"Febos''s own voice is so irreverent and original. The aim of this book, though, is not simply to tell about her own life, but to listen to the pulses of many others''. In her author''s note, Febos writes that she has ''found company in the stories of other women, and the revelation of all our ordinariness has itself been curative.'' This solidarity puts Girlhood in a feminist canon that includes Febos''s idol, Adrienne Rich, and Maggie Nelson''s theory-minded masterpieces: smart, radical company, and not ordinary at all." -- The New York Times Book Review "Anyone who has ever been a girl or a woman will recognize the patterns Febos uncovers: the unwanted touch, the expectations of our bodies, the way we become complicit in the traps laid out for us along the way by the patriarchal structures that govern so many of our social, professional, and interpersonal spheres . By following Febos'' distinct paths between the past and present, we might realize there''s room to forge our own, and that we''ve just been handed a flashlight that helps illuminate the way." --NPR, "Books We Love" "The harrowing nature of transformation is Girlhood''s core subject, and in seven chapters Febos explores the interconnected aspects of patriarchy and the marks that they''ve left on her . The book''s centerpiece is a magisterial, seventy-six-page essay on what Febos terms ''empty consent''-not merely agreeing to unwanted sex, but the ways in which women are programmed to collaborate in their own diminishment .

Febos has some idea of how to break this cycle . She is also, perhaps, correcting the story of the girl-dreamer, whose elegy, it turns out, may have been premature-she lives to mother the woman." -- The New Yorker "I wish I could have read Girlhood when I was young . Over the course of eight essays with poignant illustrations by Forsyth Harmon, Febos interrogates the strength, savvy and vulnerabilities of girlhood . whether examining adolescent bullying and the etymological roots of the word ''slut'' or exploring the evolution of consent against the backdrop of cuddle parties, Febos illuminates how women are conditioned to be complicit in our own exploitation. Like much of her scholarship, it begins with somatic knowledge of the self." -- The Washington Post , "Best of the Year" "In eight haunting essays, Melissa Febos unearths the trauma of her adolescence as she picks apart the burdens that accompany being a young woman. In sharing the darkness that clouded her coming of age, Febos asks pointed questions about the expectations placed on women and how they impact a person''s sense of self.

" -- Time, "Must-Read Books of the Year" "Febos is an intoxicating writer, but I found myself most grateful for the vivid clarity of her thinking . disquisitive and catalytic--it doesn''t demand change so much as expose certain injustices so starkly that you might feel you cannot abide them another minute . I never once needed trigonometry and I couldn''t find Catullus in a crossword these days, but Febos'' education is a kind I surely could have used." -- The Atlantic "Febos combines personal, cultural, investigative, and scholarly passages to ferociously dissect the lessons that shaped her, and the result is a book that fills the educational void she''d noticed . A guide for women to redefine themselves." -- Boston Globe "Intellectual and erotic, engaging and empowering, Girlhood lays bare the process of unlearning the most deeply ingrained lesson of female adolescence-that we ourselves are not masters of our own domain-and offers us exquisite, ferocious language for embracing self-pleasure and self-love." -- O, the Oprah Magazine "I read Girlhood in a long, marvelous guzzle and plan to teach it. Its language and emotional candor deepen the conversation on sexuality and the horrible liberties taken when we''re way too young to consent.

But there''s not an ounce of victim in Melissa Febos and she''s a hero without ever trying to be. A classic!" --Mary Karr "To counter society''s patriarchal standards and stereotypes enmesh girls in a web of unreachable expectations of mind, body and soul, Melissa Febos offers ideas to disrupt the normative narratives surrounding girlhood and encourages us to recreate ourselves according to ourselves." -- Ms. "Drawing on personal history, cultural analysis, and investigative reporting, Melissa Febos interrogates the meaning of girlhood, the narratives we''ve been sold, and the realities of growing up a woman." -- Buzzfeed , "Most Anticipated Books of 2021" "Melissa Febos is a precise, visceral chronicler of what it means to be a woman in the world . [ Girlhood e''ve just been handed a flashlight that helps illuminate the way." --NPR, "Books We Love" "The harrowing nature of transformation is Girlhood''s core subject, and in seven chapters Febos explores the interconnected aspects of patriarchy and the marks that they''ve left on her . The book''s centerpiece is a magisterial, seventy-six-page essay on what Febos terms ''empty consent''-not merely agreeing to unwanted sex, but the ways in which women are programmed to collaborate in their own diminishment .

