Last year, I had the joy of checking a non-fiction book out of our church library called “Heroines,” by Mary Riso. I don’t think I really knew what it was when I brought it home, but immediately liked it. In it, the author takes several well known heroines from classic literature, divides them into themes, and shows us what valuable things we can learn from fictional characters. I got so much out of it that I ended up reading it 4 times last summer!!
One of the things that I took away from this book is the importance of reading literature with a keener eye to learn something. I’m learning to admire strong characters and fictional lives that journey in growth and truth. I’m also learning to discern heros and heroines that maybe aren’t as healthy, but learning from those as well.
I don’t pretend to be half as wise or insightful as Riso, but I thought I’d try a little experiment here on booklearned where I occasionally present a post in my new Characters We Can Learn From Series. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to do this, so I guess I’ll just jump in and see where it leads. I think I will lean more toward choosing heroines as models, though I may also do some posts on heroes as well.
I believe the posts will be based on lessons I’m learning from books I’m recently reading, both modern and classic. Maybe not just one specific character, but several with a common theme. I’m not sure how this will differ from a regular book review. But I’m thinking that it won’t be a review of the book itself, just a study on the fictional life and how I see commonalities of it with others. I will also try to stay away from preaching, just be my own personal thoughts and observations, things I’m learning and trying to apply to my own life.
First post on this series coming soon!
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