The best thing a book can do is change a person for the better. Although it’s not always easy to see how a novel changes you as a reader, there are many books that show characters improving under difficult circumstances.

From neglected orphans to unjustly imprisoned convicts, these books illustrate the refusal to settle for the wrong hands of life. Without further ado, here are 10 of the best zero to hero novels.

“Rising red”

Author: Pierce Brown

Publication date: 2014

Set on Mars in a society with a color-coded caste system, “Red Rising” follows Darrow, who has worked in the mines for as long as he can remember. Darrow feels content with his life until he makes a “horrible discovery,” according to AVERAGE. He realizes that his people, the Reds, “are slaves serving a decadent ruling class.”

While Brown’s story spans six books, his characters undergo a major transformation from the first book.

Notable Quote: “You don’t follow me because I’m the strongest.” Pax is. You don’t follow me because I’m the brightest. The Mustang is. You follow me because you don’t know where you are going. I do.”

“The Color Purple”

Author: Alice Walker

Publication date: 1982

The New York Times described this novel in 1982 as “above all the story of Celie, a poor, barely literate Southern black woman who struggles to escape the brutality and degradation of her treatment by men.”

Over the course of the novel, Celie escapes her abusive husband and starts her own clothing sales business. In its review, the Times called Walker’s novel “undoubtedly…the most impressive.”

Notable Quote: “People think that pleasing God is all that matters to God. But any fool living in the world can see that he always tries to please us in return.

“Ender’s Game”

Author: Orson Scott Card

Publication date: 1985

Card’s novel “tells the story of a young boy, Ender Wiggin, who is sent to a training academy named Battle School, located in orbit above Earth, built to train people to become soldiers who will one day fight against a vast alien race known as the Battle School. like ‘Buggers,’ The guardian describe.

Ender begins the novel as a bullied outcast, and he ends it as a hero and a leader.

Notable Quote: “If you’re trying to lose, it’s not your fault. But if you don’t try and we lose, then it’s all your fault.

“Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”

Author: Stephen King

Publication date: 1982

In this short story, Andy Dufresne is found guilty of murdering his wife and the man with whom she was having an affair. The king’s website describes this story as “the most satisfying tale of unjust imprisonment and offbeat escape since The Count of Monte Cristo.”

King’s short story was made into a film in 1994.

Notable Quote: “It always comes down to just two choices. Get busy living or get busy dying.

“Great expectations”

Author: Charles Dickens

Publication date: 1861

“Great Expectations” tells the story of a boy named Pip, an orphan “who falls in love with a heartless girl and is lifted out of poverty by a mysterious benefactor,” according to Anne with a book.

This novel does not follow a traditional rags-to-riches arc with Pip ending his story at the top of the societal food chain. However, Pip discovers a happier and more honest way to live his life.

Remarkable quote: “Suffering was stronger than all other teachings and taught me to understand what your heart was. I was bent and broken, but – I hope – in better shape.

‘The Goldfinch’

Author: Donna Tartt

Publication date: 2013

Tartt’s novel centers around two central characters: the 1654 painting titled “The Goldfinch” and a 13-year-old New Yorker named Theodore Decker, who loses his mother in a terrorist attack in the Met.

Although this novel does not have a conventional happy ending, Decker is changed. Bright Star Book Blog, set in the north of England, described Tartt’s novel as “life-affirming, emboldening and consoling”, adding: “It reminded me why literature is so often so essential and can constitute such a deep source of comfort. »

Notable quote: “I had the enlightenment that laughter was light, and light was laughter, and that it was the secret of the universe. »

“The Lady’s Gambit”

Author: Walter Tevis

Publication date: 1983

The heroine of this novel, Beth Harmon, begins her story as an isolated and awkward 8-year-old orphan. She finds a janitor playing chess in the basement and people quickly realize that she is a child prodigy.

Literary critic Kartik Narayanan finished the novel in one sitting, attributing its appeal to Beth’s “fast-paced character and rags-to-riches story”, according to AVERAGE.

“Her battles with addictions and other self-destructive behaviors show us that the person she must defeat is not the current world champion but herself,” Narayanan writes.

Notable Quote: “Her spirit was luminous and her soul sang to her in the sweet movements of chess. »

“Mistborn”

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publication date: 2006

After discovering that she possesses rare magical powers, Vin, a street urchin, is recruited into a heist plot and rebellion against a tyrannical ruler.

Forbes Journalist Erik Kain called Vin “one of the best female characters in a fantasy novel he has encountered.” Vin is “a reluctant and suspicious person with a horrible past,” he wrote. “But we can’t help but love and admire him, both for his honesty and for his frankness.”

Notable Quote: “But you cannot kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that thing you could never kill, no matter how hard you tried. I am hopeful.

“Huckleberry Finn”

Author: Mark Twain

Publication date: 1884

Twain places Huck on the margins of society. He begins the novel uneducated, neglected by his father, and in conflict with the values ​​of the mid-19th century. The New York Times praised the book and its craftsmanship a century after it was written, calling it “an extraordinary piece of work.”

The columnist praised Twain’s ability to construct a good story, wondering: “How often does a hero who is so absolutely natural on the page also manage to acquire a compelling moral stature as his adventures unfold?” develop? »

Notable Quote: “I want no reward but to know that I did the right thing.” »

“Anne of Green Gables”

Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery

Publication date: 1908

As we have seen in other success stories, Montgomery places Anne Shirley at the bottom of the social hierarchy, making her a neglected orphan. Through her own efforts to be kind and make the best of things, Anne happily finds her place in society throughout the novel.

A literary critic of The guardian explained, “Anne’s obvious appreciation and wonder for life made me truly appreciate the little things; and his unwavering determination and honesty allowed me to become the person I wanted to be.

Notable Quote: “In my experience, you can almost always enjoy things if you set your mind to it. »