CAITLIN MORAN was brought up on a council estate in Wolverhampton where she was home-educated, wore a poncho and had boys throw stones at her whilst calling her 'a bummer'. She published a children's novel, The Chronicles of Narmo, at the age of 16, then became a columnist at The Times at the age of 18 which, yeah, looking back now is kind of weird. At one point she was Columnist, Interviewer and Critic of the Year - so in your face, 'bummer' boys. Her multi-award-winning bestseller How To Be a Woman was published in 25 countries, was a New York Times bestseller and won the British Book Awards Book of the Year. Her second book, Moranthology, was a Sunday Times bestseller. With her sister, she co-writes the Channel 4 sitcom Raised by Wolves. Caitlin lives on Twitter with her husband and two children, where she spends her time tweeting either about civil rights issues, or that picture of Bruce Springsteen when he was 25 and has his top off. She would like to be remembered as 'a very sexual humanitarian'.
Brilliantly observed, thrillingly rude and laugh-out-loud funny -- Helen Fielding A Portnoy's Complaint for girls... when I see this book described as laugh-out-loud funny I feel affronted; it could make you laugh out loud with one hand tied behind its back, while wanking itself off to fantasies of Satan. Laughing out loud is just the start -- Zoe Williams * The Guardian * spirited coming of age novel romps from strength to strength...I'm a Moran fan -- Lionel Shriver * The Times * This isn't a sleek, slick novel, but it is a rambunctious, raw-edged, silly-profound and deeply relatable guide to what your worst mistakes can teach you, and it has much to offer teenagers both actual and inner * The Independent * I have so much love for Caitlin Moran -- Lena Dunham Binge-read all of #HowToBuildAGirl in one sitting. Even missed supper. A first -- Nigella Lawson She writes with breathtaking brio...Moran shows her shining soul - which is even more remarkable than her wit - when she writes about being young, looking for love and the utter vileness of the class system . . .almost every page has something on it which makes you smile, makes you sad or makes you think - often all three at once, in one sentence -- Julie Burchill * The Spectator * A riotous read with jokes galore cut through with lightly handled serious observations about the nature of poverty and the challenges of emerging female sexuality. It is also stunningly rude... * Sunday Express * Exuberant, funny coming-of-age tale with a highly-literate, resourceful Wolverhampton teen at its centre. As building girls goes this is one alternative instruction manual every woman should read * Daily Express * The self-conscious agonies of precocious yet sensitive Dolly ring painfully true, while the witty sex scenes, boozy anecdotes and one-liners make this great fun... * Sunday Mirror * An exuberant coming of age novel in DMs and ripped tights * Tatler * So funny it hurts. How to Build a Girl is Adrian Mole meets Fear of Flying. I predict they'll be tears a plenty - both of laughter and excruciating recognition - on sun-loungers this summer * Harper's Bazaar * Moran is a brilliantly funny writer, and How To Build A Girl is brimful of jokes * FT * This very British (and very naughty) coming-of-age novel will have you in literal hysterics! * Company * terrific - funny, honest and deliciously rude -- Alice O'Keefe * The Bookseller * This is going to be a bestseller...A sharp, hilarious and controversial read * The Bookseller * I laughed aloud at this funny, outrageous story of a girl from Wolverhampton council estate who reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde * Woman & Home * as irreverent, amusing and vibrant as Moran herself * GQ * rowdy and fearless ... sloppy, big-hearted and alive in all the right ways * New York Times * Ms. Moran['s] ... funny and cheerfully dirty coming-of-age novel has a hard kernel of class awareness ... sloppy, big-hearted and alive in all the right ways. -- Dwight Garner * New York Times * there's so much real feeling too. Johanna's vulnerability and bravado, as she moves out of her world and falls in love is beautifully done' or ` and running through it all, with a visceral power that most writers should envy, is the shame and grinding anxiety of being poor * Sunday Times * Moran also writes brilliantly about music, and especially about what music can do. She carries Johanna through this novel with incredible verve, extravagant candour, and a lot of heart. Johanna is ... a wonderful heroine. A heroine who cares, who bravely sallies forth and makes things happen, who gives of herself, who is refreshingly unashamed. She's so confident, it's glorious * The Independent on Sunday * an entertaining read, with Moran in fine voice - hilarious, wild, imaginative and highly valuable...Moran is in danger of becoming to female masturbation what Keats was to Nightingales... -- Barbara Ellen * The Observer *