Annotation #4 – November 28, 2007
Title: Rubyfruit Jungle
Author: Rita Mae Brown
Publication: 1973
Number of Pages: 246
Genre: Aternative Lifestyle
Geographical Setting: York, Pennsylvania, Gainesville, Florida and New York City
Time Period: 1950-1960’s
Series: N/A
Plot Summary: This is the story about Molly Bolt, a strong-willed young girl adopted by a poor Southern couple. Growing up in the 1950’s, in a small rural town of Pennsylvania, Molly is an excellent student, an attractive young lady, and she discovers her lesbianism at an early age. As she grows older she rebels and ventures out with her cousin Leroy, and gets into mischievous trouble. Her adopted mother cannot tolerate her behavior, and she continuously belittles her, and kicks her out of her house. Although, Molly is not afraid to speak her mind, she yearns to learn about her past, so she runs off alone and penniless to New York in search of herself.
Subject Headings: feminist fiction, Southern states, poor families, adoption, lesbianism, lesbians/gay, lesbian teenagers, gay/lesbian relationships, growing up/coming of age in America, sexuality, sexual exploration, homelessness, self acceptance, individuality, friendship, mothers and daughters, morality, filmmaking student, cinematography
Appeal: early literary lesbian novel, strong-willed protagonist, feminist causes, early childhood, teenagers, humorous, inspiring, witty, feisty, boisterous, sarcastic, fast-paced reading, short chapters, anger tone, dysfunctional families, strong language, swearing, slang, gutsy, expressive, social customs, character-centered, adopted orphan, written in first person, middle school, high school and university setting, goals and education, realistic, sad, sympathetic, conversational, teenage-sex, explicit sex, courageous, survival, rural and small town, exploring big city
Simalar Authors and Works (Fiction): Carla Trujillo—What Night Brings (Young Marci has an abusive father and at a young age she discovers she like girls. She dreams of becoming a boy so she could express her feelings freely.), Bett Williams—Girl Walking Backwards (Sixteen year old, Skye has complex issues, she feels out of place in school, alienated by her parents and suffers from self mutilation.), Shay Youngblood—Soul Kiss (Mariah is abandoned by her mother and raised by two women in rural Georgia.)
Similar Authors and Works (Nonfiction): Terry Castle—The literature of lesbianism: a historical anthology from Ariosto to Stonewall (Literary works on the subject of female homosexuality.), Helen Eisenbach—Lesbianism Made Easy (A self help book on understanding lesbianism.), Jeanette Howard—Out of Egypt (One woman’s journey out of lesbianism.)
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