The Girls Who Grew Big

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. For those who have read Mottley’s debut novel, Nightcrawling, how does The Girls Who Grow Big act as a continuation of her work? 

2. The story is told through the rotating perspectives of Simone, Adela, and Emory. Which character’s voice did you connect with the most, and why? How did this multi-voiced approach shape your understanding of their shared community and individual struggles?

3. What was your overall feeling after finishing the last page? Which scene or image has stayed with you the most since you closed the book?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The Girls form a powerful “found family” to survive the scorn of their community and the rejection from their biological families. Have you ever been part of a group that felt like a chosen family? What makes these bonds so uniquely strong?

2. Adela arrives in Padua Beach feeling completely alienated, viewing the town as a “wasteland.” Can you recall a time you felt like an outsider in a new environment? How did Adela’s journey toward belonging resonate with or differ from your own experiences?

3. Emory is caught between her ambition to go to college and the immediate demands of being a new mother. Think about a time when you felt torn between a personal dream and a commitment to others. How did you navigate that tension?

4. Noni shares a philosophy that she calls “eating the sand,” which means facing and owning the past. What is your interpretation of this advice? How does this idea connect with the way you approach difficult histories or personal challenges?

5. Simone reflects that teen mothers are one of “the country’s favorite scapegoats.” Where does this kind of judgment or scapegoating appear in your own community or in wider culture today?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel vividly portrays the barriers Simone faces when she seeks to terminate her pregnancy. How does her struggle reflect current debates and realities surrounding the issue of reproductive justice in the United States?

2. The guide mentions that reality shows like MTV’s Teen Mom can reinforce stereotypes. What does The Girls Who Grew Big suggest about the difference between the public’s perceptions of teen motherhood and the characters’ lived reality?

3. Padua Beach is located in the Florida Panhandle, a region described as a “cultural margin.” How does this unique setting shape the characters’ sense of isolation and their fierce need for community?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Water is a constant presence in the story. How does water represent danger for the characters, and when does it serve as a source of cleansing, community, or transformation?

2. The narrative is built on the contrast between Simone and Adela, who come from very different class backgrounds. How do their initial interactions and conflicts drive the novel’s exploration of prejudice, empathy, and motherhood?

3. Mottley uses embedded flashbacks to reveal the characters’ pasts. Why does the author choose to structure the backstory this way? 

4. Many stories about found families, like Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees (1988), explore motherhood outside of traditional structures. Where does The Girls Who Grew Big fit within this literary tradition? 

5. The novel culminates with Adela giving birth on the beach, supported by the Girls. What is the symbolic significance of this final scene?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you could write an Epilogue set 10 years in the future. Where do you see Simone, Adela, and Emory? What have their lives become, and is their bond still intact?

2. If you were adapting this book into a movie, which scene do you think would be the most powerful on screen, and why? 

3. If you were to create a playlist or soundtrack for the novel, what kinds of songs would you include to capture the mood of the book’s various joyous, traumatic, and somber moments?