
I would describe the particular style is boarding at first. It can be accessible to all if they like a boarding start. It can also be just for some. I would describe the author’s particular style can be good. Most people won’t read this book.
The argument was is set up by talking about the past wars. He asks people from the past war to talk about what happened to them.The work does fulfill the purpose. It also supports the argument. The support comes from people that what to talk about what happened to them in the past war.
The main idea is to talk about the past wars. It makes it good for people to learn about the past wars. They wanted to get the story out about the war they were in. They wanted to tell what happened to them. They wanted to tell wanted the government did.
There is no main characters. The main point is to talk about the past wars. There isn’t a main character. The main purpose is to get people get understand the wars that were going on. The main purpose to get people to understand what was going on and what happened to them.
The author does provide revealing information because the book talks about war. The guest author does not provide the introduction. There are no judgments about the book. The author can’t make a preconceptions about the book. There can’t be any judgments or preconception about the wars.
There are character that do work. The principle characters change in the different points of view. They affect the story by telling their own stories about the wars. I do empathize with them. They also affect the story by letting the author write in his own words.
I would describe the particular style is boarding at first. It can be accessible to all if they like a boarding start. It can also be just for some. I would describe the author’s particular style can be good. Most people won’t read this book.
September 10, 2018
In Choosing Courage, inspiring true stories of what it means to be a hero by Peter Collier, you take a journey into the past where you experience heroic stories that the soldiers/heros got medals of honor for. They got these medals for the people they have single handedly fought off like Tibor Rubin. The heros who have saved lives, like Desmond Doss. There are people who wanted to fight for justice and the good of our country, like Vernon Baker. These recognized of the many soldiers have shown courage for the better of our country. In everyday life, we can lose the importance of standing up and having courage. Author, Peter ebrases that hero’s put courage before themselves so we may find courage to do the same for someone else. Choosing courage is a interesting book, full of twists and turns of true heart pounding action stories. It might catch the eye of readers who like adventure, non-fiction, and historical literature. Their might even be readers who enjoy other war based novels that might like choosing courage for its real written knowledge. Peter has a way of giving us the real stories of the people in our history of the united states that is very informational and inspirational.
January 20, 2017
I read the book Choosing Courage by Peter Collier. Its a non fiction book. Choosing Courage is a book with different soldiers stories. What kept me interested in this book is the different stories and how each soldier responded to different situations. I didn't dislike how the author wrote it because he wrote it as the soldier told him. This book can inspire you greatly, nothing in this book will disappoint you, Every soldier in this book is a hero. In one of the stories a young boy he's 14 and he lies about his age and forges his mother signature and then is deployed in the army the figured out how old he was so they went to go send him home but he jumped in one of the jeeps going into battle, and then when he got out of the jeep the found him again, so the commander too him. “ if you really want to serve your country this bad we will let you”. Peters style of writing was how the soldier spoke. He interviewed these people. The time span of all these stories is starting from WW2 to now. I think this book is worth reading because it tells you how soldiers react and what they have to go through in order to protect our country.
November 25, 2020
I read this book because I've always had an interest in the military and the stories of those brave men and women who put their life on the line for the people at home. The bravery that our soldiers show is fascinating and it is highlighted in this book. When asking many veterans who the heroes are, they always respond with the ones who don't come home. Heroes like Jason Dunham who lay down their lives willingly in order to save the guys next to him. I think it is important to learn about the stories of those who perform heroic acts on the battlefield. It met my expectations of honoring the men and women of our armed forces. Things that I've picked up from the stories is that it takes courage and fearlessness to go rescue injured comrades and dead buddies from the hands of the enemy. It takes courage just to go out and fight those who seek to harm the people of the US.
My recommended age for readers is 13 and up as there is mention of some violence and death in the book, however, it does have a positive message behind it.
My recommended age for readers is 13 and up as there is mention of some violence and death in the book, however, it does have a positive message behind it.
January 17, 2022
Written for middle-school students, this book is a collection of the well-written and engaging stories of several Medal of Honor recipients. It's a sad feature that the receipients' stories are arranged by the war in which they fought that includes quite decent (although brief) summaries of the war conflict. Aren't these taught in American History classes? Apparently not.
I knocked off a star because the writing style of some of the stories appears to disregard the lives of the enemies who were killed. "Mow" down was even used to describe a fire fight against enemy fighters. In the final chapter, the author does mention in two paragraphs that killing anyone is terrible, whether enemy or friendly. I wonder if this was an afterthought inserted just prior to publishing. I would have preferred such words to be included throughout the stories.
I would definitely recommend this book for middle-schoolers but with the discussion of what it means to kill even soldiers "on the other side".
I knocked off a star because the writing style of some of the stories appears to disregard the lives of the enemies who were killed. "Mow" down was even used to describe a fire fight against enemy fighters. In the final chapter, the author does mention in two paragraphs that killing anyone is terrible, whether enemy or friendly. I wonder if this was an afterthought inserted just prior to publishing. I would have preferred such words to be included throughout the stories.
I would definitely recommend this book for middle-schoolers but with the discussion of what it means to kill even soldiers "on the other side".
July 3, 2018
CHOOSING COURAGE tells the stories of Medal of Honor winners from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. Each profile begins with general information about the subject -- birthdate/death date (if applicable), hometown, dates of service, and a quote. The stories are separated by conflict and told chronologically, starting with WWII. In between some of the profiles, there are short articles about subjects related to the conflict or time period.
This will be a good book for teens interested in the military and survival stories. It's very accessible and I really like how the author gives brief overviews of each of the conflicts and the corresponding time periods. For many teens, even 9/11 is before they were born, and sometimes it's easy to forget that.
B rating. Recommended.
This will be a good book for teens interested in the military and survival stories. It's very accessible and I really like how the author gives brief overviews of each of the conflicts and the corresponding time periods. For many teens, even 9/11 is before they were born, and sometimes it's easy to forget that.
B rating. Recommended.
October 27, 2019
This book covers the courageous stories about what it means to be a hero from a military stand point. This story was very in formative about certain soldiers that received the highest honor, the Medal of Honor in which is received by doing an act during battle that is fearless and more. This book also shows that people can do amazing things in unimaginable situations during combat. Overall this books shows great stories about the U.S military and great moments in history that are important.In my opinion this was a very reIiable source of historical information and was a very good book. I recommend this to anyone who likes historical moments on the battlefield and to anyone that likes nonfiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Peter Collier, and I'm looking forward to reading others he has written. The book contain short three to six page vignettes of various ordinary people of many different backgrounds who stepped up and displayed extraordinary courage at times of crisis.
The word "hero" is sometimes used too lightly of people in sports, but this book describes real heroes who responded courageously to highly dangerous situations knowing that their own life was on the line. The book is divided into military and civilian sections, as both are subject to danger and possible death. Some are still living, but some paid with their lives for their heroism.
I highly recommend this book.
The word "hero" is sometimes used too lightly of people in sports, but this book describes real heroes who responded courageously to highly dangerous situations knowing that their own life was on the line. The book is divided into military and civilian sections, as both are subject to danger and possible death. Some are still living, but some paid with their lives for their heroism.
I highly recommend this book.
March 19, 2017
This is a powerful and thought provoking book. This book pulls no punches, but it is through that honesty that it truly resonates. While a quick read, this book is a mix of retelling and personal accounts of those who have earned the Medal of Honor. The book has a blend of storytelling and informational nonfiction that works incredibly well. Choosing Courage is great for any reader but especially for our reluctant readers who prefer nonfiction. With glorifying the courage of others and not glorifying the violence that accompanied some of the choices, Choosing Courage has a home in any secondary library and I look forward to promoting this book with my students.
