7 Literary Freedom Fighters We’d Want On Our Team
It's nearly time for fireworks and family BBQs! With the 4th of July in mind, we've been thinking about some of the most epic heroines who fought for their own independence in our favorite YA novels. From waging war on The Capitol to fighting for the right to fall in love, these girls all want one thing: freedom. And they'll do whatever it takes to get it.
1. Tally Youngblood
"Everyone in the world was programmed by the place they were born, hemmed in by their beliefs, but you had to at least try to grow your own brain." – The Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
Tally is pretty reluctant to fight against the controlling society in her world, but when someone offers to make you beautiful, it can be hard to say no. Soon, Tally finds her own way and starts a fight her world won't soon forget.
2. Adelina Amouteru
"I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside. It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt." –The Young Elites, Marie Lu
Adelina's fierce desire to stand up for people like herself – people marked by an illness and shunned by the world – is so powerful she joins an elite group of fighters with the same cause. As an uprising is underway, Adelina finds herself right in the middle.
3. Linh Cinder
"It was not her fault she was cyborg.
She would not apologize." – The Lunar Chronicles, Marissa Meyer
Cinder has always been two things: a mechanic and a cyborg. Although she believes this is all she's destined to be, the universe proves otherwise, and soon Cinder is fighting an enemy more powerful than she ever imagined. But this girl isn't stepping down, even if she loses her mechanical foot.
4. Wen
"We cannot own each other… We can only offer what is ours to give." –Of Metal and Wishes, Sarah Fine
Wen's battle for freedom is may not require taking on the rulers of the world, but it's still a battle, and it's still hers. Living in a man's world is no easy feat, and Wen must become something other than the quiet caregiver she's always been to win her independence.
5. Cassia Maria Reyes
"I realize now how much courage it takes to choose the life you want, whatever that might be." –Matched, Ally Condie
Cassia has always been a good girl who listens to The Society, so when she's Matched with a boy The Society chooses for her, she's prepared to develop a relationship with him. Until she falls for someone else. Her fight for love really gets the heart fluttering.
6. Celaena Sardothien
"I am a coward. And I have been running for so long that I've forgotten what it is to stand and fight." – Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas
Celaena has been trained to be the deadliest assassin in the world, but that doesn't mean her fight for freedom will be an easy one. She does not like the corrupt king, and she's ready to use all of the butt-kicking tools at her disposal to take him down.
7. Katniss Everdeen
"At some point, you have to stop running and turn around and face whoever wants you dead." –The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Of course we couldn't complete out list about freedom fighters without mentioning Katniss. She's the face of the rebellion. She's the girl on fire. Katniss started out with the simple goal of saving her sister, and even though she's not ready for a war, the war has begun, it's all because of her.
Did your favorite YA heroine make the list? Let us know who inspires you to fight for freedom in the comments below.