Heroes

Product Information

Larry opens up a recreation hall for youth and teaches Francis how to play ping pong and a young girl names Nicole how to dance. There is a touch of Gatsby in the attractive, mysterious figure of LaSalle who shines in the depression hit community and a clever intertwining of trust and betrayal throughout the novel.

After Lassal lets Francis win a ping pong tournament, Francis overhears him rape Nicole and Nicole rages that Francis did nothing to stop it. So, all in all, I'd say that, although it is not quite my favourite GCSE text, I do still adore it and I think that everyone should give it a go. Ultimately, he slings his bag comfortably over his shoulders and heads for the next train out of Albany, giving no clues as to his final decision or destination.On his way to accomplishing those two missions, he goes through memories and meets some of his childhood friends. This novel portrays the dilemma of taking justice into your own hands or showing mercy to someone who also happens to have a huge influence on your life but committed such an immoral act.

Both deal with the trauma of war in a poignant way and carry the themes of corruption and evil seen throughout his body of work. Under Larry’s tutelage, Francis became the Ping-Pong champion, which secured Nicole’s attention, and made him a hero among the children of Frenchtown.

The story captures you from the start and we are left second guessing what is going to happen all the way through. However, after that first reading, I came away disappointed- the book was not what I had expected at all. Francis is a shy kid and LaSalle helps him to develop confidence by teaching him to play table tennis, earning him a reputation as a table tennis champion. Both Francis and Larry have received the Silver Star medal for bravery in combat yet both also have an element of selfishness in their motivation.