She chose only grown-up books, books she felt she needed—The Bloody Chamber, Feminist Fairy Tales, Women Who Run with the Wolves. We girls were too young for them, probably. They scared us, taught us. Through them we learned that although women are culturally conditioned to be nice, we are actually fierce. Prince Charming is an archetype, not a literal prince; he is alive within us, and so is true love’s kiss, sacred intuition, instinct. Our task is to reclaim our power, not bury it in the service of some man.
