5 Reasons We Want to Be Jack Reacher When We Grow Up

Kids are constantly pestered about their future career plans, and most learn at an early age to come up with a profession that sounds challenging and ambitious—astronaut, President of these United States, Kardashian—in order to get the grown-ups off their backs. As we mature and become more complex, we seek to become better people, heroes even—the sort of person who will step into a bad situation and Make Things Right. For fans of Lee Child’s novels, that means we really want to be Jack Reacher when we grow up. In celebration of Reacher’s 20th adventure in Make Me, out September 8, here are five reasons becoming Jack Reacher is a worthy career goal.
He’s the ideal American hero
For a man born and bred in the U.K., Lee Child has created the perfect American hero. Reacher is a towering slab of muscle, six-foot, five inches tall, 250 pounds, and in phenomenal physical shape without once being shown exercising, which is pretty much the American dream. He’s also incredibly smart, able to size up people and situations at a glance. He’s a loner who merely wants to exist in peace, but he’s also dedicated to truth, justice, and kicking butt in a way that is essentially America distilled to its essence, then distilled a second time into a bracing alcoholic drink.
He’s an anti-consumerist icon—or should be
Reacher was an Army brat who graduated West Point and rose to the rank of Major in the Army Military Police, but since being discharged, he’s been a drifter. He wears his clothes until they get dirty or destroyed (which happens more often than you might imagine), then throws them away and buys a new set. He rarely owns anything more than what he’s wearing and carrying, and while his finances have gotten a bit healthier over the years, he’s completely unconcerned with them. He’s that rare find, a man completely unfettered by material possessions or concerns.
He’s always on the right side
Reacher’s not the nicest guy in the world. He knows how big he is, and he uses his size and fighting skill whenever necessary, generally hurting people, sometimes killing them, and usually doing lots of property damage in the process. But he is always just. In Make Me, Reacher meets Michelle Chang, a worried woman who mistakes him for the private detective she hired—and who is now missing. Seeing that she’s in distress, he naturally decides to stick around the strange town of Mother’s Rest and give her a hand. Why? Because he can’t stand it when nice people get stepped on.
He’s hilarious
Jack Reacher might seem at first glance like one of those classic dour heroes who goes around glowering at everyone. And yes, a statistical analysis would probably reveal that “Reacher said nothing” is the most common phrase in Child’s books. But his wonderful, dry sense of humor slowly seeps out as you read, rewarding you with lines like, “Now they broke my toothbrush, I don’t own anything,” or, “Slippery slope. I carry a spare shirt, pretty soon I’m carrying spare pants. Then I’d need a suitcase. Next thing I know, I’ve got a house and a car and a savings plan and I’m filling out all kinds of forms.” You might not want to get in Jack Reacher’s way, but he’s pretty entertaining to eavesdrop on.
His adventures are mysteries
The Reacher books are certainly thrillers—exciting stories about a one-man A-Team who travels around helping folks. But they are also mysteries. Reacher is always arriving in a new situation, always at a disadvantage and in need of information. We spend time with Reacher investigating and sorting clues, identifying players, and hatching plans. Come for the butt-kicking, stay for the satisfying mysteries (which, to be fair, are often solved with additional butt-kicking).
Pick up the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition of Make Me now.