Taking Courage: A New Look at an Old American Virtue

What is American courage? What role does this virtue play in today's fractured country? Are traditional ideals of bravery, dedication, and self-sacrifice still relevant? These are among the questions asked by Elizabeth Samet, author of Soldier's Heart. Demonstrating a deep love of literature and history, Samet reveals the way that courage has long anchored America's collective thought. She finds courage in the lives of athletes and soldiers; in the writings of the Founders, Ulysses S. Grant, Frederick Douglass, and others; in the war movies she watched with her father, a veteran of World War II; in the Marvel universe; and in the literature she teaches. Using spirited interactions with her students as a springboard, she proposes that courage of body, mind, and spirit remains central to the American experiment. Samet's work is a unique journey through reading that redefines our concept of courage and paves the way toward a unified future.