The War That Saved My Life: Ada the Fighter

Ada is a young girl living in London during WWI, who is constantly abused by her mother because of her deformity, clubfoot. Never allowed to leave the house, she cooks and cleans, doing her mother’s chores during the day, and occasionally getting a peak out the window at the world around her. She waves hello to the neighbors and people passing by, but never anything past that. Ada’s best friend is her brother, Jamie, who helps Ada as much as he can, sneaking her food and sticking by her side, facing the abuse and neglect of their mother together. It is only when Jamie gets old enough (about 6) to go out and play with his friends, run errands, and start school, that Ada realizes she will have no one to keep her company during the day. Even from the beginning of the book we can tell Ada is a strong, determined girl, who knows she is better than what her mother tells her, “just a cripple”. So determined that the first opportunity she had to escape this prison, she taught herself to walk, and made a plan to leave with the children that are being sent out of London to the countryside, all within the matter of days.

“When things got really bad I could go away inside my head. I’d always known how to do it. I could be anywhere, on my chair or in the cabinet, and I wouldn’t be able to see anything or hear anything or even feel anything. I would just be gone” (Bradley 26). Ada is an admirable character, I believe she is an inspiration, and proves that even in the absolute worst of conditions, when the world is against you, you always have one thing: your mind.