Everyday Heroes

by Beth Johnson

Meet a few of the people whose stories appear in Everyday Heroes:

•Rod Sutton was an angry, fatherless kid expelled from school at the age of thirteen for assaulting a teacher. Today he runs an innovative program that teaches high-risk youngsters to respect themselves and others.

•Yvonne Chavez was a teenage mother caught up in gang violence and an abusive marriage. Today she is an outstanding college student who intends to practice law.

•Elda Sara Morgan was an outcast in school, ignored or cruelly teased because of a disability. Today she is a teacher dedicated to finding the beauty and promise in each of her special-needs students.

•Joe Davis was a high-school dropout, a drug addict, and a mugger. Today Joe is a college graduate with a a passionate mission to steer young people away from the path of self-destruction.

Everyday Heroes tells the stories of these and nine other men and women who have faced—and overcome—serious challenges in their lives. The stories testify both to the power of their determination and to the resilience of the human spirit.

Genres: Nonfiction

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Beth Johnson is Associate Professor of Media and Film at the University of Leeds, UK. She is author of Paul Abbott (2013), and co-editor of Television, Sex and Society: Analyzing Contemporary Representations (2012) and Social Class and Television Drama in Contemporary Britain (2017) with David Forrest.

Reviews

[vy (laufey’s version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book genuinely impacted me so much as a kid

[Joseph Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I have read a few different books of this type recently and this one has been the most inspirational. All of these stories are about real people who turned their life around and came out of bad situations.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Everyday Heroes with an adult literacy student that I tutor. The book is easy to read, probably at a young adult level, but is still interesting enough to satisfy an adult. There are thirteen essays about real life people who have overcome various distressing situations. The people come from a variety of culturally diverse backgrounds. The book is motivating and inspirational for young adults or adult learners working to overcome obstacles in their life.

[Danice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uplifting and inspiring. Since was originally printing in 1996, I would love to read an update about everyone features in this book. A "where are they now" edition.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Q9/ My question is for Yuonne Chavez : when you became the gang, why did not you beat the man who raped you since you was 5 years old???and why did not u warn your mother about her duty to protect and help you to get out of fearless?? I choose this question because I think her mother is deserved in Mother duty. A mother who is like Yuonne's mother is a bad mother I 've seen.
My question is for David McBeth : Why did not you ignore your classmate's mocking sentence ? or you can just tell them the truth that you cant spell a word correctly.whatever they say , you just overcome it.I choose this question because I think he is so shy and weak about himself to ignore and to be confident by himself.

Q10/ As I read today , each character surprised mme. At first, i thought there are no heroes in the world. However, when i read this book which call the heroes is someone who can overcome the ordeal to have a better life.They have strength to keep on going , to keep on trying that nearly ruin their life.

Q14 / I think the author wrote this story because she wants us to understand the word " hero "which is also the message she tries to share. " Hero " is not someone who makes a lot of money, do riches and fame , or the hero tries to help poor people by killing the bad and rude people.Hero is someone who face the ordeal in their life and overcome it. She gets these stories in their life.

[Sulema]

This book is about everyday life , And different people . This Book Takes Place In Diferent Places And Countrys . These People Were All A bad Influnce To The Other Kids In School .They Would Do Drugs , Break the laws , go to jail for stealing , Or Other Things That Include Breaking the law . My Feeling for the people here is that they well everyone learns from there mistakes .