Set against the backdrop of rural Ohio, Just Some Girl lyrically unpacks what it means to become a woman. While the author is initially nurtured by loving parents and strong sibling bonds, adolescence finds Schwanke lacking a sense of identity and feeling deeply insecure, like so many other teenage girls. To cope, she simultaneously reaches toward—and eventually fights against—disordered eating, alcohol abuse, painful relationships with men, and self-sabotage.

As Schwanke interrogates her experiences and choices, she makes connections between her life and the lives of other women: her mother, her sisters, a trusted professor, and the women she encounters in town, at church, or at work. This through-line captures the universal struggle—told from Schwanke’s unique perspective—to reject the deep roots of a patriarchal world.

In these essays, Schwanke proves herself to be an emerging literary voice, reminiscent of great essayists like Jo Ann Beard and Melissa Febos. She renders her life—difficulties and triumphs alike—with stark honesty, compassion, and curiosity. Just Some Girl is a powerful coming-of-age memoir about how place, family, and our own choices shape us into wise yet imperfect adults.