Celia Roberts is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics at King's College, London.

Combines feminist and social theories on the body, biology and sex to examine the sociological and cultural issues surrounding puberty.

1. Puberty in crisis? Sex, reproduction and the loss of future; 2. Articulating findings, feelings and figurations: methods and approaches; 3. Telling histories: the scientific study of puberty; 4. Defining early onset puberty: troubling findings about sexual development; 5. Causes and explanations: genes, fat, toxins and families; 6. Consequences of early development: sex, drugs and shortness; 7. Treatments: pharmaceuticals, sex and suffering; Conclusion: folding puberty differently: changing findings, feeling and figurations.