Just Some Girl: Growing Up in the Rural Midwest

By Jen Schwanke

Set against the backdrop of rural Ohio, Just Some Girl lyrically unpacks what it means to become a woman. While the author is initially nurtured by loving parents and strong sibling bonds, adolescence finds Schwanke lacking a sense of identity and feeling deeply insecure, like so many other teenage girls. To cope, she simultaneously reaches toward--and eventually fights against--disordered eating, alcohol abuse, painful relationships with men, and self-sabotage.

As Schwanke interrogates her experiences and choices, she makes connections between her life and the lives of other women: her mother, her sisters, a trusted professor, and the women she encounters in town, at church, or at work. This through-line captures the universal struggle--told from Schwanke's unique perspective--to reject the deep roots of a patriarchal world.

In these essays, Schwanke proves herself to be an emerging literary voice, reminiscent of great essayists like Jo Ann Beard and Melissa Febos. She renders her life--difficulties and triumphs alike--with stark honesty, compassion, and curiosity. Just Some Girl is a powerful coming-of-age memoir about how place, family, and our own choices shape us into wise yet imperfect adults.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1606355163
• ISBN13: 9781606355169
• Release Date: February 2027
• Publisher: Kent State University Press
• Length: 240 Pages