From a young age, I’ve enjoyed books. Even though I knew how to read by age 4, I enjoyed listening to my mom read books out loud to me, even as a preteen. Many of her favorite books – at least, the ones she read to me - had strong female characters, so naturally I began to gravitate toward those books as well.
When people ask me what my favorite book is, I can rarely give a straight answer. But I know I can say that the best books are filled with characters who have influenced and shaped me. This list could be much longer, but then this article would turn into a book of its own, so here are 5 (out of many) characters who helped me become who I am today.
1. Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne is an adolescent red-haired girl who, after being carted around from family to family, is finally adopted by an older couple. She is not what they expected (they had been told they were getting a boy), but her overactive imagination, flair for the dramatic and unmatched sincerity eventually charm them and basically everyone else in their hometown of Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. Even though she has spent most of her childhood as an unwanted orphan, she doesn’t let that harden her. Anne taught me to appreciate my creative side, stay true to myself, and not let any hardship change my outlook on life.
2. Kelsey Wilcox, Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude (And Other Commandments I Have Broken) by Rosemary Graham
Kelsey is the polar opposite of Anne – she comes from a rather wealthy family and has gone to private schools since kindergarten. But when she is forced to move from Boston to Berkeley with her mom, she quickly learns that there is more to life than prep schools and prestigious colleges. To her parents’ dismay, she opts to attend public high school, where she begins dating C.J. Logan, the semi-famous skateboarder. After breaking up with him because he only sees her as arm candy, she is forced to rise above the petty rumors he starts about her, escaping her fabricated reputation as C.J.’s slutty ex by writing about a homeless couple on the streets for the school paper, The Bee. Kelsey is yet another example of sticking it to the man by staying true to herself, whether “the man” is her family, her ex, or the people who believe his lies.
3. Betsy Ray/Willard, Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
Set in the fictitious town of Deep Valley, Minnesota, in the early 1900s, this 10-book series chronicles Betsy’s life from age 4 to her mid-twenties. Betsy’s world becomes larger with every book, starting with her block on Hill Street and up the Big Hill in the first and ending with most of Europe in the last. Betsy goes from a little girl with big dreams of seeing the Great World, always telling tall tales to her best friends, Tacy and Tib, to a boy-crazy teen who writes about all her crushes in her diary and competes against her attractive classmate Joe Willard in their high school’s essay contest, to making friends in Germany and Italy and journaling about her travels, returning home to marry Joe. Betsy’s coming-of-age story reminds me so much of my own that I don’t really have a “lesson” from reading this series, but she made me feel like I wasn’t alone and made me appreciate both my roots and my big dreams.
4. Hermione Granger, Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
This pick needs no explanation, but I’m going to give one anyway. Hermione is one-third of the main trio in the seven-part Harry Potter series, the voice of wisdom to Harry’s recklessness and Ron’s hotheadedness. Even though Harry is always the hero, it’s never without help from Hermione – in Sorcerer’s Stone her logical abilities help him rescue the Stone; in Prisoner of Azkaban she uses the Time Turner to save the school (and to take two classes at once); and in Goblet of Fire, she figures out the ways of Rita Skeeter, the tabloid news reporter, and threatens to out her methods if she keeps it up; for just a few examples. She helps other people, too – she cares deeply about other oppressed individuals, like Hagrid, the friendly half-giant who teaches Care of Magical Creatures, and Dobby and the other house-elves who live to serve their wizard masters. And of course, she isn’t afraid to give Draco Malfoy, the snobby “pureblood” in their class, a punch in the face. Her intelligence, resourcefulness, loyalty and passion were inspiring to me when I first read these books – in sixth grade, I dressed up as her for Halloween.
5. Stargirl Caraway, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Stargirl is the leading lady, but not the protagonist, of the first book that ever made me cry. Stargirl follows high school junior Leo Borlock, who becomes enchanted by Stargirl and her utter inability to be normal – until they both become outcasts due to her “weirdness.” I felt horrible for her reading the part where Leo tells her to try harder to be like everyone else – I was used to being “the weird one” in school. But in the end she refuses to conform to the brutal standards of Mica Area High School, continuing to wear flowy maxi-dresses, cheer for both teams at sporting events, play her ukulele and sing “Happy Birthday” to people at lunch, ask questions about the meaning of life and give homemade gifts to random strangers. Years later, all anyone can talk about at their school reunions is Stargirl and the impression she left on everyone. Her selflessness, independence and complete realness are traits I have always admired but am usually too afraid to display myself. The quote that I believe sums her up the best is from Archie, the wise old man on the edge of town: “She is us more than we are us. She is, I think, who we really are.” Archie is right – she embodies our innermost thoughts; she is the little voice inside us all.
