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A review by smitchy
The Hero by Lee Child
4.0
This little essay is best selling thriller writer Lee Child's first venture into non-fiction and it explores the whole concept of what a "Hero" really is and why we need them.
Beginning, strangely, with opium poppies and delving into human evolution, Child looks deep into the human need for stories, where language comes from and fiction's place in making us the dominant creatures on this planet. Is the ability to imagine and tell stories what got us through the ice age that killed off the Neanderthals? Is the archetype Hero a constant or must he or she also evolve as the world and ideas change?
Don't read this expecting a short insight into Jack Reacher - you will be disappointed. this is about the concept of a "hero" in imagination, fiction, and reality (especially political reality).
I found this a very entertaining read and I'm sure anyone with an interest in writing will gain new insights by reading Child's ideas.
Beginning, strangely, with opium poppies and delving into human evolution, Child looks deep into the human need for stories, where language comes from and fiction's place in making us the dominant creatures on this planet. Is the ability to imagine and tell stories what got us through the ice age that killed off the Neanderthals? Is the archetype Hero a constant or must he or she also evolve as the world and ideas change?
Don't read this expecting a short insight into Jack Reacher - you will be disappointed. this is about the concept of a "hero" in imagination, fiction, and reality (especially political reality).
I found this a very entertaining read and I'm sure anyone with an interest in writing will gain new insights by reading Child's ideas.