Spirit of Adventure: Eagle Scouts and the Making of America's Future »

Alvin Townley spent a year traveling throughout the country to explore the legacy of America's Eagle Scouts. In thousands of miles of travel, he met with Eagles from all walks of life. The result was Legacy of Honor, a uniquely powerful narrative of character and virtue in American life.

An extraordinary journey alongside America’s new generation of Eagle Scouts, who are discovering their purpose and bringing the values of Scouting to the world.

Over the past century, Scouts have helped to guide the course of American history. But what does Scouting and the Eagle badge mean to the Scouts of today? How will they shape the future of Scouting and America itself? In Spirit of Adventure, Scouting expert and Eagle Scout Alvin Townley finds the answer.

Townley traveled across the country and to the far corners of the globe to meet these young Eagle Scouts. He found them everywhere, continuing the life of adventure and service that they had begun in Scouting. He discovered them in Afghanistan providing medical care to villagers, in Australia saving coral reefs, at the Super Bowl and Olympic venues striving for victory, on desert cliffs and at inner-city schools teaching new lessons, in Africa bringing hope to children, and on the windswept deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz preparing for takeoff.

Whether doctors, activists, servicemen, entrepreneurs, or teachers, these young men are changing the world through bold actions that capture the essence of the Scouting tradition. In Spirit of Adventure, Townley answers important questions about the future of Scouting and America, while revealing stories of service, courage, and pure excitement that introduce our nation to an inspiring new generation of leaders.

Mike Miller - Library Journal

Every year, more than 50,000 Boy Scouts achieve the highest rank of Eagle Scout. Building on his earlier Legacy of Honor, which examined the contributions of Eagle Scouts, Townley set out to discover what his generation of twentysomething Eagle Scouts was doing to shape America's future. In his quest, he met Navy SEALs, professional football players, doctors, teachers, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, Olympic athletes, community activists, and others, all imbued with a sense of adventure, service, and lifelong learning. The result of his project is this book-part part travelog, part memoir, and part Boy Scouts celebration-which explores the impact new Eagle Scouts are having on the United States, the rest of the world, and their local communities. Recent negative press about Boy Scouts in regard to admission guidelines (an issue curiously absent in this book) and the 2010 centennial anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America may broaden interest, but this will likely appeal only to those affiliated with the organization or those who enjoyed Townley's previous book. (Photos and index not seen.)