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My Shitty Twenties
The baby’s father’s parting shot was “Enjoy your impending shitty, snotty, vomity twenties.”
When Emily Morris was 22 and half way through university, she found out she was pregnant. It felt like an alien invasion but her instincts took over and, despite being totally unmaternal, she found herself going ahead with the pregnancy.
My Shitty Twenties is based on an award-winning blog about being a single mum. Emily Morris started writing when her son was two and she needed to try to find something funny in a crap, banal day. Six years later, this is her story.
When Emily Morris was 22 and half way through university, she found out she was pregnant. It felt like an alien invasion but her instincts took over and, despite being totally unmaternal, she found herself going ahead with the pregnancy.
My Shitty Twenties is based on an award-winning blog about being a single mum. Emily Morris started writing when her son was two and she needed to try to find something funny in a crap, banal day. Six years later, this is her story.
314 pages, Paperback
Published July 15, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 12, 2017
My Shitty Twenties, by Emily Morris, is a memoir focusing on the author’s pregnancy and early years of motherhood. At twenty-two years of age, having just completed her second year of a three year degree course at Manchester University, the author was horrified to discover that she was pregnant. Nevertheless she decided to keep the baby. The father had no interest in either her or his child.
The book recounts how this party loving, messy living student had to defer the university life she loved and work full time whilst continuing to live in shared digs with students. Her mother offered her a room in her childhood home but Emily was reluctant to leave Manchester. Friends and family were supportive but she felt guilty at the prospect of single motherhood instead of a degree.
The account is searingly honest. There is none of the rose tinted, sugar coated wonder prevalent in typical tales of growing a child. This is the reality of a cessation of activities most regard as fun. Emily gave up cigarettes and alcohol. She discovered the long list of banned foods for mothers-to-be, and strangers all too eager to share with her their toxic views on a young, single woman bringing a child into the world alone. Whilst her friends continued to party, Emily grew fat and joined the on line forums frequented by opinionated women, where she learned the passive aggressive language of well-meaning advice.
When the baby was due Emily realised that she would have to move in with her mother. After the euphoria of escape to university this was difficult for all concerned. She would not bow to the popular notion that women should give birth as naturally as possible. She stayed in hospital for as long as they would keep her, eager for the medical professionals’ support.
Once home with her baby Emily endured the loneliness of early motherhood, the difficulties in simply leaving the house with a young child. Health Visitors pressured her into joining mother and baby groups; her experiences of these are painfully recounted. She now had little in common with many of her old friends.
Reluctant to conform to the widely derided stereotype of single mother on benefits, Emily was determined to find a job and fund her own place to live. She learned that employers regard mothers of young children as unreliable, especially when they have no partner to share the burden of the inevitable childhood sicknesses.
When her baby became a toddler Emily decided to use a small inheritance to prove to herself she could still enjoy life despite having a child. She started to find ways to take pride in what she could achieve.
This is not a book about a baby but rather a young woman becoming a mother, who would have preferred not to be single but just about coped anyway. The open and honest style of writing is refreshing and a welcome addition to the often infuriatingly upbeat accounts of parenting, a task that may be rewarding but is rarely easy. Emily’s treatment by the smug mums, signaling their virtues in the guise of advice or minor complaints, reminded me of my own experiences. Guilt and pressure to conform are ever present demons.
Around half of the book recounts the author’s pregnancy with the remainder focusing on the eighteen months after. Although I just occasionally lost engagement, and felt minor irritation when a recollection did not follow the mainly linear construction, this remained an empathetic read that many will relate to.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Salt.
The book recounts how this party loving, messy living student had to defer the university life she loved and work full time whilst continuing to live in shared digs with students. Her mother offered her a room in her childhood home but Emily was reluctant to leave Manchester. Friends and family were supportive but she felt guilty at the prospect of single motherhood instead of a degree.
The account is searingly honest. There is none of the rose tinted, sugar coated wonder prevalent in typical tales of growing a child. This is the reality of a cessation of activities most regard as fun. Emily gave up cigarettes and alcohol. She discovered the long list of banned foods for mothers-to-be, and strangers all too eager to share with her their toxic views on a young, single woman bringing a child into the world alone. Whilst her friends continued to party, Emily grew fat and joined the on line forums frequented by opinionated women, where she learned the passive aggressive language of well-meaning advice.
When the baby was due Emily realised that she would have to move in with her mother. After the euphoria of escape to university this was difficult for all concerned. She would not bow to the popular notion that women should give birth as naturally as possible. She stayed in hospital for as long as they would keep her, eager for the medical professionals’ support.
Once home with her baby Emily endured the loneliness of early motherhood, the difficulties in simply leaving the house with a young child. Health Visitors pressured her into joining mother and baby groups; her experiences of these are painfully recounted. She now had little in common with many of her old friends.
Reluctant to conform to the widely derided stereotype of single mother on benefits, Emily was determined to find a job and fund her own place to live. She learned that employers regard mothers of young children as unreliable, especially when they have no partner to share the burden of the inevitable childhood sicknesses.
