A Hero is defined as a man of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude in suffering; a prominent or central personage in any remarkable action or event; hence, a great or illustrious person. Although this definition leaves out one very important demographic, women, it is essentially succinct. Each person has heroic traits imbedded within him or her; any type of especially trying situation brings these traits out. The concept of everyday heroes runs rampant in Emma Brown by Clare Boylan, "The Man in the Water" by Roger Rosenblatt, "And of Clay We Are Created," by Isabel Allende, and "Bring it On" by S.L. Price. Because of these extenuating circumstances, the everyday person can become a hero. In the four selections I have chosen to highlight for the anthology, the main characters face extreme situations that help them become heroes.

In the novel Emma Brown by...