Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
From a mother's perspective, a beautifully rendered memoir about the early life of her transgender daughter
"Mama, something went wrong in your tummy. And it made me come out as a boy instead of a girl."
When Marlo Mack hears these words from her three-year-old, she's not surprised--but she's completely unprepared. Marlo's "son" never seemed to behave like one, insisting on wearing only pink clothes at two years old. At three, her child begged for pretty dresses and long hair. She tried to brush these behaviors aside as a little kid's playful experimentation with gender, but when her "boy" begs to be put back in her tummy to be reborn as a girl, Marlo knows she has to listen more closely.
How to Be a Girl is a raw and unflinching memoir of a mother grappling with her child's transition from male to female. Marlo wants to support and accept her kid, but she's fearful of the unknown struggles that gender transition might bring. Lack of information on young transgender children and conflicting advice from specialists make the process even more difficult. At first, Marlo tries to hold on to the little "boy" she loves by broadening their ideas of gender--could her child continue to be a boy who wears skirts and loves fairies? But Marlo's child doesn't give up. She's a girl
Mother and daughter's journey into girlhood begins with switching to female pronouns and adopting a new name. Marlo supports her daughter through tricky situations like choosing an inclusive school and deciding whether or not to tell classmates about her transition, and experiences joyful moments as her child makes new friends and meets other transgender kids. As they learn, Marlo becomes part of the fight for trans rights, opposing discriminatory "bathroom bills" and attending conferences to hear stories from transgender adults and teens who model a possible future for her daughter--one full of hope.
Alongside Marlo's powerful love for her child, she never stops questioning and worrying. No matter how strongly Marlo and other parents advocate for their trans children, the world still doesn't feel like a safe place for her daughter. And even as she's learning more and more about gender and its varied expressions, Marlo is always wondering what being a girl--or a boy, or something else entirely--really means. What can she as a mother teach her newly minted daughter about how to be a girl?
Synopsis
A poignant narrative of one mom's struggle to support her transgender daughter--showing how any parent can forge a deeper bond with their child by truly listening Mama, something went wrong in your tummy. And it made me come out as a boy instead of a girl.
When Marlo Mack's three-year-old utters these words, her world splits wide open. Friends and family, experts, and Marlo herself had long downplayed her "son's" requests for pretty dresses and long hair as experimentation--as a phase--but that time is over. When little "M" begs, weeping, to be reborn, Marlo knows she has to start listening to her kid.
How to Be a Girl is Mack's unflinching memoir of M's coming out--to her father, grandparents, classmates, and the world. Fearful of the prejudice that menaces M's future, Mack finds her liberal values surprisingly challenged: Why can't M just be a boy who wears skirts and loves fairies? But M doesn't give up: She's a girl
As mother and daughter teach one another How to Be a Girl, Mack realizes it's really the world that has a lot to learn--from her sparkly, spectacular M.
Synopsis
Mama, something went wrong in your tummy. And it made me come out as a boy instead of a girl.
When Marlo Mack's three-year-old utters these words, her world splits wide open. Friends and family, experts, and Marlo herself had long downplayed her "son's" requests for pretty dresses and long hair as experimentation--as a phase--but that time is over. When little "M" begs, weeping, to be reborn, Marlo knows she has to start listening to her kid.
How to Be a Girl is Mack's unflinching memoir of M's coming out--to her father, grandparents, classmates, and the world. Fearful of the prejudice that menaces M's future, Mack finds her liberal values surprisingly challenged: Why can't M just be a boy who wears skirts and loves fairies? But M doesn't give up: She's a girl
As mother and daughter teach one another How to Be a Girl, Mack realizes it's really the world that has a lot to learn--from her sparkly, spectacular M.