The Girls Who Grew Big

Mottley is a dazzling writer and this novel opens up the world of young mothers in all its makeshift, sticky, struggling glory. The Girls Who Grew Big is sensuous, gripping, and utterly believable * Emma Donoghue *This broken world is lucky to have Leila Mottley writing in it … Mottley is the real deal—a vital voice in the American literary tapestry, giving us a full, empathetic understanding of the parts of life the rest of culture tells us to ignore. * Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of Libertie *With impeccable and breathtaking prose, Mottley takes us into the treacherous terrain where girlhood and womanhood collide … The Girls live out loud and are flawed, tender, and absolutely unforgettable. Mottley continues to show us the power and beauty of her pen! * Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies *Raw, wild, and achingly beautiful, The Girls Who Grew Big is one of the most spiritually accurate and electric portrayals of motherhood I’ve ever read. Leila Mottley is the real deal * Rufi Thorpe, author of Margo’s Got Money Troubles *Mottley writes with a lyrical abandon * The New York Times Book Review, praise for Nightcrawling *Searing … An intimate portrait of a young black woman searching for autonomy and fulfillment * The New Yorker, praise for Nightcrawling *Revelatory … My god - that voice * The Washington Post, praise for Nightcrawling *Marks the dazzling arrival of a young writer with a voice and vision you won’t easily get out of your head * Guardian, praise for Nightcrawling *Uncommonly assured debut … Written with a poet’s ear and a novelist’s sense of character, structure and ambience * Observer, praise for Nightcrawling *Mottley’s fluid, instinctive writing soars … A remarkable debut … It is exciting to wonder what might lie ahead for this writer * The Times, praise for Nightcrawling *

Leila Mottley’s first novel, Nightcrawling, was a New York Times bestseller, an Oprah’s Book Club pick, and its longlisting made Leila the youngest ever Booker Prize nominee. She is the author of the poetry collection woke up no light, and was the 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. She was born and raised in Oakland, California, where she continues to live.