'A classic. Unless you hate to laugh, read it now' CHICAGO TRIBUNE 'What Beverly Donofrio makes you realise is that even very, very B-A-D girls can redeem themselves with pluck, luck, and gallows humour. Every swoop and dive of this roller coaster life presents another off-kilter view of humanity. You're just so glad it was Donofrio, and not you!' Jacki Lyden, author of DAUGHTER OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA 'She writes as though she was born without brakes- it's shrewd, touching, funny and astonishing.' Joanna Lumley 'She describes her relucant disastrous marriage at 17 and subsequent battle to educate herself, while brining up her son alone on welfare, with a humour and tenacity that is touching and shockingly funny... This sends her spare, witty prose dancing across the page.' OBSERVER

'Every swoop and dive of this roller coaster life presents another offkilter view of humanity.'

'Trouble began in 1963. I'm not blaming it on President Kennedy's assassination or its being the beginning of the sixties or the Vietnam War or The Beatles...The trouble I'm talking about was my first real trouble, the age-old trouble. The getting in trouble as in ' Is she in trouble?' trouble. As in pregnant. As in the girl who got pregnant in high school.' Beverly Ann Donofrio wasn't bad because she hung out with hoods - she was bad because she was a hood. Unable to attend college, she lost interest in everything but riding around in cars, drinking, smoking, and rebelling against authority. After her teenage marriage failed, Bev found herself at an elite New England university, books in one arm, child on the other. Then, furnished with ambition, dreams and five hundred dollars, she took herself and her son to New York to begin a career and a life. An outrageous and touching memoir, this is the story of a teenage mother who, as her son grows up, becomes an adult herself.

Beverly Donofrio studied at Wesleyan University, then went on to receive an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. Her work has appeared in The Village Voice and New York magazine. She is also the author of Looking for Mary.

2007-08-06 Brilliant, teaches teens what motherhood is like.

I read this book after the film and I thought this book really wonderful but really teaches older teens (especially girls who want children so early in life) that it is not so easy being a parent in teen years. I would definatly reccommed this book/film to anyone and it its definatly inspiring. Also a drug related film/book which people who take them suffer badly. Thank you for reading and I hope you find this helpful. For help with what age groups you should let read this and wheather you will enjoy this book or not.