"The story of one boy and his journey to find himself. When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave him a year in a group home – said he had to write a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look him in the face. Any home besides his would be a better place to live. From the streets of Stockton to the beaches of Venice, all the way down to the Mexican border, We Were Here follows a journey of self-discovery by a boy who is trying to forgive himself in an unforgiving world."

This novel also teaches students about the Hero's Journey in a more modern setting with more relatable characters. This novel focuses on some of the most heroic qualities: forgiveness, redemption, and self-discovery.

The Last Hero

We laid him to rest with tenderness;

Homeward we turned in the twilight’s gold;

We thought in ourselves with dumb distress—

All the story of earth is told.

A beautiful word at the last was said:

A great deep heart like the hearts of old

Went forth; and the speaker had lost the thread,

Or all the story of earth was told.

The dust hung over the pale dry ways

Dizzily fired with the twilight’s gold,

And a bitter remembrance blew in each face

How all the story of earth was told.

This hero story follows the five Haudenosaunee Nations and their journey toward peace. Hiwatha, and Onondaga Nation member (who also spent time in other tribes) posses the gift of storytelling. He is approached one day by a mute Peacemaker (shown above). Together, they travel to the five nations to bring peace to all and end the inter-tribal wars. This children's book uses art, images, symbolism, and a brief journey to demonstrate the components of the Hero's Journey. (I have this picture book displayed in my room the whole year and it garners lots of interest. Once we finally read it, students are mostly invested.) This text touches on all three essential questions about what makes a hero, how we find identity in our strengths, and how we can change.

BY MARGARET ATWOOD

This is the one song everyone

would like to learn: the song

that is irresistible:

the song that forces men

to leap overboard in squadrons

even though they see the beached skulls

the song nobody knows

because anyone who has heard it

is dead, and the others can't remember.

Shall I tell you the secret

and if I do, will you get me

out of this bird suit?

I don't enjoy it here

squatting on this island

looking picturesque and mythical

with these two feathery maniacs,

I don't enjoy singing

this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you,

to you, only to you.

Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!

Only you, only you can,

you are unique

at last. Alas

it is a boring song

but it works every time.

Margaret Atwood, “Siren Song” from Selected Poems 1965-1975. Copyright © 1974, 1976 by Margaret Atwood. Reprinted with the permission of the author and Houghton Mifflin Company.

1. What makes a hero?

2. How do our strengths make us who we are?

3. How do people change by overcoming obstacles?

I chose Murdoch's "The Last Hero," because it connects to the overarching theme of heroism. How are heroes treated or described in our society? How and why do we mourn heroes? How do we remember them? We would read this poem before we read the episode in which Odysseus's returns to Ithaca with zero soldiers by his side. I would ask the students to consider if his crewmates were heroes and how might they be remembered (or if they will be).

This quote shows Odysseus's loyalty and leadership. He goes to Circe's palace alone in order to not leave his men behind instead of fleeing the island as Eurylochus suggests. This ties into the characteristics of a hero.

2. From Book IX, Odysseus's strategic plan to escape Polyphemus's Cave: "And now I ordered my shipmates all to cast lots— who’d brave it out with me to hoist our stake and grind it into his eye when sleep had overcome him? Luck of the draw: I got the very ones I would have picked myself, four good men, and I in the lead made five …"

This quote demonstrates Odysseus's bravery and skill. This relates to the second essential question: How do our strengths make us who we are? Part of what makes Odysseus who he is and a good leader is his ability to be witty and strategize.

3. In the end, Athena commanding the men abandon their violent ways: "'Hold back, you men of Ithaca, back from brutal war! Break off—shed no more blood—make peace at once!'”

This quote relates to EQ 3: How do we change by overcoming obstacles? For two decades, Ithaca has been overrun by violent, power-hungry suitors. How can they be different after Odysseus's return?

This quote demonstrates our main character's realization that everyone has experiences in common. I think this connects thematically and in a roundabout way to EQ 1. Heroes are everyday people, and everyday people can be heroes.

2. “But not just alive like I was yesterday and the day before. Alive like I knew I was alive. Like I could feel the breaths coming into my chest. And I knew I was the person inside my own body.”

This quote comes at the end of the novel and brings about the final stage for our hero. This shows how he has changed and reached self-discovery/self-actualization. He is not the same person he was before his journey.

3. “But when you read books you almost feel like you're out there in the world. Like you're going on this adventure right with the main character. At least, that's the way I do it. It's actually not that bad. Even if it is mad nerdy.”

This quote comes from a side character (as assistant, if you will) and I incorporated it because it is spot on for a Hero's Journey unit. It mentions adventure, tagging along with a main character, and it relates the experience back to the reader.