★★★★★ There is no courage without fear

Call It Courage

Armstrong Sperry

Call It Courage is a simple story that makes a simple point: Courage is not the absence of fear -- courage is overcoming your fear. Without fear, there is no courage. I think most people agree with this idea, and Armstrong Sperry is obviously not he first to make the point, but it is a thing that can't be said too often, especially to kids, because so many people get it wrong. The people who make Hollywood movies regularly glorify fearlessness, as if fearlessness were anything other than a particularly dangerous form of stupidity. Even Aristotle got this wrong. (OK, I'm being unfair to Aristotle. But only in part.)

Besides this, Call It Courage is beautifully told. It is a brief (128 pages in paperback) story, simply told. It is a beautiful gem-like tale.

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