By Jennie Griffin
As I sat down to write this month’s post, the lyrics to James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World” ran through my mind. In fact, the song was playing so loudly in my head that eventually, I just turned Spotify on and let it play on repeat for a few minutes. Brown’s soulful voice poured through my phone, and I was repeatedly reminded that while men have certainly made their mark on this world, none of this would have been possible without a woman or a girl. While this sentiment is likely nothing special to the modern woman, I’m sure it made a few waves in the 1960s.
My mother was just 19 years old when this song was released, and she often recounts the hurdles she and her female peers had to overcome to fulfill their dreams. And let’s be honest…many of those dreams never came to fruition as women set aside their goals and aspirations to get married and raise families. She recounts how women in the workplace often didn’t just have to be as good as a man; they had to be better in order to be viewed equally. This is a foreign concept to me as a child of the 80s and 90s who was repeatedly told I could be anything I wanted to be. This got me thinking about my female literary role models growing up and what they taught me.
Nancy Drew is the first female book character I can recall looking up to as a young girl. She was intelligent, courageous, and she always solved the mystery. I remember reading in bed late at night and jumping at every creak of our house while my imagination ran wild, wondering what it was. I loved the Nancy Drew series because there was always a logical explanation for what was happening, and Nancy was quick enough to figure it out. One year while working in an elementary school, I even dressed up as Nancy Drew for “dress as your favorite book character” day.
As I grew older and became part of the MTV generation, I saw women portrayed in a whole new light, especially in music videos and reality TV. Suddenly a woman’s power seemed to stem more from her sexuality than her brain, and rather than being strong enough to rescue others, she became the victim in need of saving. These portrayals of women were in such stark contrast.
In college, I began reading Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, and I was presented with one female character after another that was intelligent, strong, and even heroic. Jordan created a world in which females had prominent roles that allowed them to participate in nearly all areas of society, from medicine to education to politics. Author George R.R. Martin continued this tradition in his Game of Thrones series by including multiple powerful women who commanded armies and often out-thought their male opponents.
Now before all my male readers take aim at me…honoring the female lead does not take away from the important role that men play. I love the interaction that comes from strong male AND female characters. And that brings me to our February featured author, K.T. McGivens, and her Katie Porter Mystery series. In The Secret at Sunset Hill, K.T. McGivens leads us back in time to the 1940s to follow the adventures of a smart and resourceful young woman, Katie Porter, as she takes on a new career, solves a mystery, and forms bonds with friends that will surely stand the test of time. I hope you have as much fun reading this as I did!
