We agree. While there's certainly something to be gained from self-reflection through an older, more mature lens, we've seen that young writers are more than capable of producing powerful autobiographical work.
Need proof? These nine New York women make it clear that experience doesn't only come with age — and that sometimes, the moments that make for the greatest stories are best recounted well before you're 40.
And The Heart Says Whatever by Emily Gould
A truthful account of being a 20-something in a city that forces you to become an adult — even if you aren't ready. There's honesty about working in the digital age (before it became a completely over-saturated industry), failed relationships, and how New York not only changes you, but changes with you.
Brain On Fire: My Month Of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
A haunting reminder that one day you can be a normal, hard-partying 20-something, and the next you can be hospitalized with no recollection of how you ended up there. Diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, Cahalan catalogues her struggle and recovery in a way that is not just frightening, but also frighteningly honest.
Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham
Sharp, witty writings from the woman who redefined what it's like to be a young New Yorker, Dunham's stories of struggling with her weight, combatting obsessive-compulsive disorder, and overcoming a college rape will have you laughing, crying, and wondering how she knows exactly what you're going through, too.
Hypocrite In A Pouffy White Dress: Tales Of Growing Up Groovy And Clueless by Susan Jane Gilman
Gilman takes you back in time to the Upper West Side of the '70s, sharing what it was really like to grow up in a city where anything can happen, and how struggles (like divorce and religious discovery) eventually shape you into the powerful feminist you hope to be.
Dear Diary by Lesley Arfin
Born out of Lesley Arfin's Vice column of the same name, this memoir describes how a rebellious Long Island teen became a fixture of the city's downtown "It" crowd, with friends like Chloë Sevigny and Jesse Pearson — and a raging heroin addiction. The book is filled with self-discovery and reflection, and is proof that you can royally fuck up your 20s and still come out on top.
Spinster: Making A Life Of One's Own by Kate Bolick
Feeling sad about being single? Bolick's Samantha Jones-esque memoir celebrates the power of being a party of "one," especially in a city like New York. Throughout her own journey of finding "the one," she pulls inspiration from "famous singles" such as Edith Wharton and Maeve Brennan to help her rediscover her "self" — no relationship required.
Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel
When your 10-year-long struggle with depression becomes too much to handle, where do you turn? For Wurtzel, the proof was in the pudding Prozac. The lead-up to her medication is jam-packed with recipes for disaster: obsessing over an illness, embarking on sexual escapades while enrolled at Harvard, and longing for too much attention from her family and friends.
The Long Goodbye: A Memoir by Meghan O'Rourke
The loss of a parent is never easy to overcome, but O'Rourke's personal account of her mother's death sheds light on the mourning process, particularly as a young woman. Her story illuminates moments and feelings we never want to discuss, things that we are all bound to face at some point in our lives, such as loneliness, sadness, and the fear of the unknown.
Man Repeller: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls. by Leandra Medine
What do you do when your choice of outfits might be the reason you're still single? You embark on a feminist conquest and create one of the most influential (and most read) blogs of our generation. Medine, the original Man Repeller, talks her conservative Jewish upbringing on the Upper East Side, when she first fell for fashion, and how she finally wooed her now husband, all while wearing clothes that men hate (but women love).
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