The American Girl franchise was a staple of my childhood. I remember flipping through the catalogues with my older sister and circling the items we liked. I remember going to my best friend’s house and playing dress up with her American Girl dolls. I remember begging my mom to take me to the American Girl Place in New York City. But more important to me than the dolls or the stuff were the books. Don’t get me wrong, the dolls themselves were very beautiful and a lot of fun to play with, but it was the books that brought them to life and that had the most impact on me. Here are the biggest life lessons I learned from three of my favorite American Girls.
1. Putting others before yourself.
The first American Girl book I was given was Meet Kaya about a Native American girl from the Nez Perce Tribe during the 1700s. My mom thought I’d like her because she was brown-skinned and had long dark hair like mine, but Kaya was much more to me than that. Her stories, which focused on the tight-knit relationships within her tribe, exemplified what putting others before yourself truly meant. Her ability to take charge in intimidating situations for the sake of her family, as well as her future ambition to lead and protect her people, are what stood out to me the most.
2. Self-sacrifice in unfair situations.
I think I must have read the entire Addy series a hundred times, if not more. Her stories touched my little seven-year-old heart in a way that no book ever had. Addy was a nine-year-old born into slavery who escaped to freedom with her mother during the Civil War. She endured hardships that I as a young reader could not fathom, and often risked her safety for the safety of others. I remember being devastated when she was separated from her family, and I deeply admired her bravery and self-sacrifice despite everything she had dealt with. Addy was a great example of the power of being courageous and strong-willed during the most unfair situations.
3. Being optimistic in light of change.
Kit was the American Girl who lived during the Great Depression, but, as with all the American Girls, her stories felt timeless. The Kit movie came out a few years after my American Girl obsession faded, but I was immediately reeled right back in and fell in love with the story all over again. Kit showed us that there are a lot of ways to deal with change, but ultimately you can’t fight it. In the series, Kit’s father loses his job and the family has to turn their home into a boarding house to make ends meet. From her optimistic attitude, to learning to swallow her pride, Kit represented the reality of change and personal growth, and what being thankful truly meant.
While these stories did teach me a lot about the historical periods in which they were set, what made the biggest impact on me was how resilient these girls managed to be. The fact that none of them had perfect lives or always knew the right thing to do or say made them that much more admirable. From the perspective of an elementary schooler, reading these stories was empowering.
I loved Barbie, Polly Pocket, and Bratz too, but the American Girl dolls always held a special place in my heart because they represented the kind of girl I wanted to be. Many people overlook American Girl because they think it’s just about dolls that you can customize to look like you and have hair like you. I agree that that matters a lot, but I think the books and the iconic Historical Dolls Collection are just as important. Personally, they taught me that there was no set definition for what an “American Girl” was supposed to be. When I started playing with American Girl dolls and reading the books, I obviously didn’t have an extensive understanding about subjects like representation, identity, diversity, etc, but what I did recognize is that I was able to see myself in some way with each and every one of these characters, rather than just one because she looked similar to me. Whether it was Kaya’s compassion, Addy’s bravery, or Kit’s optimism, the American Girl books always gave me someone to look up to.
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