Girl on the Block: A True Story of Coming of Age Behind the Counter – A Raw Memoir of Craft, Sexism, and the Male-Dominated Meat Trade

by Jessica Wragg

Gabrielle Hamilton meets April Bloomfield in a raw and rollicking memoir that pulls back the curtain on life as a female butcher. When 16-year-old Jessica Wragg applied for a job at the local farm shop in her hometown of Chesterfield, England, she never expected to land a position behind the all-male butchery counter. Young and enthusiastic, and fueled by a newfound fascination with the craft, Wragg quickly realized that she was an outcast in a world of middle-aged men who spoke a secret language to fool customers and were reluctant to share the tricks of their trade with a novice. A decade later, against all odds, Wragg is pulling back the curtain on an industry that is still problematically set in its old-school ways. Like her female counterparts in the restaurant world, she has had to fight to establish herself in the meat industry, memorizing muscle and bone and tendon, while battling sexism and ageism. Girl on the Block is a fish-out-of-water story that blends Wragg's personal journey with an exploration of the sanctity of her craft and an honest look at the modern meat industry. A tour through one of the oldest, dirtiest, and most fascinating professions, Girl on the Block is Wragg's tale of returning home with blood on her boots at the end of fourteen-hour days and finding her way in the end.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Food, Foodie, Audiobook, Biography, Biography Memoir

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2019

About the author

Jessica Wragg is an author from Derbyshire. A butcher since she was sixteen, her first book entitled Girl on the Block, will be published by Dey Street on the 6th August 2019. It combines her love of writing with a career in the meat industry spanning over a decade. Her previous work has appeared in various publications, notably Lenny Letter and Vice. Throughout her career, she has been featured in the independent, the Daily Mail, and starred in short films with Channel 4, ABC and the BBC as well as working on a nationwide media campaign for Tabasco sauce. She regularly takes part in talks and panel discussions regarding women in male dominated industries and is Red Cross ambassador for the EmpowHER campaign. She currently resides in Brixton, South London

Reviews

[Sarah Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the descriptions of craft butchery very interesting, but the story itself is fairly ordinary and lacks the necessary insight to make it worthy of a memoir. I would go up to 2.5 stars if half stars were an option, but 3 feels too generous.

[Lee Woodruff · Rating 5 out of 5]

he vein of the tell-all foodie-memoir trend, (ala Anthony Bourdain or Sweetbitter) Britain’s top female butcher tells the story of how a simple job at 16 behind the local butcher counter in Chesterfield, England led to her journey as a rising star. She pulls the curtain back on the all-male meat industry and gives us a ringside seat to what it was like to be the only woman in the ultra-competitive, tradition-bound industry.
Finding herself behind the all-male counter, her too-large boots and apron splattered with blood and animal innards, Wragg learned the craft of butchery and realizes she is falling in love with this “art form.”
As her career moves forward, she masters animal anatomy and knife skills and begins to realize she can bring her concepts for ethical meat eating to the industry and help rise of the other “women of meat” in the process. A talented writer, the book is also peppered with recipes, facts about meat and explanations for the layman about how and when to carve.

[Meredith Spidel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely, true tale of the struggle of a young woman in a unique setting. Inspiring journey that leaves you cheering for Wragg every step of the way!

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the art of butchering through reading this book and certainly developed a greater appreciation for it, for animals and the respect we need to pay to any meat on our plates or in our markets. That said, the book was a tad disjointed in places (no pun intended) as it would switch from butchery to personal travails. I know that's what a memoir is all about, but I found the interspersed bits about dating problems to be a distraction in that they didn't add much to the story and came at awkward points. Interesting book and professional life story (thus far).

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Jessica Wragg was 16 she got a job in a local farm store. While she was hired to work the register in the butcher area, she became interested in learning to work as a butcher after seeing the butchers at work. Because she was young and a woman she had a hard time getting the butchers to teach her anything, but eventually she did learn how to do some actual butchering. In college she worked part time at a more well-known butcher shop in London and eventually went on to work in marketing for an up-and-coming butcher shop. While parts of her story were interesting, there was a LOT of sexual harassment and really terrible work environments literally everywhere she worked in this book. I know it's often harder for women to be taken seriously in commercial kitchens and in butcher shops, but her experiences make me wonder why she even kept going in that field. The last chapter was more about drama with her boyfriend than anything else. She did give some information about meat and butchery between chapters, but overall it was just OK. Thankfully it was a pretty quick read.

A quote I did like:

"On average, one pound of industrially farmed chicken costs two dollars, while free-range cost five dollars. One pound of ground beef from intensive farms cost five dollars, while free-range costs almost nine dollars. As consumers, what we see first is the price. And it's easy to understand why we would opt for the cheaper and more convenient option, neatly packaged and ready for us to simply pick up and put in our basket. What we don't see are the larger ethical and environmental implications that go hand in hand with choosing to buy meat that has been reared quickly in a confined space and on a mass scale." (p. 80)

[Beth Jusino · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book rushed to press after a blog went viral, and it shows. I was hoping for a foodie memoir about food choices, hard physical work, and gender roles. Instead, I found a series of half-organized vignettes about the self-absorbed years of late high school and college, written by a (spoiler alert) marketing manager who still seasonally moonlights at her high school job. I finished it wishing the author had given her work (and perspective) as much time to dry age, deepening the flavors, as her employers give their beef.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Reviewed for Shelf Awareness.)

