Coming of Age in the 1950s includes 64 illustrated short stories, sprung from the pages of the author's diaries, which she has kept since she was 10 years old. Most of the stories are based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but the last few feature Los Angeles, California. The stories incorporate historical facts and sociological commentary on such subjects as apartments, cars, clothes, college dorm life, dating, death, friendship, high school, illness, junior high, meals, modeling, marriage, Miss America, music, newspapers, part-time jobs, pets, religion, shopping, snow, sororities, teachers, television, and travel.