She Gets Back Up and Keeps Going

Question:

I have been a fan of your Alice books since I was twelve. I will be 21
this October. My first Alice novel was ‘The Grooming of Alice’ and I
simply devoured it within the first day, and begged my mother to
purchase the previous books. I fell in love with books because of your
Alice series. I have not gone back to them for quite some time, having
developed a taste for authors like Stephen King, Charlotte Bronte, and
Philip Pullman among others, though the Alice series, all of the ones
I own, have a cherished place on my bookshelf. Ongoing financial
difficulty has also prevented me from picking up the novels after
‘Alice On Her Way’.

In the past couple of years I have gone through some incredibly
difficult periods, things like my mother’s stroke and dealing with
Panic Disorder. I have felt depressed and had the mentality that the
world has it out for me. I’ve even lost interest in my most beloved of
all hobbies, reading. Just this morning, after having not slept at all
during the night with the heat Virginia seems to be getting lately, I
felt like reading. I went to my bookshelf, picked up a Jane Austen
novel, but put it back for ‘Alice Alone’. I had not read it in years
and felt perhaps a good cry would make me feel better. Within the
first couple of chapters, I had already smiled and laughed, something
that seems so rare for me lately. I read the book quickly and felt
deeply for Alice’s troubles, but when I finished, I realized
something: she persevered, she made it through the day, she didn’t
quit.

Even though Alice is merely a fictional character, she has always
stuck with me. She falls down but most important of all, she gets back
up and keeps going on. A year ago I felt I was too old for the Alice
series, but now I realize the lessons you have put in these books are
important to me and to any other girl no matter what our ages may be.
There is always hope, there is always tomorrow, there is always a
fresh start, there is always something and someone to keep you going,
even if you feel down and out for the count.

So I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the series you have
written. I am going to hand these books down to my own children one
day and hope that they find the same enjoyment and important life
lessons that I have found in them.

P.S. I’m going to search my library to see if they carry the most
recent Alice novels! I have a lot of catching up to do and I am
looking forward to it!

Phyllis replied:

You certainly have had a tough time of it, and having gone through difficult periods in my own life, I do understand how sometimes a beloved book can help. I’m so glad Alice was there for you, and yes, you do have a lot of catching up to do.  Alice has grown up so much since she was “alone.”  Thank you for taking the time to write to me; it sure made my day.