Rubyfruit Jungle

Molly Bolt grows up in a poor Southern family with little inclination to accept the limits other people set for her. She is drawn to women, aware of the judgments surrounding that desire, and unwilling to treat either her sexuality or her background as a reason to apologise. As she moves toward adulthood, questions of belonging and ambition become inseparable from the practical task of making an independent life. Rita Mae Brown's coming-of-age novel follows a protagonist whose sharp humour and stubbornness challenge the roles offered to her. Class, family and sexual expectations shape the obstacles Molly encounters, but her insistence on defining herself keeps the story centred on the possibilities of a life beyond those expectations.