
Bookends with Mattea Roach Here’s what you have wrong about teen moms
Nov 19, 2025
26:11
Leila Mottley was only 17 years-old when she wrote her debut novel, Nightcrawling … and she was 20 when she became the youngest author ever to make the Booker Prize longlist. After that incredible start, Leila is now back with her second novel, called The Girls Who Grew Big. It’s about a group of young mothers who navigate growing up and raising children in a town that ostracizes them. This week, Leila joins Mattea to talk about the nuances of teen motherhood, why she’s so focused on “home” and how she handles major success at a young age.
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