And She Was

And She Was
Author(s)
Publisher
Age Range
12+
Release Date
March 27, 2018
ISBN
B074P98LMQ
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Dara’s lived a sheltered life with her single mom, Mellie. Now, at eighteen, she’s dreaming of more. When Dara digs up her never-before-seen birth certificate, her world implodes. Why are two strangers listed as her parents? Dara confronts her mother, and is stunned by what she learns: Mellie is transgender. The unfamiliar name listed under “father”? That’s Mellie. She transitioned when Dara was a baby, shortly after Dara’s birth mother died. But Dara still has more questions than answers. Reeling, she sets off on a road trip with her best guy friend, Sam. She's determined to find the extended family she’s never met. What she discovers—and what her mother reveals, piece by piece over emails—will challenge and change Dara more than she can imagine. From rising star Jessica Verdi, this is a gorgeous, timely, and essential novel about the importance of being our true selves.

Dara’s lived a sheltered life with her single mom, Mellie. Now, at eighteen, she’s dreaming of more. When Dara digs up her never-before-seen birth certificate, her world implodes. Why are two strangers listed as her parents? Dara confronts her mother, and is stunned by what she learns: Mellie is transgender. The unfamiliar name listed under “father”? That’s Mellie. She transitioned when Dara was a baby, shortly after Dara’s birth mother died. But Dara still has more questions than answers. Reeling, she sets off on a road trip with her best guy friend, Sam. She's determined to find the extended family she’s never met. What she discovers—and what her mother reveals, piece by piece over emails—will challenge and change Dara more than she can imagine. From rising star Jessica Verdi, this is a gorgeous, timely, and essential novel about the importance of being our true selves.

Editor reviews

2 reviews
And She Was
Overall rating
 
3.0
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If the authors intention was to help non-transgendered peoples understand transgendered people, I think that was accomplished.

I believe she did her very best and with good intention to help bridge the gap, between transgendered persons, and the ignorance of non-transgendered persons.

However, it read very cliche.

Most of the characters are transphobic. However, again, I think the authors intention was to show cis-gender ignorances. I'm not quite sure if that's going to be accomplished for every reader but then again I'm not speaking from experience. I'm more than sure I'm going to find this book has offended some readers.

In an aim to be open minded, and setting aside the book's flaws, it was an okay story, with characters that weren't necessarily remarkable, but were decent.

Sam was a puppet for most of the story, but he was helplessly in love--and doing what a lot of us have done/do--being a fool for love.

Dara, is easy to misunderstand, or rather dislike, but her ignorance is clear, and she can't be faulted, for simply not getting it--because by the end she really tried to understand.

Mellie herself, the center of this story--lived a pretty tough life. Wanting to be a woman, but feeling trapped inside of a male body. The reader experiences what this feels like for her, via a series of emails.

For some this might affect connection, because there's more telling than showing--but words can also be just as effective--depends on the reader.

Without dwelling, I believe the author achieved what she set out to. How well it was done, is up for debate.

A decent attempt at a sensitive subject.
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