Janisse Ray wasn't your typical Southern girl; “feminism came early and naturally to me” (Ray 203). In his book Ecology of a Cracker Childhood Ray takes us through his childhood and his way of life. Ray talks about the land she grew up in and shows us that during her childhood she became a “tomboy” as her mother stated (Ray 203). In the South of the 60s this was frowned upon, women were supposed to fill a certain role. Janisse Ray's book is influenced by her gender and analyzes not only the stereotypes of men and women, but also the conflicts that arise from these stereotypes. The form of this work is influenced by the fact that Janisse is a woman. She feels a deep connection with the land where she grew up. “The landscape in which I was born, which possesses my body” (Ray 13). He definitely expresses his feelings of injustice towards the environment very differently than a man would. It also focuses on her desire not to accept her role as a typical woman. Not only did she refuse to act like a sweet, innocent little girl as a child, but as she grew up she defied the norm and attended college – and had a passion for science, which is rare in most girls. “When I was eighteen and far from my hometown, I recklessly and confidently dove into the world, not because it was a form of rebellion, as people might think, but as a form of healing and rebirth.” From this we can see Ray's desire to go off on her own and take a risk. She took the plunge and took control of her life by becoming independent. The lives of men and women are definitively depicted in this novel. The setting of the story is southern Georgia in the 1960s, a time when women were expected to fill a certain role in society. When he was younger he preferred to play... middle of the card... more vocal and fought for equality among all people. Ray feels these injustices towards women from the beginning of his life and continues to fight for them. When she was young she “raved to her [mother] about the injustice of women's work” (Ray 203). She was raised by her mother as a girly girl, but influenced by the land, her brothers, and her father, and chose to be who she wanted to be. Works Cited Haslanger, Sally, Tuana, Nancy and O'Connor, Peg, "Arguments in Feminism", The StanfordEncyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2011 edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL=.Ray, Janisse. Ecology of a cracker childhood. Canada: Milkweed Editions, 1999. 1-272. Print.Lavello, Nancy. "Women's Liberation Movement of the 1960s–1980s." Women's Liberation Movement. CT Evans and N. Sink., December 27, 2011. Web. March 7 2012.