Heroes' Day (Trade Paperback)

The world of the future

Well written, provocative "what if?" story about a young girl who discovers the dark side of "a world without war." Smart teen lit that worked for this adult as well. Highly recommended.

The ultimate social experiment!

With Heroes' Day, Gordon asks a simple enough question: What would the world be like without war? His answer: a social dystopia where money and resources are earned by "elite" citizens in a variety of competitive sports, arts, and academics. If your country's elites win, you get money or resources for 4 more years. If your country loses, you have to turn over your resources to the winning nations for 4 years. Monica, the main character, is a young elite athlete who dreams of becoming a Patriot citizen - that's the term for those who earn credits for their country as opposed to just their hometown. Her dreams are shattered when her parents can no longer afford to pay for her training. For her, life as an ordinary citizen is a fate worse than death, but a chance visit from some military officers, who are looking to reboot their ailing gymnastics program, results in her being drafted as a Patriot team captain. Thus begins Monica's ascension into the dubious world of Patriot elites, where honesty and hard work are supplanted by celebrity virtues, and wishing for something and actually having it are two completely different things. What you see isn't always what you get. The plot in Heroes' Day is heavy on social politics. The author obviously put a lot of thought into what America could be like in the late 21st century. Monica's character is really well thought out, and very mature for her age, emotionally if not physically. The result is a novel that reads incredibly well, and should appeal to both teens and adults looking for a great "what if?" scifi story. Looks GREAT on the Nook, by the way - it's nice to see smaller publishers taking the time to make sure their ebooks are formatted properly.

Inside the mind of a child athlete

Jesse's new novel comes just in time for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and tells the story of a young gymnast whose dreams of making the national team are dashed when her parents can no longer afford to keep her training at her gym. Bitter and disillusioned, she grudgingly accepts her new life as a common citizen only to have the chance of a lifetime fall right in her lap: an invitation to serve as team captain of the United States' new girls' gymnastics team. Without giving anything away, let me just say that I found the book to be highly entertaining, not as a fast-paced sports novel, but as a more introspective character study which just happens to take place in the sports world. I would compare it to White Palms---an EXCELLENT gymnastics film---in that the focus is on the characters and not just the gymnastics. Even so, Jesse comes across as knowing his sport. There are also plenty of interesting societal ideas tossed around. For example, people competing in any capacity---whether it be sports or academics---are called 'elites' and enjoy various benefits over 'common' citizens, such as discounted food prices, free housing, and free public transportation. There's also an underlying theme of the need for secrecy in a world where surveillance is the rule, and EVERYONE is chipped (or 'tagged'). I liked Monica's character a lot, mostly because she felt real, she had genuine, raw emotions and she made mistakes. She learned her lessons the hard way. There's a lot here that middle school readers could relate to. Outside a handful of swear words and an in insinuated rape scene, I don't understand why this is being marketed as an adult novel. Jesse is obviously a competent writer, but I think this would fare very well as a young adult novel with a little more action in the first few chapters. That's the reason I gave four stars: because I think there's such a thing as being a little TOO character-oriented. This was still a fantastic look inside the mind of a child athlete, and was ultimately more satisfying than Stories From the Steel Garden. Recommended for fans of gymnastics and socio political fiction alike.

Heroes' Day success

After reading this novel I can say I have more respect for olympians because of the light shed on their hard practices, triumphs, and defeats. I really enjoyed the protagonist, Monica, she seemed like a real person, one who was strong, independent, and motivating. She was the 'big sister' to the younger athletes which gave her a softer feel than she sometimes portrayed to the adults. Overall, Heroes' Day, is definitely a good read, and one recommended for everyone.

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