Characters We Are Grateful For

In honor of Thanksgiving, we thought we’d take some time to share some characters that have made an impact on our lives. Not all of them are positive influences, but they all taught us something important, and for that we are grateful.

Jane

Old Dan and Little Ann from Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

I’m throwing this way back to my fifth grade required reading. One day, I was supposed to get to the halfway point in the book, but I couldn’t stop so naturally I finished it. And by finished the book, I mean I sobbed through the last few chapters, trying to read the blurry words through the tears streaming down my cheeks. Where the Red Fern Grows was the first book I was emotionally connected to and it let me have a glimpse of what books can do: teach you empathy, show a different world, make you fall in love, and explain grief and loss to a young girl. And to think, all of that from a couple of dogs fighting a mountain lion.

Beth

Ella from Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I first read Ella Enchanted soon after it came out, and it became an immediate favorite, one to which I still return when I need a hug in book form. In this Cinderella retelling, a fairy “gifts” Ella with obedience, but Ella doesn’t take this lying down. She fights against her lot in life at every opportunity, even when it causes physical and emotional distress. She is smart and curious (her aptitude for languages saves the day on more than one occasion!) and also stubborn. She pushes back every time she’s boxed in. She is the kind of hero I could both relate to and aspire to be. There’s a lot wrong with the movie adaptation, but what I find most egregious is the externalization of the conflict. Yes, Ella’s curse is inflicted on her by an outside force, but her battle takes place internally, between what she feels compelled to do and what she truly wants. Her victory is the kind of happy ending those of us who battle inner demons need to see.

Mary

Esperanza from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This was a difficult choice for me. I thought about all the books that impacted me as a kid and developed my love of reading, but I kept coming back to a character who forced me to see a world outside of myself, taught me empathy, and told me that I was not alone in my experiences. Esperanza from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is never far from my thoughts (I now regularly teach the novel), and though her story was very different from my own, as a 14-year-old freshman, she taught me about the home I could always find within my heart and the importance of the women in my life. Esperanza also put a voice to the sometimes traumatic lessons we learn about the world as young women, both reminding me that I am not alone and asking me to think about the struggles of others. In another way too, she taught me to read. Her red balloon tied to an anchor showed me that words can tell a story in more than one way, with more than one idea wrapped-up in them—a lesson I would carry with me into my own attempts at self-expression and self-understanding as a frantic, searching teen.

Catherine

Sabriel from Sabriel by Garth Nix

This is easy. Garth Nix’s Sabriel. In middle school, I loved to read, but I did not often find books about characters that felt like me. Sabriel is a fair, loner girl who is sent on a grand adventure without much direction. This is not a novel where the protagonist is suddenly, surprisingly magic; Sabriel worked for everything she had. You’re dropped into the story right when the action happens, and Sabriel’s skill is put to the test for the first time. However, she’s still an awkward teenage girl, and learns confidence and trust along the way. I am grateful for Sabriel, because she is the first character I saw as myself in a book, and I needed that connection more than I knew.

Lydia

Turtle Wexler from The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

I’m a sci-fi fan through and through, but Ellen Raskin’s (somewhat dated) The Westing Game was a staple of my childhood. And when I grew up, I wanted to be Turtle Wexler. Turtle showed me that you could be smart and misunderstood and also turn out to be a great adult. I connected with her family relationship problems and how self-conscious she was about her looks. She was unafraid to stand up for herself. She always seemed exactly like a kid and yet was able to function in an adult world. In short, Turtle Wexler gave 11-year-old me hope that by following my interests in a world that didn’t always understand them, I would become a happy and functional adult.

Who are you grateful for this Thanksgiving? Join the discussion on Facebook or Instagram @nerdgirlsbookclub.