The Hero
Written by Lee Child
Narrated by Jeff Harding
4/5
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About this audiobook
THE ENDURING MYTH THAT MAKES US HUMAN
What makes a hero? Who better to answer that question than Lee Child…
‘It’s Lee Child. Why would you not read it?’ Karin Slaughter
‘I don't know another author so skilled at making me turn the page’ The Times
In his first work of nonfiction, the creator of the multimillion-selling Jack Reacher series explores the endurance of heroes from Achilles to Bond, showing us how this age-old myth is a fundamental part of what makes us human. He demonstrates how hero stories continue to shape our world – arguing that we need them now more than ever.
From the Stone Age to the Greek Tragedies, from Shakespeare to Robin Hood, we have always had our heroes. The hero is at the centre of formative myths in every culture and persists to this day in world-conquering books, films and TV shows. But why do these characters continue to inspire us, and why are they so central to storytelling?
Scalpel-sharp on the roots of storytelling and enlightening on the history and science of myth, The Hero is essential reading for anyone trying to write or understand fiction. Child teaches us how these stories still shape our minds and behaviour in an increasingly confusing modern world, and with his trademark concision and wit, demonstrates that however civilised we get, we’ll always need heroes.
Lee Child
Lee Child, previously a television director, union organizer, theater technician, and law student, was fired and on the dole when he hatched a harebrained scheme to write a bestselling novel, thus saving his family from ruin. Killing Floor went on to win worldwide acclaim. The Midnight Line, is his twenty-second Reacher novel. The hero of his series, Jack Reacher, besides being fictional, is a kindhearted soul who allows Lee lots of spare time for reading, listening to music, and watching Yankees and Aston Villa games. Lee was born in England but now lives in New York City and leaves the island of Manhattan only when required to by forces beyond his control. Visit Lee online at LeeChild.com for more information about the novels, short stories, and the movies Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, starring Tom Cruise. Lee can also be found on Facebook: LeeChildOfficial, Twitter: @LeeChildReacher, and YouTube: LeeChildJackReacher.
More audiobooks from Lee Child
Cleaning the Gold: A Jack Reacher and Will Trent Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5First Thrills: High-Octane Stories from the Hottest Thriller Authors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang: The Boom in British Thrillers from Casino Royale to The Eagle Has Landed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for The Hero
83 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5That was a fun romp through the known and assumed history of homo sapiens as it relates to our love of fiction! Enjoyable and different, thanks Lee!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It just wasn’t the type of information I was interested in
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very thought provoking and well researched arguments about the evolutionary functions of storytelling.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A gentle, well-crafted story.