what does it mean to be a hero?

My colleague Rosemary Chance and I are doing a program for the YALSA YA Lit Symposium in Nashville in November on challenged books. We thought it would be a good idea to invite some authors to join us. One of them is Barry Lyga (and thanks to Lisa at Houghton Mifflin for making this happen!). His forthcoming book (September from Houghton Mifflin), HERO TYPE, is a book that examines an age old question. It is not a question new to YA literature either. Crutcher, Lynch, Green, and others have explored various aspects of the question: what does it mean to be a hero? Now Lyga adds his voice, one that is unique and, quite frankly, incredibly important in this post-911 world in which we live. The word hero is much used (and abused), and Lyga's novel certainly shines some light on this question and on a society which is perhaps too quick to use the term.

Kevin Ross (Kross to his friends and fellow "fools") has rescued Leah from certain death at the hands of a serial killer known as the Surgeon. As the novel opens, he is being hailed and honored all over town. Assemblies, a key to the city, a sizable reward, and even a car from the local dealer (and mayor) put Kevin in the spotlight, a place he finds uncomfortable for a number of reasons. And then a simple act changes it all. Kevin falls from grace and becomes not a hero but a pariah.

Lyga has penned an absorbing, fast-moving, and totally believable story about an average teen who is faced with some critical decisions, decisions that can change not only his own life but the lives of family and friends. Decisions that have repercussions. Kevin's thoughts and fellings are quintessentially adolescent. While he is not an "Everyteen," he is emblematic of what many teens wrestle with: the questions that never seem to have a concrete answer.

The world in which my own resident teens live is full of the dichotomies and absurdities Kevin observes and struggles with. Rules that are not enforced fairly; curriculum that does not value questioning but only dumb acceptance; an environment that welcomes military recruiters and christian athletes but not a gay-straight alliance: is it any wonder that Corrie and Natalie find themselves wondering, along with Kevin, what it means to be a hero, when it is time to take a stand, and how one can move against the flow?