Finding Strength in the Mountains: A Personal Connection to “The Trouble with Heroes”

At the 2024 ALAN Workshop, I had the unexpected pleasure of meeting Kate Messner. We shared a table, and she spoke briefly about her forthcoming novel The Trouble with Heroes. As she described Finn Connelly's journey of healing and finding strength in the Adirondack Mountains, an unexpected wave of emotion washed over me.

Her words resonated so deeply because they brought to mind my own journey of self-discovery, growing as a teacher, and overcoming grief through running. Several years ago, as I was starting my second year teaching English in a rural district with a lot of athletic and mechanically inclined, outdoorsy students, I began running as a way to forge a connection between my academic self and my students. Fifteen years of sedentary living had left me out of shape. But slowly, gradually, I began to build strength, both physical and emotional. A few months after I started this journey, in 2017, I wrote in a note to myself:  

I have also recently (within the past year) taken up running and working out to increase my energy levels, (hopefully) lengthen my life, and help me connect better with my more athletic or mechanically inclined students via running/writing metaphors. I run at least three times a week and participate in a high intensity interval training bootcamp three times per week. This helps me clear my head, and has also helped me gain a greater understanding of what students experience when they can’t perform at the level they want to academically and how I should respond to them with grace (and modifications). My bootcamp trainer embodies the understanding, compassion, and grace that I want to have as a teacher. She treats me like a human being, like she understands that I am doing the best that I can do, and gives me the space to decide how to meet my goals. I want to have the same grace and compassion with my students.

After my sister passed away from cancer in 2019, running became a form of therapy, a way to process my grief and rediscover myself. I continued incorporating running metaphors into my teaching, sharing my journey with my students.

Messner's description of Finn's connection to nature and his struggle to overcome loss reminded me of my own journey. I felt a profound connection to the story, and I knew I had to read The Trouble with Heroes. It did not disappoint. 

The theme of heroism connects to the characters' journeys as they each grapple with their own definitions of what it means to be a hero. Finn initially views heroes with cynicism but eventually discovers heroism in everyday acts of kindness, perseverance, and self-discovery. His journey is mirrored by the stories of the Adirondack 46ers, particularly Hazel Clark, whose determination and courage in the face of adversity exemplify a different kind of heroism. Through these characters, the book challenges conventional notions of heroism and suggests that true heroism lies in personal growth, resilience, and compassion.

This young adult novel tells the story of Finn, a teenager struggling to cope with the loss of his father. After getting into trouble, he finds himself thrown into the world of a group of hikers who have climbed all 46 of the highest peaks in the Adirondack Mountains.

As an English teacher, I love books in which my fictional colleagues quietly make a difference in kids’ lives — like in this story, where Finn is failing his English and Physical Education classes (and lashing out in other destructive ways). To make up for missing assignments, Finn’s English teacher has asked him to answer one question: What makes a hero? His answer must be in the form of 20 drafted, revised, and edited poems written in at least five different poetic forms. The assignment also requires him to use poetic devices. What’s not to love about this assignment!? (Really, I’m now wishing I’d written 20 running poems based on my initial efforts to get myself out of my office chair!)

To make up his missing PE work, he has to complete 14 hours of strenuous activity. This naturally sets him up to see climbing 46 mountain peaks as a solution to his problems, even though he’s not naturally a poet or a hiker. See, Finn, a troubled, rebellious teenager with a cynical view of teachers trying to help him and whose father was a New York firefighter struggling with the aftermath of 9/11, loved baking. As someone who loves blogging and entrepreneurship, I love the resulting epiphany when he starts seeing his baking as a solution and not a problem. I promise I’m trying to avoid spoilers here...

All that said, meeting Kate Messner was an added bonus. Her kindness and generosity were evident when she offered me a copy of the book. This simple gesture further deepened my appreciation for her work and her connection to her readers. 

Honestly, after reading Messner’s bio, I think I would have loved to be in her English class — and I’m definitely going to have to read more of her books!

In short, The Trouble with Heroes is a poignant and inspiring story about grief, healing, and the power of nature. It's a book that will stay with me for a long time -- and has the power to help young people through similar struggles.

Resources

The resulting novel features not only the poems Finn wrote, but also his commentary about them, notes to his teacher, text messages (including the auto responder he set just for him mom...), and cookie recipes. I love the multimodal composition of the book. It feels like you’re opening a treasure chest of ephemera that you can’t get in traditionally written novels.

But the book goes deeper than that; it explores themes of grief, loss, redemption, and the importance of facing challenges. It also digs into the history of female adventurers in the Adirondacks, particularly focusing on the life and accomplishments of Hazel Clark, the first woman to complete the 46 High Peaks.

Given the themes of grief, resilience, and self-discovery, along with the relatable struggles of a teenage protagonist, "The Trouble with Heroes" is an excellent choice for students in grades 4-6, particularly those aged 9-14. The book's unique blend of poetry, prose, and relatable themes will likely resonate with young readers navigating their own challenges and searching for their place in the world.