Alright, this
is going to sound really cheesy, but... when I was around 8 or 9, I was big
into Hardy Boys. I occasionally read a Nancy Drew or two because the books
looked similar, but with a girl lead, and that didn't bother me TOO much, but I
just didn't connect with her and her problems (and well, why would I? it wasn't
written for me).
At some point, I started reading their team-up novels... and began noticing the romantic tension between Frank and Nancy.
At some point, I started reading their team-up novels... and began noticing the romantic tension between Frank and Nancy.
Now for a bit of context... The
Hardy Boys were the first non-picture books that I began reading at around age
six or so. I was a fast learner and, while I could generally follow along, it
was basically just an exercise. I never really GOT what I was reading until I
started to reason (it wasn't until I was ten and reading Tom Clancy that plot,
politics, etc., began to "click"... and even then, I didn't get
EVERYTHING yet as I didn't have the knowledge base)..
Even so, I always identified with Frank because he was the smart one, the rational one.
For a kid who got picked on a lot for being a nerd, it was a good match (I even dressed up like him for my elementary school's Halloween Costume Contest... no surprise, I did NOT make it past the first round looking like the Ralphie from A Christmas Story).
Back to the Hardy/Drew team-ups... while I didn't have a biological need for romance, through reading and film and the like I'd developed a social need to "find love." You know the story, right? Chasing the girl you like around the jungle gym, even though you don't know why (and certainly didn't have a tingle down south, yet)?
Cooties? Never bothered me. Girls never liking me back? Traumatic.
Even so, I always identified with Frank because he was the smart one, the rational one.
For a kid who got picked on a lot for being a nerd, it was a good match (I even dressed up like him for my elementary school's Halloween Costume Contest... no surprise, I did NOT make it past the first round looking like the Ralphie from A Christmas Story).
Back to the Hardy/Drew team-ups... while I didn't have a biological need for romance, through reading and film and the like I'd developed a social need to "find love." You know the story, right? Chasing the girl you like around the jungle gym, even though you don't know why (and certainly didn't have a tingle down south, yet)?
Cooties? Never bothered me. Girls never liking me back? Traumatic.
When I started reading those
team-ups and really dialed in on the Frank/Nancy angle, I knew... I just
KNEW... that someone like her was what I needed... an EQUAL. A PARTNER. Not
just someone who was there, not just a convenience because they were cute or
cool or available... but someone whom I could love and support and could do the
same for me. Someone on the same footing.
Weird thoughts for a kid well before their majority.
So... fast forward to today and I can't tell if it's helped me or not. I've had a few short relationships that broke down because they didn't meet my standard (or what I thought was my standard) of finding a PARTNER.
Maybe I'm broken... maybe I took the right lesson but didn't learn the other ones about getting to said partner... but I can safely say, a single scene in a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys novel completely changed my world view about what I wanted in life.
Also... I'll never vacation at a ski resort because of said scene, either.
P.S. - Man, looking back at these covers? Fashion is WEIRD.
Weird thoughts for a kid well before their majority.
So... fast forward to today and I can't tell if it's helped me or not. I've had a few short relationships that broke down because they didn't meet my standard (or what I thought was my standard) of finding a PARTNER.
Maybe I'm broken... maybe I took the right lesson but didn't learn the other ones about getting to said partner... but I can safely say, a single scene in a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys novel completely changed my world view about what I wanted in life.
Also... I'll never vacation at a ski resort because of said scene, either.
P.S. - Man, looking back at these covers? Fashion is WEIRD.
Nick Michael is a co-host of The Void Zone podcast, the host of A Review Too Far and is currently blogging A Year With Netflix.
