Courage: Portraits of Bravery in the Service of Great Causes - Softcover

"Very moving and completely uncynical ... The purpose of this book is clear: to keep alive this concept of courage so that future generations will learn from the examples of others and be inspired by them." -- The Guardian "[Brown's] approach is refreshing ... readable and intelligent." -- The London Times "Well-written and heartfelt ... Brown consistently demonstrates the lucid, unwavering, objective eye of a historian .... His portraits do not sanctify sociopolitical icons; instead they celebrate ordinary men and women called to extraordinary feats in the service of causes that stirred their passion." -- Kirkus Reviews "No British prime minister since Churchill has written anything quite as good, at least not while in active politics." -- New York Review of Books

In the tradition of John F. Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning Profiles in Courage, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's fascinating collection of inspirational leaders is destined to become a staple of every politically conscious reader's library as his already-significant profile grows exponentially around the world. The prime minister explores the lives of eight outstanding twentieth-century figures to uncover why some men and women make difficult decisions and do the right thing when easier and far less dangerous alternatives are open to them. Those profiled range from icons such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy to lesser-known figures such as Edith Cavell, who nursed the wounded of World War I in Belgium and helped Allied soldiers escape, and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who returned to Nazi Germany from New York to lead the Christian opposition against Hitler's regime. Bringing his personal reflections to these intimate portraits, Brown illuminates a common thread of inspiring courage in every one of these eight heroes and, in doing so, introduces us to his own inspiring values.