Kirby's life has come full circle. Ten years ago, he was on top of the world. His best friend Bennett was one of the top basketball prospects in the nation. Instead of moving on to college, Bennett died. The following years passed in a haze but Kirby's desire to find out why Bennett died has consumed him. Now, Simon, a one-time enemy turned friend, lies on his deathbed after getting close to a resolution and Kirby can do nothing but watch and pray. Sitting in the lonely hospital room as Simon struggles to survive, Kirby is confronted by old memories and the ghosts of his past. His mind drifts back to better days when he and Bennett were still young enough to view the world with wide eyes as young lads and then teenagers.With the help of new found mentor and confidant Ron Polite, Kirby steps back and examines his life, the hard choices and easy solutions and, most importantly, the role friends and family played in his development. Through it all he is forced to wonder how much more he can take.A Hopeful Hero is the third novel in the acclaimed, The Hero Book Series by author Jerald LeVon Hoover.