There are parts of A Game of You that I love beyond all reason, including the part about how little girls dream that their lives aren't their lives and their parents aren't really their parents; they're lost princesses waiting to go back to their magical lands. (I'm paraphrasing, of course, and probably somewhat badly.)

Who da thunk it?

Who da thunk it?

Shush, you. I'll be over here with my talking animals. Did I mention that I'm going to be a fairy-witch-princess when I grow up?

Nope, musta missed that one. Oh wait, there was that one time...

I can confirm the other part of that analysis: I was always a superhero's alter-ego as a young'n. Still waiting to spring into action.

the part about how little girls dream that their lives aren't their lives and their parents aren't really their parents

See, that part bugged me. I never would have fantasized about something that, because I was terrified of strangers.

I fantasized about that--it's why I stopped sucking my finger, because you never saw pictures of princesses sleeping that way.

I played at being Princess Leia and Princess Ardala, but I suspect that was different.

And I've spent all afternoon trying to remember some insanely elaborate lets-pretend games I played with friends. I think hanging around while my brother played D&D had a very strange effect on my recess activities.

I shifted pretty cleanly from princess to spy to marauding barbarian. Can't wait to see what's next!

And I've spent all afternoon trying to remember some insanely elaborate lets-pretend games I played with friends

I was mostly an evil witch/fairy/vampire. Who was a princess. Who was going to rule over the world with an army of stuffed animals to carry out my every whim.

Cape, horse, sword. More of a Red Sonia than princess. Monte Cristo and d'Artagnan. NOW it makes me sad that I was forever co-opting male roles--that there weren't girls like that around. Can't think of any except Pippi Longstocking...