On Shmoop's internal Authors That Will Probably Make You Wanna Cry list, Alice Walker is a perpetual top-ranker. Though her books are motivational, in a way, you generally have to go through some tough times to get there.

Meridian—Walker's second novel—is no exception. Although the 1976 novel would not reach the heights of popular success that The Color Purple would six years later (having Oprah make her film debut in the adaptation certainly doesn't hurt), Meridian touches on the same ideas that made that novel so famous. Think of it as an early album from your favorite indie rock band—it might not be as flashy or critically-acclaimed as their major label debut, but diehard fans know that this stuff is the real deal.

In the novel, we follow the life of Meridian Hill, an activist caught in the chaos of the Civil Rights Movement. Meridian has had a tough life: she was married with a child by seventeen and denied an education because of it, despite her prodigious intelligence. But due to a stroke of fate—and fearlessness on her own part—Meridian manages to retake her life and join the then-burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. Even then, though, things don't get much easier.

Ultimately, Meridian's story is one of perseverance and enlightenment. While so many of her peers slip by the wayside, forgoing political action in favor of chasing girls or getting rich, Meridian alone remains resolute. To her, not fighting injustice is the same as being an active participant in it. This Zen-like dedication to good turns her into the ultimate civil rights superhero, changing the world by facing down one tank at a time.

Wait... tanks?! She's even tougher than we thought!

Everyone needs someone to look up to.

For some, those people are Batman and Superman and their superhero ilk. For other, it's actors and musicians: people who make art that moves the masses. For others still, it's politicians and world leaders.

As for the rest of you, it's surely us folks here at Shmoop, right?

No matter which way you swing, you've now just found your new role model/favorite superhero/cosplay idol: Meridian. Meridian's life is a testament to the power of determination, the importance of love and forgiveness, and the ability to become the best version of ourselves.

These aren't lessons learned from a self-help guide, though—Meridian is filled to the brim with truth. Sometimes that truth is painful. Sometimes it feels like a fresh breeze on a sticky summer day. But we need truth just like Batman needs his bat-gadgets and Johnny Deep needs his fedoras and scarves. Truth—found in books like Meridian—helps us become the best person that we can be.