Jen's Journal

Melina has a dream of graduating from university and earning her bachelor’s degree. With help from her high school advisor and parents, she goes off to her first year of college. Meet Margot, fresh out of university and desperately searching for a job to make her parents proud. As readers, we get to know these two characters well. Fragile Courage takes us deep into their lives, their struggles, and their values. 

The two could not be more different from each other. While Melina comes from the south side of the city; Margot was raised in a prestigious household and never lacked anything but her parents’ love. Their character development is slow to occur, but it makes them more believable as characters. While their upbringing was not the same, they both share one thing in common, their inability to ask for help.

The book is entertaining, and I found myself reading whenever I had any free time. I couldn’t put the book down and finished all 200 pages way before I thought I would. 

This is without a doubt a story that needs to be heard. It’s a story about the shame that comes with asking for help when you need it but recognizing that no one can succeed on their own. This isn’t just a story for first-generation students, it is a story for anyone struggling as a freshman in college, and for first-year professors having a hard time connecting with students. For this reason, I would recommend this book to anyone thinking of attending higher-level education. I received my bachelor’s degree in May of 2020, and I wish this book was out in the world when I was going through it.