This collection surpasses the standard: first time I did it. There is the first time a person hears the words 'You're pregnant,' being told 'you're infertile, to a woman's first time in a war zone, the first sexual assault, and yes, the first time a young girl fumbles around trying to have sex with her young man. The stories range from touching, to funny, to heartbreaking to downright horrifying.

Such a breadth of stories paints a far broader portrait than would be possible if Jen Thorpe only selected essays from South Africa's tiny population of writers. With such an eclectic mix, the collection valiantly strives to provide an honest example of 'the woman's first experience'. However, having a story to tell does not make one a storyteller. Thus it is the stories written by established writers, like Sarah Britten, that truly stand out.