When her baby became a toddler Emily decided to use a small inheritance to prove to herself she could still enjoy life despite having a child. She started to find ways to take pride in what she could achieve.
This is not a book about a baby but rather a young woman becoming a mother, who would have preferred not to be single but just about coped anyway. The open and honest style of writing is refreshing and a welcome addition to the often infuriatingly upbeat accounts of parenting, a task that may be rewarding but is rarely easy. Emily’s treatment by the smug mums, signaling their virtues in the guise of advice or minor complaints, reminded me of my own experiences. Guilt and pressure to conform are ever present demons.
Around half of the book recounts the author’s pregnancy with the remainder focusing on the eighteen months after. Although I just occasionally lost engagement, and felt minor irritation when a recollection did not follow the mainly linear construction, this remained an empathetic read that many will relate to.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Salt.
February 15, 2019
it was nice to read about motherhood from an honest point of view, as I can imagine it actually is for many people!
It’s not a bad book at all, But I’m not interested in having children, so I guess that’s where it fell flat for me.
I just wanted to read about how society treats single and/or young mothers, but it was a bit too long and some parts I skimmed.
But I would still recommend this one to people actually wanting kids, guess it’s more fun reading it then😁
It’s not a bad book at all, But I’m not interested in having children, so I guess that’s where it fell flat for me.
I just wanted to read about how society treats single and/or young mothers, but it was a bit too long and some parts I skimmed.
But I would still recommend this one to people actually wanting kids, guess it’s more fun reading it then😁
September 20, 2017
Twenty-two-year-old student Emily is pregnant and receives an email which shapes her future. From the baby’s father, it says: “enjoy your impending shitty, snotty, vomitty twenties”. It is the mid-2000s and Emily has choices. She decides to continue with the pregnancy but soon realises that she must leave her studies and her life in Manchester. Moving back in with her mother, she hides away in her childhood bedroom, and tentatively dips her toe into the prenatal world of online parenting chatrooms and hospital appointments. She is bombarded with information and is terrified by the expectations and sheer volume of things she is supposed to know. Now totally dependent on her mother, she feels frightened and alone. When the baby arrives, things are no better. Judgment appears at mother-and-baby groups, baby yoga and in the local park. Even her pram is judged. Emily attempts to rise above the stigma attached to “unmarried mothers” and wades through her shitty twenties with a child on her hip and with steadfast determination. A refreshingly honest account of single-motherhood and the realities facing young mothers today.
August 16, 2017
Morris is a humorous writer, to be sure. I don't understand, though, how some of the 'humorous' anecdotes she tells are actually funny at all. Letting an entire airplane full of people hold your child while you know he has lice? Not funny. Irresponsible, yes, but not funny, no matter how good the comedic timing is while telling it.
I picked up this book hoping for a memoir that was relatable, but the way that Morris responds to some situations made me cringe. I'm not looking for perfection in a story about a mother (hopefully society is moving way past THAT expectation), but the author is selfish and immature and I spent the entire book waiting for her to grow out of it....which she didn't. This book fell flat because of it.
I picked up this book hoping for a memoir that was relatable, but the way that Morris responds to some situations made me cringe. I'm not looking for perfection in a story about a mother (hopefully society is moving way past THAT expectation), but the author is selfish and immature and I spent the entire book waiting for her to grow out of it....which she didn't. This book fell flat because of it.
August 27, 2020
A fun read (especially before bed) due to the warm humorous tone. I genuinely learned a lot about infants + giving birth. A bit too long and episodic at the end. Would have benefited more from a narrative arc (the Australia trip at the end especially felt like a list or a litany/summary, not like it had any actual stakes in the plot). But overall a sweet story.
August 7, 2021
Bought this book on the recommendation of another author. Tbh i thought it was going to be a bit of a drag, but i loved it. Really well written, relatable, funny and eye opening. I would recommend this to anyone to read.
April 8, 2024
Outstanding! Finally an honest portrayal of single motherhood and how you can still lead a successful life.
September 4, 2017
I'm not a mother (though I've got the single bit down pat) - but you don't need to be to love this book.
It's funny, it's wrenching, it's joyful. This is the beauty of a well-written memoir: you can feel a planet apart from the author in terms of life experience, but you slip into their shoes all the same.
Morris' writing catches you from the first page. The prose is often beautiful, yet never overblown. Her account is honest, and well-paced. I didn't feel bored by a single page, and I only wish I could have read more about Tom growing up (probably hard to beat the cockroach anecdote though).
If you're a single parent, get this. If you're not, get it anyway.
It's funny, it's wrenching, it's joyful. This is the beauty of a well-written memoir: you can feel a planet apart from the author in terms of life experience, but you slip into their shoes all the same.
Morris' writing catches you from the first page. The prose is often beautiful, yet never overblown. Her account is honest, and well-paced. I didn't feel bored by a single page, and I only wish I could have read more about Tom growing up (probably hard to beat the cockroach anecdote though).
