 Since her parents spent a lot of time in their store, Greene was raised mainly by her family's African-American housekeeper, Ruth, who was Greene's model for the character of the same name in Greene's debut novel, "Summer of My German Soldier" (1973).Just before Greene entered high school, her family returned to Memphis.Although she began writing for newspapers during her high school years and even won first prize in a local essay contest, she received poor grades in English because of her difficulties with spelling and punctuation.