The Hero

Where do heroes come from? In his first work of nonfiction, Lee Child traces the origins of the hero, from the Stone Age, to the ancient Greeks, to Robin Hood and the inventor of heroin. Through this radical journey Lee Child celebrates a savage, feral, cunning, loving, storytelling species: mankind. And he explores how we have been shaped and sustained by our deep love of story. Heroes are protectors and defenders, but they are not always good. They are figures who have suffered and endured for a greater purpose. They are complicated individuals and they have always been at the centre of our story telling. The story of the hero is also the story of the human. It includes, vanity, failure, aggression, survival and love. Taking in everything from the Old Stone Age to the modern day, Lee Child, the creator of Jack Reacher, approaches the history, the challenge and the comfort that lies in the hero. And he explores how our understanding of these figures can help us all to triumph.