Her Story: Ladies In Literature is a special, month-long series on Pop! Goes The Reader in which we celebrate the literary female role models whose stories have inspired and empowered us since time immemorial. From Harriet M. Welsch to Anne Shirley, Becky Bloomwood to Hermione Granger, Her Story: Ladies In Literature is a series created for women, by women as thirty-three authors answer the question: “Who’s your heroine?” You can find a complete list of the participants and their scheduled guest post dates Here!
About Laura Silverman
Laura received her MFA in writing for children from the New School. She loves books and dogs – okay, and quite a few people too. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
The K Drama Steps To True Book Heroine Love
1. Have a Sad Sack Family Story
I love everything about Desi Lee, but one particular part of her story really hits home for me. Desi is a happy person. She has great friends, passions, and probably the best dad on the planet. Unfortunately, she lost her mother at a young age. Both of my parents are alive and well, but I lost my brother when he was eighteen and I was sixteen. Losing a family member that close to you is something most kids thankfully don’t have to experience.
Even though wonderfully supportive friends surrounded me, no one really got what I was going through. They understood the big picture, what a catastrophic loss it was, but they didn’t get the smaller things, how the tiniest and most common questions could be triggers, like the one that still gets me a decade later: do you have any siblings?
I still struggle with how to answer that one. If I explain the situation, start with, “I used to,” I chance crying in front of someone I just met. So instead, I often respond with a short “no,” which can also hurt because it’s like I’m denying my brother on some level. But I don’t want to cry, don’t want to make everyone around me uncomfortable, don’t want the “you tragic poor thing” looks. So I built a tough exterior over the years, only letting myself relax around the closest of friends.
Desi does something similar. It’s like she’s so grateful for all the wonderful things in her life, she doesn’t want to highlight the pain she also carries. Instead, she pretends to always be happy. When Luca says to her, “You’re allowed to admit that your mom’s death is sad,” it didn’t just unlock something in Desi – it also unlocked something in me.
Putting up emotional barriers is sometimes needed, but over time, it can make part of the loss harder to deal with. It’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to be sad. You can mourn a loss and be grateful for all the good things in your life at the same time.
2. Prove That You Are Different from All Other Women – IN THE ENTIRE WORLD
When I was younger I learned the word “altruism.”
And it freaked me out.
I questioned if I’d ever been a good person because I couldn’t think of a single time I’d done a selfless act. As a kid, I volunteered with Girl Scouts because I liked badges and hanging out with my friends. As a preteen, I raised money for animals in need because it was my Bat Mitzvah project, not some innate desire to better the world. All of my good deeds were cause and effect. None of them were even close to altruistic.
But as Desi questions her own morals, while facilitating an afternoon of art at a youth center for the sole purpose of getting back into Luca’s good graces, she notes something important: “They took their artwork with them, proudly showing it off to their parents. It was very sweet…even if the good deed had been inspired by the K drama list, it felt nice to have spent an afternoon making these kids happy.”
It’s always tempting to let imposter syndrome hold me back. I’m not really that nice of a person, so I shouldn’t volunteer for this. I’m not really that knowledgeable about publishing, so I shouldn’t offer writing advice when people are looking for help. I’m not really the most invested activist, so I shouldn’t tie up my senators’ phone lines.
The thoughts are natural, but they’re also ridiculous. To use Desi’s example, we aren’t all Maria von Trapp. No one is that perfect, caring, giving, etc. Just like Desi, I don’t need to be altruistic or the most skilled to impact the world for the better. I don’t need to be the most outspoken activist or the most sincere volunteer to make a difference. Desi helped me realize, when it comes to good deeds, no one cares about cause – it’s all about effect.
3. Fall Deeply into Cringe-Inducing Mushy Love
Desi loves with abandon, and I love Desi with abandon.
I Believe In A Thing Called Love is the sweetest and funniest of Rom-Coms, and it’s also infused with such an important life lesson – chase what you love and don’t worry about looking ridiculous in the pursuit.
And, hey, maybe if I try to be as passionate and hardworking as Desi, I’ll get to live my own K Drama one day!
Title Girl Out Of Water
Author Laura Silverman
Pages 350 Pages
Intended Target Audience Young Adult
Genre & Keywords Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Published May 2nd, 2017 by Sourcebooks Fire
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon.com ● Chapters ● The Book Depository
Fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen will fall in love this contemporary debut about finding yourself – and finding love – in unexpected places.
Ocean breeze in her hair and sand between her toes, Anise can’t wait to spend the summer before her senior year surfing and hanging out on the beach with friends. Santa Cruz is more than her home — it’s her heart. But when her aunt, a single mother, is in a serious car accident, Anise must say goodbye to California to help care for her three young cousins.
Landlocked Nebraska is the last place Anise wants to be. Sure, she loves her family, but it’s hard to put her past behind her when she’s living in the childhood house of her runaway mother, who has dropped in and out of her life since birth. And with every photo and text, her friends back home feel further away.
Then she meets Lincoln, a charismatic, one-armed skater who dares her to swap her surfboard for a skateboard. Anise isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. Because sometimes the only way to find your footing is to let go.
