A Step Beyond Innocence

by Nora Johnson

Johnson's second novel is the outgrowth of her groundbreaking article in Atlantic Monthly "Sex and the College Girl." The story follows a Miss Sally Fraits during her time at Smith College. Her life is complicated by the pull of marriage, which is more or less the expectations of her era and her peers, and her own desires to exist beyond the domestic domain.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Nora Johnson was the daughter of film writer, director and producer Nunnally Johnson, pivotal in such acclaimed films as 'The Grapes of Wrath'. She attended the Brearley School in New York City and in 1954 graduated from Smith College.

Her first and most well-known novel, The World of Henry Orient (1956), was based on her experiences at the Brearley School. In 1964 it was made into a movie produced and co-scripted by her father, Nunnally Johnson, and starring Peter Sellers. In 1957 The Atlantic Monthly published her influential article "Sex and the College Girl", which culled her experiences at Smith to discuss then-current attitudes towards sex on American campuses.

Reviews

[Lindsay_Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read about a young woman attending Smith college in the early sixties. Interesting to see the culture Sally is steeped in and the choices she faces. I enjoyed it. Nancy Pearl recommended.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Fun read about Sally Frait, a student at Smith College, and her adjustment to college, the men in her life, etc. Very dated, but that is what I like about it. The character of Sally annoyed me, but I liked the time period and the academic setting.