The life of Ruby Langford Ginibi is a story of triumph against the odds. She was born on a mission station, and her mother left the family when Langford was six years old. At the age of 16 she embarked on the first of four tumultuous relationships and went on to raise nine children, working as a fencer, cleaner and machinist. Three of her children died, and one son has spent almost half his life in correctional institutions. In 1984, after shaking off an alcohol addiction, Langford wrote her autobiography Don't Take Your Love to Town, which won the 1988 Human Rights Literary Award.