Review: Heroes for My Daughter

Summary: An inspiring collection of heroes from whom our daughters can learn to lead a fulfilling and impactful life 

In Heroes for MyDaughter, the New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer brings together the stories of fifty-five remarkable people, a diverse set of individuals from across time and from all walks of life: artists and inventors, scientists and explorers, who each dedicated their life to making our world a better place. From Eleanor Roosevelt to Amelia Earhart, Anne Frank to Randy Pausch, Theodore Roosevelt to Lucille Ball, Rosa Parks to the passengers on United Flight 93, the lives of these men and women offer lessons to guide our daughters on their journey to adulthood—lessons sure to inspire them as they take their place as citizens in our society and in the world. The stories told in Heroes for My Daughter are perfect for mothers and daughters to read and treasure together. -- Harper

A few years ago, I heard Brad Meltzer speak at the National Book Festival. While I've been a big fan of his thrillers, I didn't realize what an all-around great guy he was. I was immediately charmed by him as he discussed his book HEROES FOR MY SON, and when he talked about his family, I decided right then and there that I loved this guy! I might even have a little author crush on him, if you know what I mean.

One of the questions that he took from the audience concerned his future plans for a Heroes book for his daughter. He mentioned that he was already working on it, and I've been anxiously awaiting the book's release ever since them. Just this week, HEROES FOR MY DAUGHTER became available, and I have to say that it's a wonderful book. I am a sucker for books paying tribute to special people, and this little book that introduces sixty amazing heroes to our daughters (and sons!) is fabulous. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed.

HEROES FOR MY DAUGHTER begins with Mr. Meltzer's letter to his daughter -- the reasons why he wrote this book and how he chose the heroes he included. I was already tearing up just reading these first few pages. It is apparent that Mr. Meltzer adores his daughter, but that he also has an incredible amount of respect for the women in his life. In addition to many admirable women (and even a few men!) in this book, he includes his grandmother, mother, and wife as "heroes for his daughter." It's a beautiful tribute to these women and it most definitely touched my heart.

Just in case your not familiar with the idea behind HEROES FOR MY DAUGHTER, Mr. Meltzer has selected sixty individuals (or groups) that he feels epitomizes the term heroes. He has included some likely women like Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie, Abigail Adams, and Sally Ride. However, he also includes some less obvious choices like Julia Child, Dolly Parton, and Jane Goodall. There are also some pretty incredible men such as Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and The Dalai Lama. He points out that in every case, the heroes he selected for this book have one trait in common -- they were all fighters.

On each page layout of this book, he briefly explains what these heroes did that made them worthy to be included in this book. I definitely learned a lot reading this novel and I am anxious to share it with not only Booking Daughter, but Booking Son as well. There are some wonderful lessons about these very special people, and I loved how Mr. Meltzer explained their stories. The book is written in a very conversational tone and it's extremely easy-to-read -- perfect for kids of all ages!

I highly recommend HEROES FOR MY DAUGHTER, and I seriously need to add HEROES FOR MY SON to our home library as well. I am a huge fan of Mr. Meltzer's and this book just confirmed the many reasons why!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.