If you're a single parent, get this. If you're not, get it anyway.
November 2, 2017
Down-to-earth, funny and honest. It dripped with love and I really enjoyed reading it. As a 22-year-old (without a baby) I've recently been introduced to the land of yummy-mummies and newly-happy (sorry, newly-married) people as my school generation have started procreating already. If I'm ever a mother, in whatever circumstances, I hope I can be as good as one, even haphazardly, as Emily appears to be in her book. An inspiration to all mothers out there as far as I can tell and a really good read.
July 25, 2017
Beautifully written, astute, funny, honest and incredibly heartwarming - one woman's tale of her transition from student to single mum. I read it in two days, and really enjoyed spending time in the company of Emily as she got to grips with pregnancy and motherhood, tackling doubts and depression and ultimately doing it her way. Inspiring.
July 26, 2017
Let's get it out of the way. Emily Morris is a hell of a writer.
Funny and poignant, her memoir of becoming a mother in the kind of circumstances that make sour women in cafes tut and yoga-loving yummy mummies roll her eyes should probably be on the curriculum.
It's honest, it pulls no punches about motherhood, and it's written from the heart. Highly recommended. Five stars.
Funny and poignant, her memoir of becoming a mother in the kind of circumstances that make sour women in cafes tut and yoga-loving yummy mummies roll her eyes should probably be on the curriculum.
It's honest, it pulls no punches about motherhood, and it's written from the heart. Highly recommended. Five stars.
April 6, 2021
At the age of 22, about to start her final year of university, Emily finds herself pregnant and left to deal with it alone by her oh-so-considerate friend with (not so many) benefits.
I really enjoyed this book for the most part. Morris’s real-life tale of single pregnancy and early motherhood felt genuine and warm, and highlighted so many stigmas society associates with single mothers with honest humour.
I really enjoyed this book for the most part. Morris’s real-life tale of single pregnancy and early motherhood felt genuine and warm, and highlighted so many stigmas society associates with single mothers with honest humour.
August 28, 2021
I‘ve never had kids and don‘t want any, thank you, especially not after reading Emily‘s memoir. Yikes! Brutally honest account of her pregnancy, labor and birth of her baby when she was 22. Witty writing. I‘d share a line or two if I knew how to get to my bookmarks in the Kindle app. lol (I actually wrote this review 4 years ago. I know how to get to my bookmarks now.)
February 3, 2019
Really enjoyed reading this - it's an honest account of what it's like to be pregnant and have a child, and I'm sure I'm not the first mum to identify with many of the author's observations!
Read
January 14, 2023The Coop
August 16, 2017
A searingly honest account of the author's experience of falling pregnant in her early twenties and raising a child as a single parent. This is incredibly well written and delivered so much more than I was expecting, it's certainly opened my eyes about how damaging people's prejudices can be.
September 25, 2017
... her reflections on society’s responses to pregnancy and motherhood makes this a political book. Attitudes to single mothers have become less punishing in recent decades, yet Emily still felt shamed by her predicament: not, as in the bad old days, because it’s evidence that unmarried people have sex, but because she feels foolish for not safeguarding against pregnancy. Theses have been written (I imagine; if they haven’t, they certainly ought to have been) on how pregnant women are involuntary containers for society’s projections. Likewise single mothers and any woman, it seems, who impedes the frantic pace of modern life by inhabiting social space with a child and its necessary accoutrements.
Two novels and a memoir about caring for babies http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/...
Two novels and a memoir about caring for babies http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/...
April 8, 2020
I borrowed this book from the library as I wanted to read more factual/biographical reads. It was easy to get through and made me feel for Emily and her struggles with impending motherhood. It also made me realise how much we judge as a society and how no matter what we do, there will always be someone judging us. It was an emotional read as at times I was reminded that this was Emily’s actual life and not a work of fiction. I loved it!
March 13, 2018
One of my favourite books released in 2017. Morris finds hilarity in even the scariest of situations. One hell of a book and for me, a lesson in empathy.
February 22, 2018
Morris's tale of single motherhood in her early twenties is honest, poignant and uplifting without being trite. A really great read
February 1, 2018
A brutally honest account of one woman's experience of raising her child alone. If you have ever been in this situation the anecdotes about stereotyping of single mothers should sound very familiar, and the writer tells them in a way that is both humorous and saddening at the same time. Due to the cordial and heartfelt use of colloquial language, the book is easily accessible and a quick read.
My only real criticism is the sudden jump in timeframe towards the end, when the baby becomes an older child between chapters, implying that as soon as the author became used to the idea of a child, the rest of single parenthood was easy. This has not been my experience and I felt more could have been made of this section of her life. But overall I enjoyed it nonetheless.
My only real criticism is the sudden jump in timeframe towards the end, when the baby becomes an older child between chapters, implying that as soon as the author became used to the idea of a child, the rest of single parenthood was easy. This has not been my experience and I felt more could have been made of this section of her life. But overall I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews