What do Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sonia Sotomayor all have in common? Mary Jo Murphy at The New York Times explains that aside from being female Supreme Court justices (Sotomayor’s nomination still pending approval), they all have a deep love for Nancy Drew, the famous girl detective.Certainly not all of us who were charmed by Nancy Drew when we were younger will grow up to one day serve in the justice system. But there’s got to be something about Nancy’s can-do attitude that makes her stories into motivational tales for young women, piquing their curiosity while at the same time teaching them that they can do anything they set their minds to.
Nancy never backed down from a challenge, and was able to reason her way through to the end of the puzzle. She was motivated, not by romantic prospects or duty to family, as so many literary heroines are, but by her intrinsic interest in tracking clues and righting wrongs. Something in that equation remains titillating to young female readers, decades after the series’ initial publication.
For all those Nancy Drew lovers out there, what was it that sparked your interest in the series? What was your favorite trait of our beloved girl detective?
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