When many of us, including myself, think of the word “courage,” plenty of us may see the mental image of firefighters rushing inside a burning building to save people or a group of soldiers buying time for their comrades to retreat in the last stand. But there is more to courage than that. While these actions are certainly commendable and honorable, John McCain, in his book Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life, argues that these are not the only examples of courage through real-life examples of people like John Wesley Powell, a scientist who successfully managed to navigate the Colorado River (despite even Native Americans in the region claiming it to be impossible) to Hannah Senesh, a Hungarian resistance fighter who refused to neither give up her comrades’ safety when interrogated by SS guards nor plead for mercy before her execution.
McCain argues that everyone has the potential to show courage and that it isn’t fair to judge people’s innate bravery or courage solely on dangerous feats. After all, how many of us will fight in wars, save lives, be a leader in a revolutionary cause, or even be in a dramatic, life-threatening scenario? McCain goes into depth about how we, as average citizens, can build up our courage in our daily lives and be a positive role model towards other people in our community. He expands on the idea of courage as something far more complex than simply acting for the greater good and illustrates the factors that have contributed to past actions of courage.
While this book was originally written in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, I believe that this book will still be a meaningful read to anyone in the present day, particularly to us as teenagers. The world is constantly changing, and with school shootings, new viral outbreaks, and an Earth that is slowly becoming less hospitable, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and scared. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as McCain points out. We should use fear as an “opportunity for courage, not proof of cowardice.” So, if you feel like you’re in a rough spot in life and want to improve your character or simply enjoy reading about some of the extraordinary feats of other people, Why Courage Matters is definitely a top pick for you.
Nathan Kang '24