The following version of this story was used to create the guide: Ezeano, Adachioma. "Becoming the Baby Girl." McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, 2019. Pages 191 - 210.

Adachioma Ezeano's short story "Becoming the Baby Girl" is written from the first person point of view, in the present tense, and employs a fragmented narrative structure. Each fragment is numbered and titled. The following summary adheres to these formal divisions.

In 1, "Me and Muscled Man," during one of Ofunne's first university exams, a group of armed, muscled men, enters the exam hall. One of the men touches Ofunne's breasts, and promises to protect her if she agrees to sleep with him. Outraged, Ofunne defends herself, slinging a series of insults at the man. The man becomes angry and accuses her of cheating. The sitting professor makes Ofunne complete a malpractice form. Ofunne thinks if she were a tall thin girl, she would not have been treated so unjustly.

In 2, "Me on My First Days Here," during her early days on campus, Ofunne is confident about who she is. She remembers her father's words to her in the car on the way to the bus station. He told her to remember her home, her parents, and the person she wants to be. Ofunne misses her parents, but is determined to remain true to who she thinks she is.

In 3, "I Can't Be Tall Thin Girls," tall thin girls, Ella, Audrey, and Queen start giving Ofunne an exorbitant amount of attention. They compliment her appearance, insisting she looks like Beyoncé and Rihanna. Though Ofunne still does not want to disappoint her parents, the girls' affirmations distract her. She wants to be good, but also wants to be accepted. When the girls say they like her and want her to be one of them, Ofunne gives Ella her number.

In 4, "Me and the Miracles Tall Thin Girls Make," when the university goes on holiday, Ofunne is not allowed to travel, because of the incident during the exam. She also has nowhere to stay because she lives on campus, and the dormitories are closed. She spends the night with a friend, Shebi, hoping Shebi will give her her apartment key while she returns home to her village. Shebi refuses, even suggesting Ofunne figure out a way to survive like tall thin girls on their campus.

After Shebi leaves, Ofunne stands on the side of the street, unsure what to do with herself. When she opens up her phone, she discovers a slew of texts from Ella. Ella wants to know what happened during the exam. The girls begin texting. Ella picks Ofunne up, and offers her a place to stay.

In 5, "Me and Tall Thin Girls Are We Now," Ofunne, Ella, Audrey, and Queen dress in black and visit the professor's office. The girls have bribed him. If Ofunne sleeps with him, he will let her finish the exam, and discard her writeup. Ofunne agrees.

In 6, "Becoming the Tallest Thinnest," Ofunne changes the way she speaks and dresses. She changes her hair and makeup. She becomes the prettiest tall thin girl. All of the men give her attention. Tall thin girls are proud of themselves for choosing Ofunne and making her one of them.

In 7, "Bad Girl Gone Good Gone Bad," Ofunne's father begins calling more frequently. The more she hears his voice, the more guilty she feels. She has slept with innumerable men over the past months. She wants to forget them, and tall thin girls. The person she wants to remember is herself. She distances herself from Ella, Audrey, and Queen, skips classes, and starts praying. When the girls tell her one of the university governors wants to sleep with her, and take her to South Africa, Ofunne agrees.

In 8, "It's Johannesburg, Baby," the governor gives Ofunne large sums of money, with which she is meant to prepare for their trip together. Ofunne knows the other girls are jealous.

In 9, "Johannesburg, For Real," Ofunne discloses nothing about her trip.

In 10, "Puking out the Party," shortly after returning from South Africa, Ofunne attends a party. During the party she gets sick.

In 11, "A Drug and A Drink to Drink," Ofunne sits for another exam. She feels so sick and distressed, she cannot focus. She realizes she has lost herself. After the exam, she calls her mother, but cannot tell her why she is upset. She then drives to Ella's apartment, where the girls make her take a pregnancy test. She is positive. They give her a pill and a drink to abort the baby, but Ofunne throws them up. In her car, she calls the governor and tells him the news. He says if it is a boy, she must keep it. If the baby is a girl, she cannot keep it. Off the phone, Ofunne longs to talk to her parents, and to go home. She feels ashamed and lost. She starts driving, and does not stop.