Five of the strongest single mothers in fiction

At B & N Reads Jenny Shank tagged five of the strongest fictional single moms, including:
Nerese “Tweetie” Ammons (Samaritan, by Richard Price)

Detective Nerese Ammons is the kind of single mom who makes the world go round. Not only is she a capable detective, solving crimes and teaching kids from the impoverished New Jersey neighborhood she clawed her way out of how to stay clear of trouble,