Jo, one of the story’s protagonists, takes on the role of protective older sister. A feminist and a lesbian, she spends her life finding the strength to value her truth. In the beginning, she’s fearless, an athletic tomboy who is sure of her sexuality and fights passionately for equal rights for everyone, including women, gay people, and all races, particularly Black people, who experience segregation during her childhood. Because the women she has relationships with early in her life cannot live openly, she cannot be fully be herself, and she experiences heartbreak. She rejects traditional femininity, and, as Bethie points out, she never cares about what others think, wearing her hair short, playing sports, and dressing as she wants. She and her mother have a troubled relationship because Sarah cannot accept Jo’s “unnatural” behaviors. Jo is much closer to her father, Ken, who accepts and supports her as she is. Jo also shows courage when she doesn’t deny the truth of who she is. While she never directly tells Sarah that she’s a lesbian, she never denies it and hopes Sarah can accept her, as her father did. Jo struggles with acceptance and following her unconventional dreams of being a writer and reuniting with Shelley.