We Can Be Heroes
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in We Can be Heroes for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Moving. Funny. Explosive. And most of all, unexpected...As powerful as Frank Cottrell Boyce's Millions. My dad was killed in the 9/11 attacks in New York. But the stuff in this book isn't about that. It's about the summer my mum went away. The summer that me and Jed and Priti tried to catch a suicide bomber and prevent an honour killing. There's stuff about how we built a tree house and joined the bomb squad; how I found my dad and Jed lost his; and how we both lost our mums then found them again. So it's not really about 9/11 but, then again, none of those things would have happened if it hadn't been for that day. So I guess it's all back to front, sort of...
About the Author
After graduating from the University of Oxford, Catherine Bruton began her career as an English teacher and later went on to write feature articles for The Times, among other publications. She started writing fiction while teaching at a school in Africa, inspired by the children she was working with, and the culture that surrounded her. She still teaches, and her pupils continue to be one of her main sources of inspiration. We Can Be Heroes is her first novel for Egmont. Catherine lives near Bath with her husband and two small children.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
`We Can Be Heroes' is Catherine Bruton's debut novel. From the first few pages we learn that the main character Ben, lost his Dad in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in America. This sets the tone for a book which doesn't hold back from exploring and confronting difficult subjects.
Ben is staying with his grandparents for the summer. The reason for his mother's absence is hinted at but never explicitly explained. He soon makes friends with Priti, a young Muslim girl in the neighbourhood and they are joined by his cousin Jed who has also come to stay. Over the course of the summer, they learn to tackle family issues, grief and bereavement, whilst also learning about the people around them.
One of the main themes of the book is racial intolerance and prejudice. Some of the characters in the story are very quick to judge others by the way they dress, the colour of their skin or their religion. This causes disharmony between them and illustrates the irrational way in which people make snap judgements or assessments about each other or discriminate wrongly on the basis of race.
The topic of 9/11 is also predominant throughout. This is a tough issue to write about but I felt that Catherine Bruton tackled it bravely and in such a way that it was handled sensitively and with great insight. It wasn't written about in a gratuitous way but explored the impact and aftermath of this event on the relatives of the people that died that day.
One of my favourite things about the book was the way in which Ben is forever drawing pictures and comics and envisions speech bubbles and weird and wonderful outfits for the people in the story. There is a short manga comic at the back of the book which is the culmination of Ben's work and which is awesome!
Although not normally the sort of book I would pick up and read, I found 'We Can Be Heroes' to be an interesting, engaging and thought provoking read which delivers a powerful message about today's society.
Ben is staying with his grandparents for the summer. The reason for his mother's absence is hinted at but never explicitly explained. He soon makes friends with Priti, a young Muslim girl in the neighbourhood and they are joined by his cousin Jed who has also come to stay. Over the course of the summer, they learn to tackle family issues, grief and bereavement, whilst also learning about the people around them.
One of the main themes of the book is racial intolerance and prejudice. Some of the characters in the story are very quick to judge others by the way they dress, the colour of their skin or their religion. This causes disharmony between them and illustrates the irrational way in which people make snap judgements or assessments about each other or discriminate wrongly on the basis of race.
The topic of 9/11 is also predominant throughout. This is a tough issue to write about but I felt that Catherine Bruton tackled it bravely and in such a way that it was handled sensitively and with great insight. It wasn't written about in a gratuitous way but explored the impact and aftermath of this event on the relatives of the people that died that day.
One of my favourite things about the book was the way in which Ben is forever drawing pictures and comics and envisions speech bubbles and weird and wonderful outfits for the people in the story. There is a short manga comic at the back of the book which is the culmination of Ben's work and which is awesome!
Although not normally the sort of book I would pick up and read, I found 'We Can Be Heroes' to be an interesting, engaging and thought provoking read which delivers a powerful message about today's society.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A timely portrait of friendship, family and loss in the modern world, Catherine Bruton's We Can be Heroes is a touching coming of age tale depicting a summer in the life of Ben, a sensitive twelve year old boy who lost his father in the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001.
We meet Ben as he arrives at his Grandparents house where he will spend the summer along with his cousin Jed, a troubled boy who has a lot of family issues to deal with. In contrast to Jed who is often rude and boisterous, Ben is a quiet boy; he spends hours drawing comic book heroes, lost in a world of his own. The two boys soon make friends with Priti, a wonderfully entertaining Muslim girl whose family has just moved into the area. The three are soon spending all their time together, but their mischief takes a dark turn when they stumble upon some radio equipment in Priti's older brother's room. Jed soon decides that Shakeel is a terrorist because `everyone knows that a Muslim tinkering about in his bedroom with home-made electronics is dodgy'. It's a sentence which Jed doesn't think twice about saying, but it's a sad indication of how a parent's prejudice has been passed along to his child, and has begun to shape his world view. Priti, to her credit, is unperturbed by this, as only an innocent child can be, and even somewhat delights in the fact that her brothers, if not her whole family, might be part of a terrorist cell. Well, uncovering a bomb plot sure beats hanging out in the park every day! So begins a summer of espionage for the three children in which they end up discovering a whole lot more than they bargained for!
Although the story here is told through Ben's eyes, this book is not simply the story of a boy growing up without a dad and all the problems that might bring. Rather, Bruton examines the personal and societal consequences of September 11th. How the terrorist attacks affected families, and in some cases tore them apart, and how we, as a society, behave differently now. As a book which references Osama Bin Laden as still living, We Can be Heroes is also a book that is a great example of our ever changing world and of how events that often occur in the blink of an eye can change things forever. It is a testament to Bruton's writing that she writes about such complex issues as terrorism, racial prejudices and riots and makes them wholly accessible to the 11+ age group she is writing for. We Can be Heroes is both entertaining and educational and is well worth a read.
We meet Ben as he arrives at his Grandparents house where he will spend the summer along with his cousin Jed, a troubled boy who has a lot of family issues to deal with. In contrast to Jed who is often rude and boisterous, Ben is a quiet boy; he spends hours drawing comic book heroes, lost in a world of his own. The two boys soon make friends with Priti, a wonderfully entertaining Muslim girl whose family has just moved into the area. The three are soon spending all their time together, but their mischief takes a dark turn when they stumble upon some radio equipment in Priti's older brother's room. Jed soon decides that Shakeel is a terrorist because `everyone knows that a Muslim tinkering about in his bedroom with home-made electronics is dodgy'. It's a sentence which Jed doesn't think twice about saying, but it's a sad indication of how a parent's prejudice has been passed along to his child, and has begun to shape his world view. Priti, to her credit, is unperturbed by this, as only an innocent child can be, and even somewhat delights in the fact that her brothers, if not her whole family, might be part of a terrorist cell. Well, uncovering a bomb plot sure beats hanging out in the park every day! So begins a summer of espionage for the three children in which they end up discovering a whole lot more than they bargained for!
Although the story here is told through Ben's eyes, this book is not simply the story of a boy growing up without a dad and all the problems that might bring. Rather, Bruton examines the personal and societal consequences of September 11th. How the terrorist attacks affected families, and in some cases tore them apart, and how we, as a society, behave differently now. As a book which references Osama Bin Laden as still living, We Can be Heroes is also a book that is a great example of our ever changing world and of how events that often occur in the blink of an eye can change things forever. It is a testament to Bruton's writing that she writes about such complex issues as terrorism, racial prejudices and riots and makes them wholly accessible to the 11+ age group she is writing for. We Can be Heroes is both entertaining and educational and is well worth a read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this in the build up to the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and it did everything to remind me how I should feel about those terrible events, how I need to fight intolerance with tolerance, hatred with friendship and prejudice with open mindedness. I know I'm sounding a bit preachy now but this is honestly how I felt after reading this book, it's a real affirmation.
Some authors are just so adept at getting inside the head of a kid and talking through their mouths and Catherine Bruton has definitely earned that accolade, it's almost as if she taped 11-13 year olds and transcribed their dialogue, it is that pitch perfect. Ben makes a really endearing character to walk through this story with and I love the way his imagination mostly takes place in the form of doodles and cartoon strips. I think my favourite character, however, has to be Priti with her verbal diarrhoea and lack of restraint in what she says. She's a real say-as-you-find character that both Ben and his cousin Jed really need to work through their problems. Boys tend to bottle up their feelings but with Priti around this is just not allowed so she is really an undercover therapist for the other characters.
Perhaps the most effective aspect of the book is the way that on the surface there's a real sense of pre-teen adventure but simmering below are a lot of pretty hardcore and relevant issues, most notably hostility towards Muslims. I really appreciate the sharp contrast between the explicit racism of the older characters (Ben's uncle and grandfather) and the unabashed acceptance of the younger characters. Ben never comments on Priti's background, he gets to know her and her family as he would any other person and accepts them as his friends without any judgement. His uncle and grandfather, however, immediately dig a racist trench to wage a war of prejudice before they have even made the effort to know their neighbours. The mad thing is, Ben is the one that of all of them should be prejudiced but is exactly the opposite. It's awful to think that this goes on in Britain but you know it does and Catherine Bruton really smacks you round the face with it. Better to confront it in a book for teens than do the British thing and ignore it.
We Can Be Heroes is such an effective and enjoyable book written incredibly well in a style that completely avoids forcing an opinion on the reader. Catherine Bruton simply puts the situation out there for you to react to it in your own way, although she'll make you squirm with shame along the way. She has so successfully captured the realities of these issues that it's hard not to worry but makes me grateful that I was brought up to be like Ben. There are so many different reactions to racism in the book - violence, dismissal, encouragement - but I have to say I like Priti's reaction the best: to outwit it. She definitely has the most mature attitude despite the fact that she's the youngest character!
Some authors are just so adept at getting inside the head of a kid and talking through their mouths and Catherine Bruton has definitely earned that accolade, it's almost as if she taped 11-13 year olds and transcribed their dialogue, it is that pitch perfect. Ben makes a really endearing character to walk through this story with and I love the way his imagination mostly takes place in the form of doodles and cartoon strips. I think my favourite character, however, has to be Priti with her verbal diarrhoea and lack of restraint in what she says. She's a real say-as-you-find character that both Ben and his cousin Jed really need to work through their problems. Boys tend to bottle up their feelings but with Priti around this is just not allowed so she is really an undercover therapist for the other characters.
Perhaps the most effective aspect of the book is the way that on the surface there's a real sense of pre-teen adventure but simmering below are a lot of pretty hardcore and relevant issues, most notably hostility towards Muslims. I really appreciate the sharp contrast between the explicit racism of the older characters (Ben's uncle and grandfather) and the unabashed acceptance of the younger characters. Ben never comments on Priti's background, he gets to know her and her family as he would any other person and accepts them as his friends without any judgement. His uncle and grandfather, however, immediately dig a racist trench to wage a war of prejudice before they have even made the effort to know their neighbours. The mad thing is, Ben is the one that of all of them should be prejudiced but is exactly the opposite. It's awful to think that this goes on in Britain but you know it does and Catherine Bruton really smacks you round the face with it. Better to confront it in a book for teens than do the British thing and ignore it.
We Can Be Heroes is such an effective and enjoyable book written incredibly well in a style that completely avoids forcing an opinion on the reader. Catherine Bruton simply puts the situation out there for you to react to it in your own way, although she'll make you squirm with shame along the way. She has so successfully captured the realities of these issues that it's hard not to worry but makes me grateful that I was brought up to be like Ben. There are so many different reactions to racism in the book - violence, dismissal, encouragement - but I have to say I like Priti's reaction the best: to outwit it. She definitely has the most mature attitude despite the fact that she's the youngest character!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Amazing read
This is a book I instantly fell in love with from the first page.
The narrative is so different and I was sucked straight into the story which really surprised me. Read more
The narrative is so different and I was sucked straight into the story which really surprised me. Read more
Published 3 months ago by GloriousBooks
We Can Be Heroes
We Can Be Heroes is an impressive debut from Catherine Bruton and I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Sarah Gibson
fab
I want to preface this review by saying please don't take the length of this review to be any reflection about how I felt about the book. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Kirsty at the Overflowing Library
Current, realistic and compelling.
I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting an insight into Britain from a teenager's viewpoint. Funny and sorrowful in parts, it exposes adult prejudice and loss of innocence in a... Read more
Published 7 months ago by cjb
Must read
This is a fantastic read. It keeps you hooked from beginning to end and has a real heart to it. The characters are beautifully portrayed and remain with you long after you've put... Read more
Published 8 months ago by NikiS
A must read!
We Can Be Heroes is an utterly brilliant book. Read it...give it to your kids to read...tell your friends about it. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Hugo Cundell
Heroic misunderstanding
Our storyteller is young Ben who sees life in cartoons and who misses his father, killed on 9/11, and his mother, who is `ill'. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Algernon Flowers
We Can Be Heroes
Although perhaps more aimed at the teenage market, this book was still an excellent read for an adult. I read it back to back in one day and was gripped to the very end. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Nicola S
Read We can be heroes now
Fascinating for teenagers but adults will find much food for thought in this clever and exciting book.This is the story of 10 year old Ben whose father died in the 9/11 attacks. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mrs. J. B. Bruton
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
