Heroes Next Door

Description

When Samuel Johnson unicycled around Australia, he met some awesome people. And before we had to lock down, he and his other sister, Hilde, were travelling the country talking at schools, community groups and at the side of busy streets to spread their message about how to kick cancer in the face hole. But in the process they connected and listened as people shared their own stories - not just about how cancer impacted them, but about love, fighting fires, making families out of choice not blood, knitting, being there and being surprised by life and finding solace from strangers. They decided those stories should be shared and the idea for Heroes Next Door was born. The result is a moving, funny, irreverent, inspiring and big-hearted book that shows us all that resilience and kindness are what make the difference, and that you don't have to travel far to find good people ... often they are right next door.

Samuel Johnson (Author) Samuel Johnson OAM is a much-loved Australian actor, best known for his work on THE SECRET LIFE OF US, CRACKERJACK, UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO CITIES, RUSH and as the star of the hit biopic MOLLY. In recent times he is more proud of his work as a breast cancer advocate and determined unicyclist. He won a Gold Logie in 2017 for his work on MOLLY and was named the 2018 Victorian of the Year for his charity work to vanquish cancer. So far the charity he set up with his sister Connie, Love Your Sister, has raised over $15M. Samuel is a bestselling author, with his and Connie's book LOVE YOUR SISTER and his endearing DEAR SANTA both hitting the bestseller lists and both shortlisted for an ABIA award. His winning stint on DANCING WITH THE STARS reminded all of Australia how much we love Samuel Johnson. Samuel continues to dedicate most of his time to the charity and doing what he can to raise funds for cancer research. The DEAR series is part of that fundraising. Hilde Hinton (Author) Hilde Hinton avoided being a writer for many years. But after her critically acclaimed debut novel, The Loudness of Unsaid Things, made a number of bestseller lists, everything changed. Now the stories won't stop. Hilde, dedicated big sister to Connie and Samuel Johnson, lives in a boisterous house in Melbourne with a revolving door for the temporarily defeated and takes great pride in people leaving slightly better than when they arrived. Her children are mostly loved. And so are her books.

Samuel and Hilde teamed up before lockdown to talk to communities about how to "kick cancer in the face hole", following the death of sister Connie. During that tour they encountered a plethora of unsung heroes whose stories they honour in this book.--NATIONAL [PRINT], The Australian Women's Weekly, [AUDIENCE: 375,036, ASR: 9310] Review--VIC [PRINT] The Age (date TBC)