Timeless Tomboy

By Charles Foti

Joanna James will turn 13 in two months. She considers herself a tomboy since she loathes wearing dresses and her favorite activities include climbing trees, playing sports, riding her bike, and watching girls. She prefers to be called Jo and she has no interest in the boys in 7th grade, or any other grade.
This is a coming of age tale that takes place between Columbus Day weekend, 1964, and February, 1965. The Vietnam War is escalating, race relations are simmering, and Jo finds herself in a battle with the school principal over the dress code. In 6th grade, teachers allowed girls to wear pants under their skirts, but suddenly, the school board is cracking down. Pants are no longer being tolerated.
The story opens with Jo meeting a mysterious girl in the park. Raven Cromwell captures her heart in an instant and the two girls agree to meet again next Saturday. Raven lives in the hills with her parents. She is homeschooled and she has no siblings. When they meet again, the bond strengthens and Raven reveals her secret. She and her parents are telepathic. Her father works for NASA and his telepathic ability and his high IQ allow him to solve issues as the government plans to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
At first, Jo does not believe the 13-year-old, but soon Raven reads Jo's most inner thoughts. The jig is up. 12-year-old Jo has a passionate crush on Raven, and she is no longer able to hide her truth. Raven can see into her mind and into her heart. As Jo copes with her astonishment and embarrassment, she begins to accept the fact that she prefers girls over boys. It is 1964 and such secrets are taboo in their little community. Jo begins to relish in her self-discovery and her deep desire to keep meeting Raven continues to build.
As Jo turns 13 in December, she develops a crush on her brother's girlfriend, Lily, and later she becomes enthralled with Lily's younger sister, Jeanette. Although Raven owns her heart, Jo continues to explore her feelings for Lily and Jeanette as she accepts herself and opens her mind to the possibilities. She finds herself standing up against racial injustice, battling the dress code, and questioning the military draft that looms over her brother's head.
Jo is evolving into a "radical" in the eyes of the conservative principal and a bigoted neighbor as she not only accepts her own sexual preference, but relishes in her passion for her own gender. She is a tomboy who loves sports, despises dresses, adores Motown and blues records, and is enthralled with pretty girls who wear dresses. Jo likes girls who are open-minded and intelligent and meeting Raven in the park not only rocks her world, but also opens her heart to her destiny.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B09KN7VYKY
• ISBN13: 9798755684231
• Release Date: October 2021
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 158 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"