Lit with Grit

To paraphrase Angela Duckworth’s definition, grit is the ability to persevere through difficulties to achieve a challenging goal–arguably a dying art. Reading gritty characters will, I think, model this trait in a way that engages and, hopefully, inspires imitation.

Books are grouped into loose categories that contain recommendations to both adult and young readers. Rather than give a summary of each book, I have just included the character(s) who exhibits grit, along with the goal they are intentionally pursuing, despite adversity.

Nonfiction

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  Corrie–forgiveness; pursuing God in the midst of suffering

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  Fr. Gregory–show another way to gang members in L.A.

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  Mother Teresa–love and goodness to “the least of these”–and the rest of the world while she is at it

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  Louie–survival, forgiveness

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  Katherine and friends–mathematics, rocket engineering, and challenging social boundaries

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  Molly–own the Game

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  Scott–patience, study

Classics

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  Jane–create a good life on her terms

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  Melanie, Ashley–faithfulness; Scarlett–survival

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  Scout–empathy; Atticus–justice; Jem–understanding

Fantasy

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  Sam–service; Frodo–finish the quest; Aragorn–patience; Gandalf–support the quest

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  Lew–wise rule; Tegid–wisdom

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  Despereaux–love

Sci-Fi

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  Ransom–save the universe

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  Ender–lead, save the universe

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  Cordelia–adaptation, promote positive change; Miles–make his own way

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  Emilio–exploration (of space and his own trauma)

Historical Fiction

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  Otto, Friedrich, Mike, Ivy–survival, family

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  Christy–service, purpose

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  Cussy–keep her job, help others

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  Marianne, Marguerite–recover from disappointment and heartbreak

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  Freckles–identity, purpose

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  Elnora–education, identity

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  Donal–goodness; blur social boundaries

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  Mary–service

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  Nell–pick up the pieces in life

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  Michelangelo–creating

Adventure

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  Kyle–win the game, teamwork

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  Stanley–friendship, treasure hunting

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  Hilary–purpose, espionage

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  Crispin–freedom

I certainly didn’t think of all the books with gritty characters! Comment below with your favorite Lit with Grit!