Four tough fictional women you’ll root for

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog Ellen Wehle tagged four "tough, savvy female characters who don’t just pad the story, they are the story," including:

The Unit, by Ninni Holmqvist

Another great book that’s hard to categorize. I found my copy in the fiction section, but it could just as easily have been shelved with sci-fi. In the not-too-distant future, society is humming along nicely. Every citizen contributes, and there’s very little hunger or suffering. The catch? “Dispensables,” that is, people who haven’t produced children, don’t die peacefully in bed. They report to Units where they give up their bodies piece by piece for laboratory testing and organ donation. But—and here’s the kicker—no one is forced to go. They go willingly, for the sake of society.

On her fiftieth birthday Dorrit Weger checks into the Unit because she’s expected to, because it’s what good people do. Life inside is luxurious, with better food, clothing, and care than she was ever able to afford on her own. If other women at the swimming pool look like Holocaust survivors because they’ve been sprayed with chemicals for random scientific tests, Dorrit just thanks God it isn’t her. Not until she falls in love with a man in the Unit does she begin to question, and to fight. The choices she makes will haunt you long after you turn the last page.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue