I'm glad she was born

from the writer's almanac today:
It's the birthday of the novelist Rita Mae Brown, born in Hanover, Pennsylvania (1944), who wrote Rubyfruit Jungle (1973), one of the first lesbian coming-of-age novels ever published in America. It was rejected by all the major publishers, so she went with a tiny press called Daughters, Inc., with no real advertising budget, but the book got passed around and became a word-of-mouth best seller, selling more than a million copies.

I was 15 the first time I read Rubyfruit Jungle, and I re-read it so many times, and so appreciatively, that I could probably act out the whole thing for you. anytime. just say the word. The same goes for a few other books... Franny & Zooey, for one. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. anytime.