I read this coming from a farming and restaurant background and still found it entertaining and educational. I loved the bits on how to tie a roast, cut a chicken, etc, plus Jessica Wragg's life story is a pretty interesting journey to follow.

I'm looking forward to reading more as she shakes up the butchering world and tells us all about it.

[Kristi Lamont · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unless you're super-interested in the art of butchery and the specifics of every cut of meat as described by a body-dysmorphic and ethically sketchy Millennial, don't bother with this book. I wish I hadn't.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

At 16 Jessica Wragg is a typical British teenager looking for a part time job. She goes to an interview knowing nothing about the business or about interviews. For some reason the interviewer hires her, probably thinking she won't last a day, and puts her in the butchery.
This neophyte has never really done any cooking, is unfamiliar with meat, has never been allowed to use sharp kitchen knives. All she has going for her is sheer stubbornness and a willingness to learn.
By her mid twenties, Jessica is a butcher and a writer. She has won a grudging respect in this male dominated field.
A highlight of the book are the pages between chapters on knives and how to sharpen them, dressing out a chicken, breaking down a lamb which is similar to any of the other animals and recipes.
The book is easy to read. There are times when the teenager makes you cringe and you wish she would grow up. Meat is so much a part of diets and this is a good look at where and how that meat comes from the farm to the consumer.

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read. As a vegan, I completely disagree with the morality she concludes the book with (ie that it’s okay to eat meat if it’s organic and only three/four times a week). Sexism in male dominated industries is very real, and although I detest the meat industry, I enjoyed reading Jessica’s experience in it. 2.5 rounded up to a three.

[Jay King · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastically well written debut novel which takes us through a coming of age shaped by the unique perspective of being a young woman almost by accident being thrust into the harsh and typically older male dominated meat industry and finding a niche whilst dealing with all the typical (and not so typical at times) trials of early adulthood and self discovery. A brilliant journey to read, with highlights of the meat industry strewn throughout, makes for a brilliantly informative, yet not overdone insight into this industry, alongside Jessica's story taking place within this world. Would recommend to foodies and non-foodies alike.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed it. A good book for conflicted meat eaters out there to pick up - the author does a nice job of discussing ethical farming and grappling with her own continuing choice to eat meat.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

16yo Jessica has her first job— behind the butchery counter. Told me more about meat than I ever wanted to know.

[Christa Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

At 16, Jess applied for a job at a nearby farm shop and ended up in the butcher department. At first she was a little put off by it but then decided to learn all that she could. In addition to the personal story of her development in the butcher trade, she tells us about the history of the meat industry taking us to modern practices. Like may "foodie" memoirs but also not like them because this is a deeply different perspective from those who cook or "create" meals. Interesting reading especially for the foodies.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Wragg's voice, love the story.... I can't say she didn't deliver, but I guess I came face-to-face with my biases? The experience behind the counter was the culmination of a dream of something between being a butcher (blue-collar) and a social media/marketing maven in the Slow Food Movement (white-collar). I'm sure what we are reading is a recycled MCW project. I have to admit that I was rooting for her to ditch the credentials and management job and cut meat. The butchers are indeed the heroes of the story.

[Karen Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated this book, I once worked in this meat industry and it brought back wonderful memories for me as well as some of the harsher realities of being a female in this male dominated field. I love this book, thank you for writing about your life in the industry.

[Jill Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Part memoir, part butchering know-how; it has led me to watch several YouTube videos and caused me to follow quite a few new people and places on Instagram.
Though not necessarily helpful for most of my life it has helped me make some decisions about my holiday meals.

[cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

No fault of the book, but I thought this was a graphic novel from the cover and was pretty surprised to find it was a straightforward memoir. Interesting and a quick read - but definitely NOT a graphic novel. Lol.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice memoir, less about butchery than I expected, and more about the author finding herself in that world. But easy to read and interesting.

[Phillip J. O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice story of the author’s growing up while working in the meat industry.
A very easy read with some recipes randomly thrown in.

[Courtneyps]

Ended up being much more about workplace politics than about actual butchery. A few interesting pages about trends in the meat market.

[Niki E · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my secret other life/other brain careers, apart from meteorologist, is a butcher so I found this interesting and well-written, especially the obstacles she faced as a young, educated woman in an industry populated - and controlled - by older, working class men. It covers the evolving concerns of ethical meat rearing and consumption in the new generation of chefs, farmers and butchers, and I would’ve liked more of her thoughts on this.

[Georgina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Felt disjointed and awkward in places.

[Emma Ripley]

A great commentary on the meat industry from a personal perspective!