Everyday Teen Heroes

What makes a hero? The characters from this year's One Book, One Chicago selection, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, create their own superheroes as a direct response to their lives. When I think of heroes, superheroes like the X-Men and Batman first come to mind, but what about everyday heroes?

The main character in Colin Fischer has Asperger's disorder and often gets bullied by classmates because of his inability to read situations and understand jokes. Yet his logic and observational skills help him search for the truth about who brought a gun to school while helping clear the name of one of his bullies. It's refreshing to see characters change for the better when receiving help from the people they least expect.

Sometimes people become heroes by happenstance, like Rawly in Don't Call Me Hero. Rawly is thrown into the spotlight when he saves a woman from a flash flood and in turn receives popularity and friends. His life before was full of stress and hardship, and now he must figure out how to balance the old and the new. Rawly must decide what it really means to be a hero.

Everyday heroes happen in real life, too. Ashley Rhodes-Courter's memoir Three Little Words shines a light on what it means to truly overcome adversity to become your own hero. This inspiring, and often hard to read, telling of Ashley's life in the foster care system should give hope to anyone dealing with their own struggles. Sometimes people have to become their own everyday hero.

Who are your everyday heroes?