Fresh Air Doula & Novelist Leila Mottley On The Nuance Of Young Parenthood
Jul 9, 2025
Leila Mottley, a celebrated author and poet known for her debut novel Nightcrawling, discusses her second novel, The Girls Who Grew Big, which highlights the struggles of teenage mothers. She explores the complexities of young parenthood, community support, and societal perceptions while addressing current reproductive rights issues. Mottley reflects on the resilience of young Black women amid vulnerability and shares her journey as a novelist, balancing personal storytelling with audience expectations, all against a backdrop of urban change in Oakland.
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Reframing Teen Parenthood
- Society teaches that teen pregnancy is a moral failure rather than a circumstance.
- Young parenthood is unfairly demonized despite the universal challenges of motherhood.
Doula Experience Shapes Writing
- Leila Mottley became a doula at 18 and supports prenatal, birth, postpartum, and abortion care.
- She witnessed the isolation and transformation new parents experience, especially young mothers.
Florida Setting Mirrors Characters
- Setting the novel in a small, overlooked Southern town symbolizes the characters' undervalued existence.
- The town's escapist culture contrasts with the harsh realities the young mothers face.
