Hero Living: Seven Strides to Awaken Your Infinite Power

by Rudy Reyes

Book Overview

The star of HBO's Generation Kill and the real-life warrior from the New York Times bestseller presents his empowering philosophy.

In his publishing debut, Rudy Reyes introduces his warrior philosophy of "Hero Living" part Homer, part Joseph Campbell, part Bruce Lee, and part Spider-Man. He outlines the various stages in the journey to bring forth the hero within: recognizing the hero's call, following the hero's path,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 045123183X
• ISBN13: 9780451231833
• Release Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Celebra
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Mr. Reyes has reminded me Who I Am

Unemployed, overweight, uninspired are all words that describe this last year of my life. Mr. Reyes has been a beacon for me as I come out of this cycle of Samsara: "the loop of suffering." Feeling as though my life raft was caught in a Samsara tsunami, Mr. Reyes stretched out his hand for me to grasp: both of us pulling me out of that quagmire, ultimately collapsing on the shore, beaten, starving, but alive. His book "fed" me and his words helped remind me of Who I Am. He gave me the tools to fix my raft and now, revived, with my "toolkit" in hand, he gently yet firmly has pushed my raft back on its course. Certainly this review's ideas are metaphorical, but Rudy has inspired me like no other. I have recently started my own business, quit smoking, am eating healthier than I ever have, and recently begun martial arts training @ Five Points Academy in NYC. It is the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done. I absolutely recommend this book for people not only interested in knowing the path, but walking the path as well.

I believe this man.

This book is really lovely. I really like Reyes's approach and I appreciate his generosity of spirit. His own story could be heartbreaking but he neither wallows in it nor uses it as a yardstick, but only as a series of real-life examples of his life philosophy. He's really clear about honoring each person's journey and being without judgment -- just start where you are. And unlike a lot of new-agey sort of advisors, he absolutely acknowledges obstacles, but puts them in a slightly different perspective. His Eastern influences are clear and acknowledged, and it's kind of awesome that his earliest role models were Bruce Lee and comicbook superheroes. What purity of heart this guy has. I'm so glad I bought this book. I never buy anything in the "self help" genre, but I was intrigued by his story, after having seen him on the HBO series Generation Kill, and this turned out to be a great purchase and much more than a "self help" book. It's really a book about self-knowledge, as I should have expected.

Walking the Walk...Hero Living

This is a MUST READ if ever there was one! This book touches the spirit within each and every one of us... it taps into the realization that every one of us have the POWER within to alter our current path; to re-route our current journey and direct us towards Hero Living. This book is motivational...inspriational....life-changing. This is not just another self-help book...this is life's "how-to guide". This book demonstrates that even the people who have been dealt the worst of circumstances from the start, can gather their troubles/obsticles and convert them into to POWER. This POWER can be converted to energy...energy to live the life of a hero. And that this conversion can begin RIGHT NOW! Amazing. Simply amazing. You owe it to yourself... and the hero within you.

A ghost from the past

I could not wait to post a review after reading only half of the book so far. I guess it is easier to put ones life in perspective when you hear an old friend telling you to "Show up for yourself." The book is written not in the flowery prose of polished self-help style, but instead, in the plain language of life experienced. Rudy's ability to place himself in non-judgmental kinship with the reader is wonderful. Before my readers get the wrong impression, yes, I knew Rudy. If only for the few brief stints he spent at Davidson and at NKCHS. His unending creativity and energy then have taken him to new heights now. He is as authentic in this book as I remember him back then. He is a real person doing what so few do today and that is to extend a helping hand to those who need it. He like all of us, has had many of the same trials in life that we have all faced. Though now having chatted with him and other friends I know more about this man than I can ever remember. It is what we learned in Mr. Hatfield's class long ago, the journey of "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." I know, that there are many people who will find great value in his advice. I shared many experiences like his, and have already found some real tools and skills to add to my own. I am reinvigorated. With that said I give you one of my favorite Dune quotes Rudy "Like a wild ass I go, off into the desert to do my work." Thank you RR it is good to have you here amongst the living and God bless your fallen brothers and sisters.

Captivating read cover to cover

Rudy Reyes has written a brave book, interweaving his personal narrative of a peripatetic childhood and tumultuous young adulthood as an Recon Marine with a unique philosophy of living. As detailed by Reyes, heroism is accessible to us all, if only we dare to know ourselves and challenge our limitations. Certainly Reyes is experienced at pushing the edge (as is evidenced by his formidable military career and physique), but he does so with such disarming conviction and heart. In "Hero Living" Rudy Reyes builds upon our long-held cultural archetypes with a distinctly Eastern approach to strength building and character development. This is a person who has transcended his story, transforming personal challenges into profound spiritual lessons. For the person asking themselves what their purpose is in this life, how they can contribute meaningfully to their world and make themselves happy and vital today, "Hero Living" provides a compass. Reyes also speaks to the experiences of our returning young Iraq veterans, and how war impacts a life, a family...ultimately rippling out to us all. He is a light to many and a much-needed voice in our public discourse on the realities of war. There are few who speak about the challenges inherent in returning home after tours of duty, trying to re-integrate into a country that shirks from confronting such painful realities. Rudy Reyes is a hero, in this writer's opinion, just for that. "Hero Living" is a deeply touching and inspired work.