A note to readers before I start my review: Bear with me, there is an important reason for this. Though you may not know this, all the links and images in my reviews for the authors or books are found by me. Cody is a busy man and I appreciate the time he takes to post my reviews. I try to help make it easier any way I can and by me finding all the links and blurbs, it makes it easier and quicker for Cody to post them for me. In doing the search on Perry Moore, I learned some interesting and sad facts about him. I understand it’s my job to review the book and not the author. However, there are some things I would like to discuss before getting to the book.
In my search I learned that Perry Moore died in February 2011 at the age of 39. I won’t go into the reasons he died or any of the legal stuff, but I wanted to take time to say how very sad this information was to me. I didn’t know him, and before reading his book I didn’t know of him, but this doesn’t negate the sadness that filled me upon learning of his death. As a gay teen, I don’t know very many gay icons. I’m sure there are plenty out there, but I don’t know of many. Perry Moore was a successful gay man who accomplished a lot for the LGBT community. One of the best things he did, in my opinion, was to write Hero. Most people who know me, know that my favorite books are books that give kids hope. Hope in any form is a great thing for a kid to have. Gay, Straight, Bi, or any other letter in the alphabet, we all need hope. Without it, there is nothing to look forward to. There is nothing to keep us going when times get hard. Perry Moore did that with his book, and thanks to his life partner, Hunter Hill, he continues to give hope even in his afterlife. Hunter Hill, together with the Hetrick-Martin Institute, started a Perry Moore Hero Fund. The fund is used to help LGBT youth reach their goals by way of scholarships for college. I added a link below that will explain how to enter for a chance to receive a scholarship and how to donate to the fund. Though I know this won’t reach them, I would like to thank both Hunter Hill and Hetrick-Martin Institute for the gift they are giving kids in the LGBT community.
Now for my review of Hero by Perry Moore.
As I stated above. this book was a story of hope. A gay superhero? That is awesome! This book wasn’t for just gay kids though, it wasn’t only m/m. This book is a book about a boy finding his way in a life he didn’t understand. It is a YA book that happened to have a gay main character. This book is for every kid. Every kid who deals with bullying, or feels they aren’t good enough—that the “power” they have is inferior to everyone else’s. It’s also about learning that you are good enough. Thom Creed learned from those around him, and grew into a great superhero.
Perry Moore had a lot of life lessons in this book. Through Thom, he taught us to look deeper before you judge a person by their appearance or attitude. He taught us that not everyone needs a superpower to be a superhero, and he taught us that with teamwork and taking help from others, even the smallest of us can succeed. We all have the power to be superheroes if we simply try to help those who need it. And most of all, Perry’s book gives hope. Your future is what you make of it, you choose to learn from the mistakes others make, or you dwell on the bad and go nowhere in life. Thom and his group of misfit heroes save the world and lives of millions because they chose not to give up when life got hard. They chose to take a stand and risk their own lives to help others. THAT is what made them heroes.
The only thing that I didn’t like about this book is my Fave Superhero turned out to be bad, but that sure made the ending interesting.
I would recommend this book to every person I meet, Gay, Straight, Bi, Lesbian, Trans, Brown, White, Orange, Green, Boy or Girl. Every person should read this book at least once. I have a very small list of five marble books because those are saved for books like this. Books that give us hope for our future.~
Timmy
Hero by Perry More
Available in Print, eBook, and Audiobook
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion - no purchasing link found
About Hero
The last thing in the world Thom Creed wants is to add to his father's pain, so he keeps secrets. Like that he has special powers. And that he's been asked to join the League - the very organization of superheroes that spurned his dad. But the most painful secret of all is one Thom can barely face himself: he's gay.
But becoming a member of the League opens up a new world to Thom. There, he connects with a misfit group of aspiring heroes, including Scarlett, who can control fire but not her anger; Typhoid Larry, who can make anyone sick with his touch; and Ruth, a wise old broad who can see the future. Like Thom, these heroes have things to hide; but they will have to learn to trust one another when they uncover a deadly conspiracy within the League.
To survive, Thom will face challenges he never imagined. To find happiness, he'll have to come to terms with his father's past and discover the kind of hero he really wants to be.
Perry Moore Hero Fund
The notable author and producer Perry Moore dedicated his life to spreading a message of tolerance and empowerment for all. Perry firmly believed in the power of the written word and it’s ability to change the world.
In honor of Perry’s legacy, his lifelong partner, Hunter Hill, launched the Perry Moore Hero Fund in partnership with the Hetrick-Martin Institute in 2011. Hunter Hill is the Executive Director of Paper Magazine and
Papermag.com. In line with Perry’s fundamental belief that there lies a Hero in all of us, the Perry Moore Hero Fund will award college scholarships annually to courageous young people who have overcome extreme obstacles and set a shining example of strength in the face of adversity.
Moore’s ground-breaking novel, Hero, reveals the story of the first gay teenage superhero, Thom Creed. A perpetual champion of the underdog, Perry wrote Heroto support LGBT teens and to combat the negative imagery regarding gay characters in the mainstream comic industry.
Hero won the prestigious Lambda Literary Award in 2008 and defined Moore as an idyllic figure for many LGBT teens. Perry received thousands of emails from LGBT teens struggling to find their place within their communities. It was an honor for Perry to personally respond to each message.
As a child, the fantasy kingdom of The Chronicles of Narnia (classical children’s literature by C.S. Lewis) deeply fascinated Perry. Moore’s interest in Narnia ultimately culminated in his role as an Executive Producer for Walden Media’s popular film adaptation of the series.
The Perry Moore Hero Fund is an artistic scholarship that celebrates literature’s ability to inspire and have a positive impact in the lives of young people. By publishing the winning stories on an official platform via the Perry Moore Hero Fund website, the content will have an immediate, powerful and global voice.
Donations to the Perry Moore Hero Fund will provide scholarships to aspiring writers to support their artistic development and expression. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
The Perry Moore Hero Fund is housed at the Hetrick-Martin Institute and all donations on behalf of The Perry Moore Hero Fund will be deposited in a restricted account for scholarships only. If you have any questions regarding the Perry Moore Hero Fund please contact Chandler Bazemore, Assistant Director of Development, Individual Giving at
cbazemore@hmi.org or 212-674-2600 ext 257.
Checks should be made out to the Hetrick-Martin Institute with the Perry Moore Hero Fund in the memo. Checks can be mailed to:
The Hetrick-Martin Institute
c/o Perry Moore Hero Fund
2 Astor Place
New York, NY 10003
To learn more about the Hetrick-Martin Institute click
here.
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