Solomon was born in Kiev in 1908. Her birthdate is unknown, but she chose April 21 -- the same birthday as one of her childhood friends. She emigrated to the United States with her family when she was 3 years old.
Raised in Fall River, Mass., and Freeport, N.Y., Solomon graduated from Syracuse University in 1929 with a degree in political science. She was the first female captain of the debate team.
In 1930, she married Joseph Solomon and moved to Vienna, Austria, where she earned a graduate degree in humanities from the University of Vienna.
Nine years later, the couple moved to San Francisco, where Ruth Solomon raised two sons, Daniel and George. A member of Congregation Emanu-El, she also volunteered for a number of organizations including the Friends of Langley Porter Clinic, the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning and the Advisory Committee to U.C. Berkeley's School of Health.
Although Solomon published her last novel in 1974, she continued to write articles up until her death. When she wasn't writing, she filled her days with friends and acquaintances -- among them Golda Meir, Robert Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt and Abba Eban.
"She had an enormous list of famous confidantes. I'm not even sure how she came to know all these important people," Solomon said. "She didn't talk about it. Perhaps that's why she received so many confidences."