Did you know that this was the first lesbian YA novel*? (In the U.S. or in English, I'm assuming.) And I would have been impressed, too, for how well the lesbian relationship is treated for 1976, if it weren't for the last page. Ugh, compulsory heterosexuality. Oh well. It turns out this is the second book in a trilogy, and the first book is about Ruby's sister — one of my favorite characters in the book: a bookworm who stands up to her abusive father — and the third is about her best friend, so I'm looking forward to reading those, which, if devoid of lesbian characters, will at least be very critical when it comes to race and class, since Rosa Guy was involved in black nationalist and other civil rights movements and you can see those politics in her fiction.

*It's also the first lesbian or gay YA novel to feature a non-white protagonist.

Not convinced by the central romance I'm afraid. The characters are well-drawn and strong though. ( )