My Literary Soulmates

I’m not gonna lie - the large majority of my favorite books are ones where I see a lot of myself in the protagonist. Call it egotistical, narcissistic, or just plain selfish, but for one reason or another, I love reading about characters that are well... like me! Now, in real-life, I don’t put a lot of stock into the idea of soulmates. I generally think that there are lots of different people we can “click” with at different times of our lives. However, in the literary world, I totally buy into this concept! So, while I am ever-changing and evolving throughout this life of mine, at one time or another, the following characters were like giant figurative mirrors staring right back at me.

Francie Nolan - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Francie Nolan’s difficult and heartbreaking existence really hit home for me. Her mother, very clearly, favored her younger brother and nobody really fully appreciated Francie’s inquisitive mind and intellect. Her family was also extremely poor and the descriptions of the Nolan family’s daily life crushed me. Something about Francie made me want to give her a huge hug and tell her how brilliant she really is.

Ponyboy Curtis - The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

I’ve always had a “thing” for the underdogs, and Ponyboy Curtis definitely qualifies! He is hyper-aware that he, his brothers, and friends are not as fortunate as the preppy socs and despite his tough appearance, he is wise beyond his years.

Adso of Melk - The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

I did not actually choose to read The Name of the Rose, it was required for a job. However, I felt a huge sense of pride upon completing this novel. Protagonist, Adso of Melk, is the obedient and very curious student of William of Baskerville. I connected to Adso because of the respect that he had for his teacher. He wanted to soak up as much knowledge as his teacher was willing to dispense to him and his unending curiosity really resonated with me.

Netti Sayuri - Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

I really like Sayuri because she is confident and insecure all at the same time. She never really seems to fully understand how or why she became such a successful geisha, but she also knows how to get exactly what she wants. Her loyalty and dedication to the chairman throughout her life is also worthy of admiration.

Do you have any literary soulmates? Which characters would you love to chat with over a cup of coffee? Let us know!

Dear Writer of Children's Books, Please Stop Underestimating Your Audience

Any parent who was an enthusiastic reader as a kid has probably noticed that children’s books look a lot different these days. All you have to do is go to the book section geared towards the 7-10 year-old crowd and you’ll see the book-equivalent of a loud cartoon smattered all over neon-colored pages.

Not only do children’s books have way more illustrations compared to years past, but the text is often bolded or broken up into small chunks reminiscent of a mom hiding an extra serving of vegetables in her spaghetti sauce. On top of that, story lines are often fast-paced, repetitive, and have minimal character development. What’s the deal? When did writers start to underestimate a child’s ability to appreciate good literature?

I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve purchased a couple of these freakishly frenzied books for my own two kids, thinking they would be enticed to pick these up on their own accord. One of these purchases include the George Brown Class Clown series. True, my kids enjoyed the first two books in the series. They are cute, silly, and predictable. However, by the third book, both of my kids were bored because they were all the same. And no, they never did feel inclined to read these on their own. So I put away the “book candy” and tried to find something more meaningful.

A day later, we started reading a book from my own childhood, The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks. I wasn’t sure if my kids were going to stay engaged in the quiet story about an average boy and his magical cupboard especially since the illustrations were not only sparse, but (gasp!) black and white. But they did stay engaged, in fact, they loved every minute of it and protested each night when I stopped reading. Even to this day, they remember so much about that book and still talk about the characters. Why? Because the story has depth, and real human emotion that even our little ones can relate to. I really hope this trend in children’s books comes to a much-needed end soon enough. Our kids deserve better.