January 19, 2018
I love reading more about history and military books which is why I liked reading this book so much. The book goes through many wars and many peoples stories. The book has so many stories of medal of honor recipients from WWII to Afghanistan, while also having the stories of civilians in 9/11 and school shootings. With all the different perspectives in the book because it is a person's story it keeps you really intrigued because no one is is the same. This books was a great read and a very well written and well organised. This is a great book for someone that likes to learn history or likes to learn about wars and the military/wars.
November 11, 2019
I very rarely give up on a book but I could not get any farther than the chapter titled, "Manzanar: Life Inside a Relocation Camp".
The book reads as if it were written for a sixth-grade student audience with little or no understanding of world history or of the history of the U.S., for that matter.
It is hopeless and takes what should be gripping tales of heroism in combat and turns them into dull-as-dishwater prose.
There have to be better books to read if you want to read about heroism.
E.g., On Desperate Grounds, about the Marines in Korea.
The book reads as if it were written for a sixth-grade student audience with little or no understanding of world history or of the history of the U.S., for that matter.
It is hopeless and takes what should be gripping tales of heroism in combat and turns them into dull-as-dishwater prose.
There have to be better books to read if you want to read about heroism.
E.g., On Desperate Grounds, about the Marines in Korea.
May 6, 2018
This is an excellent book that tells the story of several men and women who were honored with the Medal of Honor. The book does great honor to all who served and as many of the Medal recipients said, they are just holding the medal for all who served.
Good stories that make the reader appreciate those who chose courage. If not you - then who? If not now - then when?
I highly recommend this book to you.
Good stories that make the reader appreciate those who chose courage. If not you - then who? If not now - then when?
I highly recommend this book to you.
February 1, 2019
"I did a superman dive on the grenade but when I got hit I wasnt" (Page 24). I love this line because it shows the definition of a real hero and a selfless person. It shows that some good people put others first before themselves. One other good quote in this book is "Do your your best and put no shame on your family." (Page 96). I like this passage because it shows the value of your family and how you want to keep a good name on your family.
March 24, 2020
I really liked this book as it adds on to all of the awesome books I've read in the past. I like this book because it explains what a soldier can go through during battle. this book can also teach you what it's like to be in the army like how you save the world but miss out on your family life. I'd recommend this book to people that like biography books, nonfiction books, or people who would want to join the military.
September 26, 2023
Good intro to many likely unknown stories that could lead you to read/explore more. I appreciated the brief intro’s to the major American Conflicts of the 20th-21st centuries. While the author notes that almost half of all awarded Medals of Honor were awarded during the Civil War, there are no stories from that time forward until World War II.
I would have also liked an “if you want to explore more about this story” section as in War and Grace by Don Stephens.
I would have also liked an “if you want to explore more about this story” section as in War and Grace by Don Stephens.
October 18, 2017
I rated this book at five stars because it had many engaging short story's that were filled with action and heroic actions. Also the story's were ordered in chronological order, starting in the early 1900s war stories and going up in years. Some of the stories were very emotional and some were just very moving.
January 22, 2018
We often forget men and women are sacrificing so much to keep us safe from terrorism and other horrors. This book is a great reminder of the unbelievable lengths people will go to in order to carry out their mission of saving others. True heroes! If you need your faith restored in humanity, this is a great read!
June 23, 2018
I learned a lot about how grateful we should be for everyday heroes. I learned a lot about military heroes, and how hard they work to keep our country free and to assist in the freedom/protection of other countries. There were a lot of things that made me think about simple everyday situations where we can choose to take care of others, no matter what else is happening.
May 10, 2022
It was a fine book, it had some great stories but I wish it focused a little more on individual stories. It would come at a price of either more pages or fewer stories but personally, I would've preferred fewer stories. I'm also slightly biased because I don't like reading so take what I say with a grain of salt.
June 13, 2017
Name that Book 2017-2018/Lonestar 2017-2018. I enjoyed many of the true stories found in this book, and appreciated that it gave background information about the history surrounding the stories. I would have liked fewer stories with more details, but overall found the book interesting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews