"Whether you know it or not, you are a brave person. You may not feel like it, but the fact is, you've used courage throughout your life to survive tough times. If you lacked the ability to be brave, you would never have survived to be where you are now. What's more, your existence today was made possible by a long line of brave people who came before you and surround you now--your ancestors, your teachers; the people who built the community where you live, and those who have protected it and made it a place worth living in. Your courage, in other words, isn't yours alone. It's part of a long tradition, handed down through generations: A quality that sustains not just you, but the people who will come after you as well. In this book, Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons recount the stories of some of these people, men and women whose courage has kept them going, gotten them to new places, and made a difference for others. In these pages, you'll meet everyday heroes who have suffered loss, grief, and unexpected life changes, and you'll read about how each of them dug down deep, found the courage within themselves, and brought it to the surface of their lives where it could shine. I've written about my own journey toward fearlessness in my memoir, "Smile at Strangers, and Other Lessons in the Art of Living Fearlessly," and in my online column at McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Many of the lessons I've learned through my training as a self defense instructor and martial artist are echoed in Nina and Mary Beth's book: Do your homework. Master a skill. Explore. Leave your comfort zone. Change the way you think. Surround yourself with supportive people. Find role models. Focus on the present. But above all, do something--take charge of your fear and control your own destiny. The advice you'll find in this book is practical, and simple--though it's not always easy. But I can bear witness to the fact that it transforms lives. Every time I te

Mary Beth Sammons is an award-winning journalist and author whose work appears in "Family Circle," the "Chicago Tribune's" lifestyle section, and on various health and wellness websites. She is grateful to be welcomed into the lives of those she writes about who are experiencing the ups and downs of handling life, parenting, and caregiving. She's the author of seven books, including "We Carry Each Other: Getting Through Life's Toughest Times"; "My Family: Collected Memories"; and" Gifts with Heart." She lives in Chicago. Nina Lesowitz is a leader in women's business in the San Francisco Bay Area. A volunteer for literacy organizations, she also runs Spinergy Group, which represents authors, corporate clients, and non-profits. The recipient of a national award for excellence in media relations, she's the co-author of the bestselling "The Party Girl Cookbook." She lives in Oakland.