Febos has some idea of how to break this cycle . She is also, perhaps, correcting the story of the girl-dreamer, whose elegy, it turns out, may have been premature-she lives to mother the woman." -- The New Yorker "I wish I could have read Girlhood when I was young . Over the course of eight essays with poignant illustrations by Forsyth Harmon, Febos interrogates the strength, savvy and vulnerabilities of girlhood . whether examining adolescent bullying and the etymological roots of the word ''slut'' or exploring the evolution of consent against the backdrop of cuddle parties, Febos illuminates how women are conditioned to be complicit in our own exploitation. Like much of her scholarship, it begins with somatic knowledge of the self." -- The Washington Post , "Best of the Year" "In eight haunting essays, Melissa Febos unearths the trauma of her adolescence as she picks apart the burdens that accompany being a young woman. In sharing the darkness that clouded her coming of age, Febos asks pointed questions about the expectations placed on women and how they impact a person''s sense of self.

" -- Time, "Must-Read Books of the Year" "Febos is an intoxicating writer, but I found myself most grateful for the vivid clarity of her thinking . disquisitive and catalytic--it doesn''t demand change so much as expose certain injustices so starkly that you might feel you cannot abide them another minute . I never once needed trigonometry and I couldn''t find Catullus in a crossword these days, but Febos'' education is a kind I surely could have used." -- The Atlantic "Febos combines personal, cultural, investigative, and scholarly passages to ferociously dissect the lessons that shaped her, and the result is a book that fills the educational void she''d noticed . A guide for women to redefine themselves." -- Boston Globe "Intellectual and erotic, engaging and empowering, Girlhood lays bare the process of unlearning the most deeply ingrained lesson of female adolescence-that we ourselves are not masters of our own domain-and offers us exquisite, ferocious language for embracing self-pleasure and self-love." -- O, the Oprah Magazine "I read Girlhood in a long, marvelous guzzle and plan to teach it. Its language and emotional candor deepen the conversation on sexuality and the horrible liberties taken when we''re way too young to consent.

But there''s not an ounce of victim in Melissa Febos and she''s a hero without ever trying to be. A classic!" --Mary Karr "To counter society''s patriarchal standards and stereotypes enmesh girls in a web of unreachable expectations of mind, body and soul, Melissa Febos offers ideas to disrupt the normative narratives surrounding girlhood and encourages us to recreate ourselves according to ourselves." -- Ms. "Drawing on personal history, cultural analysis, and investigative reporting, Melissa Febos interrogates the meaning of girlhood, the narratives we''ve been sold, and the realities of growing up a woman." -- Buzzfeed , "Most Anticipated Books of 2021" "Melissa Febos is a precise, visceral chronicler of what it means to be a woman in the world . [ Girlhood l roots of the word ''slut'' or exploring the evolution of consent against the backdrop of cuddle parties, Febos illuminates how women are conditioned to be complicit in our own exploitation. Like much of her scholarship, it begins with somatic knowledge of the self." -- The Washington Post , "Best of the Year" "In eight haunting essays, Melissa Febos unearths the trauma of her adolescence as she picks apart the burdens that accompany being a young woman.

In sharing the darkness that clouded her coming of age, Febos asks pointed questions about the expectations placed on women and how they impact a person''s sense of self." -- Time, "Must-Read Books of the Year" "Febos is an intoxicating writer, but I found myself most grateful for the vivid clarity of her thinking . disquisitive and catalytic--it doesn''t demand change so much as expose certain injustices so starkly that you might feel you cannot abide them another minute . I never once needed trigonometry and I couldn''t find Catullus in a crossword these days, but Febos'' education is a kind I surely could have used." -- The Atlantic "Febos combines personal, cultural, investigat.