Molly Bolt grows up in impoverished rural Florida and York, Pennsylvania, refusing to conform to the expectations of her adoptive mother or the social dictates of the mid-twentieth century. She pursues an education and a career in filmmaking while navigating a series of romantic relationships with women. The narrative follows her from childhood through her arrival in New York City, documenting her refusal to apologize for her sexuality or her ambition. Molly rejects the period’s clinical views on lesbianism, instead treating her identity as a natural fact.
Readers interested in the evolution of feminist literature and lesbian social history read this book to see a protagonist who abandons the role of the victim. It appeals to those studying class mobility and the specific obstacles faced by women in the arts during the 1960s and 70s. The reader walks away with a clear perspective on self-reliance and an understanding of how individual defiance challenged the era’s political and sexual norms before the rise of modern pride movements.
Inward-looking and thought-provoking; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1973
- Language
- EN
