Booking Through Thursday

It's been a long time since I got to participate in this meme and I've missed it! I'm answering the last two questions because they go together.

Who is your favorite Male lead character? And why?

My favorite male character is Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird. He is someone that I could look up to as a real hero although his children didn't appreciate the fact--he was too "old" for them. He's a man of decency and integrity and his courage is the spiritual kind, not physical. He is chosen to defend a black man accused of rape in a sleepy southern town in the 1930s. He could choose the easy way out, hang with the good old boys and just allow nature to take its course. No--he truly defends the man and even though he loses the case and the man loses his life, Atticus Finch is a real winner.

Who is your favorite female lead character? And why?

My favorite female character is Francie Nolan from A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. She is a child growing up in extreme poverty. Her mother is the sole support of the family and her beloved father is a drunkard chronically unemployed. Yet, she loves him. She reminds me very much of me, growing up in an environment where there was lots of drinking and tension. She's a bookworm and something of a loner--like me when I was a child. She grows up doing what she has to do to help her family and I just admire her so much!