Just Another Number by Maggie Young

Sex, Drugs, Bulimia and Social Issues – And just gritty real life struggles of a good majority of America’s young women.

This book is not one for the “shy” girls and does get a little risqué – but even with the brutal honesty and openness of all her male encounters, it’s a great read. Just Another Number encompasses modern feminism and the struggles women still face now in 2016. From her younger life through her Navy career and beyond – Young finds a way to touch everyone in one way or another. Even if you can’t relate specifically to her story, you can relate somehow.

I will say my only complaint on the book is it could have used a little more editing as there were typos and mis-spells throughout. Looking past those minor errors, the writing style is very raw in a good way. At times I felt reading this memoir I really knew Young and was having conversation with her.

Within a few pages you could find yourself laughing and happy, then crying, then angry, then feeling lonely. From her relationship with Carl (her sloppy drunk hick of a stepdad) to the relationship with her timid southern bell of a mother to all the relationships she had with men and women both throughout her life, you really start to feel like you know her. If you like memoirs, risqué sexuality and encounters, modern feminism, and real life stories not for the faint of heart – this is the book to add to your summer beach read list for sure.

Synoposis:

Just Another Number is a memoir structured by the first 23 men I had sex with. It’s about how American society curbs women to validate themselves by men. Through my lovers, I relive all the shit I got myself into because of that. The book paints a gritty portrait of a Tennessee teen who- in the midst of bulimia and meth abuse- joins the Navy.
Just Another Number hops through the various shades of chauvinism in the conservative Bible Belt, the male dominated military, and the superficiality of southern California. My story is littered with hypocritical Christians, brainwashed warriors, deadbeat band guys, and the spoiled, cocaine snorting trust fund offspring of California’s elite. It also entails eating disorders, drug cultures, social media, and of course, military corruption. Although the memoir harbors the darkness and tragedies of my stories, it is packed full of raunchy, satirical humor. Just Another Number dips into the gritty, humiliating aspects of sex from bodily functions to cringe-worthy one-night stands.

About Maggie:

As a troubled teenager, Maggie Young left her hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee for the United States Navy. Stationed on the USS Higgins out of San Diego, she got into all sorts of documentary-worthy shenanigans. After a platonic, financially driven marriage, an NCIS investigation, a few wild port visits, and some turbulent affairs, she traded the Navy’s ranks for UC Berkeley. After graduation, she backpacked Europe, was a television reporter in Alaska, and eventually hit a quarter life crisis that will be documented in her next book, My Dilemma. Maggie has been published several times in the San Diego Weekly Reader, including two cover stories. Her mission is to expose corruption through a memoir’s emotional authenticity. Although she’s covers an array of topics, her main focus is sex-positive feminism.

Maggie is currently based in Seattle.