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A memoir of coming of age behind the counter, exploring butchery as an art form and taking an incisive look at an industry on the brink.

When sixteen-year-old Jessica Wragg applied for a job at her local farm shop in Derbyshire, England, she never expected to land a position behind the butchery counter. Wragg was younger than many of her colleagues by decades and she was one of the few women on staff, struggling to earn her keep among colleagues who were reluctant to share the tricks of their trade with a novice. Breaking down carcasses by day, and studying animal anatomy by night, Wragg was soon hooked and determined to establish herself in an industry that is steeped in tradition, and often resistant to change.

From the English countryside to the streets of London, Girl on the Block blends Wragg's personal coming of age story with a lyrical exploration of her craft and a rich history of butchery. She also examines the modern meat industry and the ever-changing ideologies around ethical meat consumption, as an often-conflicted carnivore who has spent time in an abattoir and witnessed slaughter firsthand. A raw tour through one of the world's 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.

Jessica Wragg is a butcher and Online Operations Manager at The Ginger Pig in London. She has an MA in Creative Writing and her work has appeared in Vice, Lenny Letter, and Thought Catalog and various other literary journals. She has worked on short films with the BBC and Jamie Oliver, has been featured in the Daily Mail, the Independent and on BBC Radio 2, and has taken part in a nationwide media campaign for Tabasco Sauce. She lives in Central London.

Billie Fulford-Brown is a London-based actress, voice-over artist, and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator.