Taking Courage: A New Look at an Old American Virtue

By Elizabeth D. Samet

What is American courage? What role does this virtue play in today's fractured country? Are traditional ideals of bravery, dedication, and self-sacrifice still relevant? These are among the questions asked by Elizabeth Samet, author of Soldier's Heart. Demonstrating a deep love of literature and history, Samet reveals the way that courage has long anchored America's collective thought. She finds courage in the lives of athletes and soldiers; in the writings of the Founders, Ulysses S. Grant, Frederick Douglass, and others; in the war movies she watched with her father, a veteran of World War II; in the Marvel universe; and in the literature she teaches. Using spirited interactions with her students as a springboard, she proposes that courage of body, mind, and spirit remains central to the American experiment. Samet's work is a unique journey through reading that redefines our concept of courage and paves the way toward a unified future.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1324098465
• ISBN13: 9781324098461
• Release Date: November 2026
• Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
• Length: 160 Pages