I Hated the 3rd Book, But Adored the First Two and Was Thrilled by the Movies. Lucky to Catch a Re-run This Weekend

As a lifelong reader (and English teacher), I've always craved stories for others (and myself) where a strong female protagonist simply kicks ass. I loved Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior and always taught it to my seniors while at the Brown School, also with critical analysis of the chapter, "Fa Mu Lan," with Disney's western rendition of Mulan. I am a fan of Celie's character for life, and although she wasn't named a warrior, her location in Alice Walker's The Color Purple always kept me on a quest for strong, intellectual and thought-provoking female leads in literature. I've known many women who are simply loaded with integrity and love reading books that promote their excellence. There would be no Harry Potter without Hermione and it could be argued that she made him possible.

This weekend, while putzing about with grades, planning and writing, I caught Catching Fire (I think it was this book) where I was once again hooked by the brilliance, planning, smartness and focus of Katniss and couldn't help but take a picture of the screen. Here, she reminds me of my warrior friend, Rhiannon Berry, but also the creative, poetic and spiritual strength of my author-friend, Laurie Halse Anderson, two people I admire to the umpteenth degree.

I also grew up in a household with two sisters and a mother who taught me on a daily basis the power, muscle, wit and performance that it takes to be a woman in our society. In our patriarchal, Western-historical narrative, it is the men who are often given war stories, odysseys, heroism and protagonist credit. In my world (the real word), I've been witness more to the ingenuity and brilliance of women doing great deeds over the men who tend to position themselves at the forefront. It's silly that this always happen, because women are simply stronger than men when it comes to a lifetime of achievement, holding it together and being role models for others.

So, this post is for them. It's for their daughters, too, who deserve to have novels and movies made about their accomplishments and achievements, too.

For what it is worth, I see the great work of women and recognize the lack of respect they're often paid. They deserve the accolades and medals. They're the true superheroes.