Samantha Irby was born on February 13, 1980, the third of the three daughters of a Korean War veteran and a nurse. She writes that, almost immediately after her birth, her mother chose to have a hysterectomy, which she jokingly claims not to take as an insult. Though named for her father Samuel, Irby does not express warm feelings toward either of her parents, who apparently paid little attention to her. Her parents divorced when she was four. Her father had alcoholism and meandered in and out of Irby’s life. Her mother was a nurse who had multiple sclerosis, putting Irby in the position of caring for her. Her father died about six months prior to her mother’s death when Irby was in her late teens. Having no family or social safety net, Irby soon began living out of her car. During this time, she benefited from the generosity of friends as she learned how to make her way on her own in Chicago.

Several significant health crises emerged during her early years. The first of these was early onset, unpredictable menstrual periods. Her struggles with this disruptive condition continued, she writes, until in her late thirties when she received an endometrial ablation.