A brave and fictional boy matters a lot more than an intellectual giant

I was going to write 1,200 words about Richard Dawkins, a man whose behaviour incensed me beyond words last week. The more I thought about it, the more I thought he wasn’t worth it. Instead, I want to write about Joe Kavanagh.

You’ve never heard about Joe Kavanagh – at least, not the one I mean. But if there’s any justice – and if you’ve any sense — you’re going to. In half an hour last week, Joe taught me an awful lot about resilience. How important it is, where it comes from, and how you sustain it in the face of big odds. In the process, he had me laughing out loud one minute, and suppressing a tear the next.

That’s a remarkable achievement. Especially since he’s only a boy. And even more especially, since he’s only a fictional boy.