Author Jacqueline Crooks has detailed the formative role that early reading and specific literary figures played in her development as a writer [1].

Her reflections highlight the intersection of literature and personal identity, illustrating how specific texts can provide a psychological framework for children navigating difficult home environments.

Crooks first read Charles Dickens’ *The Water-Babies* when she was eight years old [1]. She said the book was a catalyst for her growth, noting that the narrative focuses on the process of leaving one world and adapting to another to survive [1].

According to Crooks, the story helped her process complex emotions and expanded her perspective beyond her immediate surroundings. "It gave shape to unnamed feelings and developed my survival imagination: imagining beyond my circumstances," she said [1].

These early experiences with Dickens were complemented by the later influence of Toni Morrison. Crooks said that Morrison's voice inspired her to seek and establish her own unique voice in her writing [1].

While Dickens and Morrison served as pillars of her literary journey, Crooks said she deliberately avoided other canonical authors, specifically Jane Austen [1]. This selective engagement with literature allowed her to focus on narratives that mirrored her own needs for survival, and identity formation, during her time living with her mother and stepfather [1].

"The story is about leaving one world, adapting to another. Surviving," Crooks said in reference to the enduring impact of the Dickens novel [1].

“"The story is about leaving one world, adapting to another. Surviving."”

Crooks' account underscores the concept of 'survival imagination,' where literature serves as more than entertainment, acting instead as a tool for psychological resilience. By prioritizing authors who address adaptation and identity over traditional canonical figures like Austen, Crooks demonstrates how marginalized writers often curate their influences to bridge the gap between their lived reality and their creative aspirations.