A Note from the Author
Dear Amazon Readers:
As a kid growing up in Missouri, I loved reading stories when it comes to heroes like King Arthur, George Washington, and Pericles. Their lives were full of action and courage, and I wanted to capture that same sense of adventure in my own life. As I grew older, outstanding advisors and friends have shown me that the path to adventure and intention may be found in a life of service to others.
These friends and advisors have come from a heap of dissimilar backgrounds. I’ve been blessed to work with volunteers who taught art to street children in Bolivia and Marines who hunted al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq. I’ve learned from nuns who fed the destitute in Mother Teresa’s homes for the dying in India, help workers who healed orphaned children in Rwanda, and Navy SEALs who fought in Afghanistan. As warriors, as humanitarians, they’ve taught me that without courage, compassionateness falters, and without compassion, courage has no direction. They’ve shown me that it is within our power, without doubt the world requires of us — each one of us — to be both good and strong.
I hope the stories recounted in The Heart and the Fist will inspire you as these humans have inspired me. They have given me hope and shown me the unbelievable possiblenesses that subsist for each of us to live our one life well.
–Eric Greitens
Riveting True Life Tale