Summary

On April 5, 1988, Caitlin Moran turns thirteen and gets chased by a group of remorseless boys (whom she calls “Yobs”), who call her rude names and throw rocks at her. They tease her for her androgynous, almost masculine dressing style. Her “dumb” dog Saffron does nothing to protect Caitlin from her tormentors. Caitlin is understandably upset, crying on her front porch because the three-bedroom house shared by her parents and five siblings is too crowded for privacy. Caitlin, ever optimistic, changes gears rapidly for her birthday party, happy to eat a baguette with cream cheese in lieu of a birthday cake. She writes cheerfully in her diary about her day, only briefly referencing the bullies, re-framing it as their burgeoning sexual interest.

The age of thirteen launches Caitlin into “womanhood,” the beginning of her teen years...