Catherine Called Birdy.

'Catherine Called Birdy' is a historical fiction novel, written by Karen Cushman. The book speaks about a repressed teenage daughter - who though wished she was a villager, she faced gender inequality, social ranking of status, and her lack of freedom throughout her frustrating and tough life back in the medieval times.

Back in the middle ages, life was certainly really difficult, especially for a girl like Catherine. She wanted to do a few objectives that men are able and allowed to do but noble ladies aren't suppose to be doing. Gender suppression was something Catherine couldn't take, but life doesn't offer quality. While she sits in the chamber with her personal nurse, sewing and taking lady-lessons, she wanted to go out there and play. She even wanted to be a crusader or maybe a villager to be the least.

Living life back then wasn't the worse for Catherine. When she was stuck in her chamber, wishing she was a villager, those villagers that she wished to be, wished that they were in the higher class. This is because social ranking was spiteful but quite vital at the same time. While kings who stood upon the knights, who stood upon the crusaders, who stood upon the monks, and so on - they all depend on the villagers and peasants, those who worked and forced to serve food for them. Yet they put so much pressure towards the lower-leveled people by adding in taxes that they have to pay in order to live. It was all beyond depressing for them.

Birdy (aka. Catherine) was a teenager who was repressed by her own father, a knight, who she barely talked to but argued a lot with. She was always held back, locked in her chamber when she did something she's not suppose to, and was always told what they expected from her. Though most ladies are chattled and was forced to marry someone for a price, she didn't want that; she held on to her pride when she was suppose to let go of. She hated how she can't talk or behave the way she wanted to. Through all the comparisons through nicknames that she went through, she started to understood a little when she grew older, and let loose about it just a bit.

All in all, the medieval times was definitely a severe era, and life then was backbreaking; especially for a noble lady as proven. Obviously, this is because of the restrictions and lack of freedom, the social ranking, and gender inequality and its suppression that took its effect in all lives overall.