Explores how to lead a heroic life, facing challenges with courage, strength of character, and wisdom, much as a hiker uses those qualities on a challenging trail.

The great American Westerns can be profoundly meaningful when read metaphorically. More than mere shoot 'em up entertainment, they are an essential part of a vibrant, evolving national mythology. Like other versions of the archetypal Hero's Journey, these films are filled with insights about life, love, nature, society, ethics, beauty and what it means to be human, and are key to understanding American culture. Part film guide, part historical survey, this book explores the mythic and artistic elements in 52 great Westerns--some orthodox, some subversive--from the genre's first half-century. Each film is given detailed critical analysis, from the earliest silent movies to Golden Age classics like Red River (1948), High Noon (1952) and Shane (1953).

What is a hero? Using the metaphor of a hiking trail, bestselling author T. A. Barron discusses the great variety of heroes and brings them to life through their own stories: Some are well known, like Wilma Rudolph, Anne Frank, and Stephen Hawking. Yet most are “ordinary kids” who have made amazing choices: saved their siblings from a fire, struggled to stop prejudice at their school, helped raise money to build a well in an African village. This book will be invaluable to kids, parents, and educators who need role models for young people to look up to—and a new way to look at what a hero is.

The great American Westerns can be profoundly meaningful when read metaphorically. More than mere shoot 'em up entertainment, they are an essential part of a vibrant, evolving national mythology. Like other versions of the archetypal Hero's Journey, these films are filled with insights about life, love, nature, society, ethics, beauty and what it means to be human, and are key to understanding American culture. Part film guide, part historical survey, this book explores the mythic and artistic elements in 52 great Westerns--some orthodox, some subversive--from the genre's first half-century. Each film is given detailed critical analysis, from the earliest silent movies to Golden Age classics like Red River (1948), High Noon (1952) and Shane (1953).

What is a hero? Using the metaphor of a hiking trail, bestselling author T. A. Barron discusses the great variety of heroes and brings them to life through their own stories: Some are well known, like Wilma Rudolph, Anne Frank, and Stephen Hawking. Yet most are “ordinary kids” who have made amazing choices: saved their siblings from a fire, struggled to stop prejudice at their school, helped raise money to build a well in an African village. This book will be invaluable to kids, parents, and educators who need role models for young people to look up to—and a new way to look at what a hero is.

The acclaimed author of Italian Ways returns with an exploration into Italy’s past and present—following in the footsteps of Garibaldi’s famed 250-mile journey across the Apennines. In the summer of 1849, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italy’s legendary revolutionary, was finally forced to abandon his defense of Rome. He and his men had held the besieged city for four long months, but now it was clear that only surrender would prevent slaughter and destruction at the hands of a huge French army. Against all odds, Garibaldi was determined to turn defeat into moral victory. On the evening of July 2, riding alongside his pregnant wife, Anita, he led 4,000 hastily assembled men to continue the struggle for national independence elsewhere. Hounded by both French and Austrian armies, the garibaldini marched hundreds of miles across the Appenines, Italy’s mountainous spine, and after two months of skirmishes and adventures arrived in Ravenna with just 250 survivors. Best-selling author Tim Parks, together with his partner Eleonora, set out in the blazing summer of 2019 to follow Garibaldi and Anita’s arduous journey through the heart of Italy. In The Hero’s Way he delivers a superb travelogue that captures Garibaldi’s determination, creativity, reckless courage, and profound belief. And he provides a fascinating portrait of Italy then and now, filled with unforgettable observations of Italian life and landscape, politics, and people.

Describes the training of a seeing eye dog, and recounts how a dog named Orient accompanied his master the full length of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine