“Your heart will swell, and sometimes break, in the company of these remarkable men and women. Martha Raddatz’s gorgeous, sensitive group portrait and deep sympathy for what she wonderfully calls this "no less great" generation will stay with me always. The Hero Next Door is an antidote to the cynicism that surrounds us, a celebration of sacrifice, selflessness, and moral courage. It is exactly the book we need.”
—Mitchell Zuckoff, New York Times bestselling author of Fall and Rise and 13 Hours
Description
Instant New York Times Bestseller “An antidote to the cynicism that surrounds us, a celebration of sacrifice, selflessness, and moral courage. It is exactly the book we need.”—Mitchell Zuckoff, New York Times bestselling author of 13 Hours * “I have read hundreds of books on the military, and none has impacted me as profoundly as this one. Raddatz has captured the humanity and heroism (and the humor) of our nation’s troops and their loved ones. Riveting, inspiring, and beautifully told.”—Andrew Carroll, author of War Letters and Behind the Lines * “Emmy Award-winning ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz shares inspiring profiles in courage of the 9/11 generation of warriors and their families
For twenty-five years Martha Raddatz has witnessed the grit and resilience of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who have been fighting America’s wars since 9/11. What motivates them to do such impossible things? How do they find the courage to put their lives on the line, or the strength to start over when things don’t go as planned?
The Hero Next Door offers a dozen portraits of servicemen and women who are every bit as inspiring as those of the Greatest Generation. Every one of them has shown awe-inspiring strength of character, creativity, and drive, faced daunting odds, and come out stronger.
Take Kevin Shaeffer, a naval officer working at the Pentagon on 9/11, whose life-changing experience on that day fueled his determination to hunt down Osama bin Laden. Or Mark Little, who made it his mission, after an IED blew up his convoy in Iraq, to help veterans rebuild their lives when they were down. Or Josh Webster, who dangled by a rope under enemy fire to rescue a fallen officer in the mountains of Afghanistan. Or Rocco Armonda, a highly skilled surgeon who pioneered a new way of treating traumatic brain injury in Iraq. Or Danielle “Purple” Thiriot and Charles “Wingnut” Wickware, who, once they started flying, knew exactly what their mission was. Or Derek Herrera, who gives new meaning to transformative second acts.
Life can turn on a moment, and who’s to say what we’ll do? That, we learn, is when you spot the real heroes: when no one is watching. “Individually, their stories are deeply inspiring,” Raddatz writes. “Together, they offer something beyond inspiration: insight into what it means to live with a life-defining courage and sense of purpose.”
Reviews
“Inspiring profiles in courage for our time. . . . Heroes, it’s said, are the people who run toward danger instead of away from it. To this Raddatz rejoins, 'The one sure way to spot a hero may be to look for the ones who insist they are not.’ In this series of portraits of heroes, most connected to the 'forever wars’ in Iraq and Afghanistan, she finds plenty to admire, even as those men and women protest that 'I was just doing my job.’”
—Kirkus Review
“Moving, compelling . . . What sets this book apart from others in the genre is Raddatz’s decades-long relationships with the men and women whom she profiles. . . . Raddatz paces the collection adroitly; she intersperses tales of enduring drive to survive and succeed with those of struggle and loss . . . Many of these stories highlight the ties of families—both the traditional ones and ones that the warfighters form—and the need for society to sustain its veterans. Raddatz writes with an honest voice that is accessible and trustworthy. The military provides structure in chaos, creates units through training and common experience, and gives purpose to lives. These qualities can be harder to find or missing in civilian life. Raddatz illustrates how the former warfighters deal with these changes and survive them. . . . [T]his book should be integrated in high school and college curricula alongside Phil Klay’s Redeployment. Raddatz’s theme of respect and remembrance is timely and timeless.”
—Heidi Vierow, The Cipher Brief
“Powerful and profoundly immersive, The Hero Next Door is a work of rare force and significance. Martha Raddatz plunges us into the lives of these extraordinary men and women and captures with remarkable clarity their sacrifices and unfathomable courage.”
—Kathryn Bigelow, Oscar winning director of The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty and A House of Dynamite