7 name you challenge we 8-9 pages on introduction the In A TRIBUTE to sixty important American heroes We think you will name some people we don't know or who wouldn't have occurred to us But they are heroes to you and that's very important All of us have personal heroes They are the people in our lives who have helped to shape our personalities and define who we are Often we don't even realize how important and special they are Maybe the closest members of your family are personal heroes Think about how much they have helped you Sure there are times you have disagreed with their advice or actions but they have been there for you when you needed them How about teachers Religious leaders Doctors Coaches Club leaders Your friends parents Even your siblings yes they can be your personal heroes too Do you ever thank your personal heroes Telling someone they are your personal hero is different from telling them you love them That's important too but letting them know that they are your hero is a powerful way of thanking them The United States is full of heroes They often don't get the credit they deserve so we sometimes refer to them as unsung heroes They are the firefighters who rush into burning buildings to save people and pets the police officers who risk their lives to keep us safe and the protesters and activists who work to make the world better and more fair Heroes serve in our armed forces to keep the country free create art and music to bring beauty to our lives and inspire us with their athletic achievements and work to level the playing field for all competitors Heroes do what it takes to make this world a better place We want you to think about the importance of the heroes in your life and we hope you'll take some action to let them know how special they are to you
8 INTRODUCTION How quickly can you name 60 American heroes They can be young or old from the past or present living or dead and any gender but they all must have made an exceptional positive contribution to our world How'd you do Were you able to come up with 60 names Who's on your list Chances are a few names popped right up George Washington Abraham Lincoln Martin Luther King Jr. Then maybe you mentioned people you are studying in school such as Thomas Jefferson Eleanor Roosevelt or Harriet Tubman After that perhaps you listed a few important people in the news Jimmy Carter Dr. Anthony Fauci even Oprah Winfrey But you still didn't have 60 names so you moved on to sports stars rock singers and other celebrities who may or may not deserve to be called heroes Maybe you even filled out your list with imaginary heroes such as your favorite TV or movie characters Coming up with a list of 60 wasn't easy was it We didn't think so either and that's why we wrote this book Every kid needs great people to admire and imitate but how can you look up to them if you don't know who they are Among our heroes are architects and aviators activists and scientists entrepreneurs and advocates They are teachers musicians inventors and athletes Some are well known Others deserve to be Some of our heroes lived long ago Others continue to enrich our world today Our heroes share admirable qualities exceptional talent fierce determination and indomitable spirit They are courageous and confident and possess an unwavering commitment to being the best they can be Can only an American be a hero Of course not But America is like no other place in the world Here heroes can be rich or poor young or old and of any race religion or national origin under the sun The opportunities open to us are almost endless We're free to follow any dream that enters our heads and we have every right to expect fair treatment from others as we do so It's as simple as that Our goal is to provide you with a launching pad to discover new heroes Then you can have fun learning more as you decide which heroes interest you the most So what do these 60 American heroes have to do with you Everything They might be what you want to be when you grow up Although their shoes may seem impossible to fill you'll find that many of our heroes were a lot like you when they were young They had families homes classmates part time jobs Many had doubts about their own abilities to make a difference in this world
9 in Read about them Hear their stories We've given you a few good books to get you started on finding out more about each of our heroes Heroes usually seem larger than life They are so great as to seem almost unreal to us But all of them are real people Reading their biographies can help you learn more about their childhoods their friends and families their hobbies and all the other things that make them just like you Because they are real people these heroes are not perfect Sometimes they made dreadful choices and did things that harmed others Some of our greatest heroes our country's founders made the terrible decision to enslave others While we wish our heroes always did everything perfectly they are real people who can make serious mistakes To add a little action to your search for heroes we've included a number of activities this book We give you lots of places museums foundations national parks to contact Website addresses are listed or you can just search online and check out the always growing list of links to your favorite heroes You'll have a great time exploring new ideas and you won't be alone As you explore this book you'll see that we have made it possible for you to interact with us the authors Are our heroes the only ones you need to know about No way We can name hundreds more people who have done great things In fact we want you to find more heroes using our Hero Hunt On page 134 we give you clues about individuals similar to the featured heroes It's up to you to solve the mysteries of who they are The answers are listed on page 142 but please NO PEEKING until you have done some digging If you believe that some of your heroes should have made our list of 60 we would like to hear from you Perhaps you know of an accomplished ballet dancer a brilliant scientist or a courageous humanitarian that was not on our roster of heroes Or maybe you admire your grandfather your teacher or even an exceptional member of your church synagogue mosque or other house of worship It's time for real heroes
