Why A Wrinkle in Time Feels More Relevant Than Ever

I recently re-read Madeleine L’Engle’s classic youth novel A Wrinkle in Time. I’m not sure how long it had been since I last read it, but I know I loved it when I was younger; I read it more than once. This time, I picked it up again because I was in a time-traveling mood (I’m a big sci-fi fan and time-travel is always a good ride). I thought it would be a light escape from the chaos of our current reality. Instead, I found something profoundly relevant.

Though originally published in 1963 during the Cold War, A Wrinkle in Time speaks directly to the moment we’re living in now. Its themes - resisting oppressive systems, the importance of individuality, the courage it takes to face darkness, and the unstoppable power of love - resonate deeply in the social and political climate of 2025.

The story centers on Meg, a young girl struggling with the disappearance of her father and a society that expects her to stay quiet and behave, no matter the pain she feels. Her world feels broken. But when Meg, her brother, and their friend embark on a journey to battle IT, the controlling force behind the Dark Thing, she discovers that much of reality is hidden from everyday sight.

That feels true to me. I believe there is a spiritual reality just as invisible, often ignored or denied, yet no less real. In L’Engle’s story, Meg must fight a darkness that demands conformity. On the planet ruled by the Dark Thing, all people are expected to act, think, and even bounce balls in sync. No diversity. No deviation. Just fear and control.

That sounds uncomfortably familiar. In our own society, we’re witnessing an erosion of freedom cloaked in the language of order. Immigrants are being detained in disturbing numbers,  ripped from homes, off streets, even out of courthouses, often for no real reason. The media is attacked, academic institutions are undermined, and fear is used as a tool to suppress dissent. It’s all too easy to see the parallels.

And yet, through it all, what gives Meg the strength to resist isn’t power or strategy, it’s love. Fierce, protective, stubborn love, love for her family, and their love for her. That is what allows her to face the darkness and refuse to be consumed by IT. That’s where the hope lies.

It’s a message we desperately need: that we can stand strong in the face of injustice not with violence or bitterness, but through the strength of our love and our commitment to one another. When we fight for liberty and justice for all, we are standing on the side of love, on the side of what is good and true.

Meg didn’t know how she would make a difference. But she didn’t give up. She persisted.

We need to do the same. Despite the voices that dismiss us as overreacting or naive, we must hold on to hope. We must believe in the quiet power of relentless love. Like the love of a parent who will fight to the ends of the earth for their child.

In the end, love will win. And I’m praying it’s sooner rather than later.