Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

She could take my hand and lead me through some pretty scary, hairy situations in her stories, but I always knew that she'd lead me out again, safe on the other side. (Okay, now I'm picturing her like Moses at the crossing of the Reed Sea, holding aloft a copy of Witch World, or something, to keep the waters from rushing in over my head.)

Plus, nobody else ever helped me get inside the mind of a cat or other 'alien' lifeform with such empathy and understanding. For all of us who felt like aliens in our own lands and among our own peoples, Andre Norton was the voice in the wilderness telling us that our differences were precious, something to be celebrated and enjoyed.

(Maybe I shouldn't try to write about my favorite science fiction authors just after leading a review session on the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible -- there seems to be a certain amount of 'bleed-through' in how I perceive my authors at this time of night!)