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What We Will Become: A Mother, a Son, and a Journey of Transformation Hardcover – November 12, 2019
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From the age of two-and-a-half, Jacob, born “Em,” adamantly told his family he was a boy. While his mother Mimi struggled to understand and come to terms with the fact that her child may be transgender, she experienced a sense of déjà vu—the journey to uncover the source of her child’s inner turmoil unearthed ghosts from Mimi’s past and her own struggle to live an authentic life.
Mimi was raised in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family, every aspect of her life dictated by ancient rules and her role as a woman largely preordained from cradle to grave. As a young woman, Mimi wrestled with the demands of her faith and eventually made the painful decision to leave her religious community and the strict gender roles it upheld.
Having risen from the ashes of her former life, Mimi was prepared to help her son forge a new one — at a time when there was little consensus on how best to help young transgender children. Dual narratives of faith and motherhood weave together to form a heartfelt portrait of an unforgettable family. Brimming with love and courage, What We Will Become is a powerful testament to how painful events from the past can be redeemed to give us hope for the future.
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMariner Books
- Publication dateNovember 12, 2019
- Dimensions6.25 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
- ISBN-100544965833
- ISBN-13978-0544965836
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Selected as a “MUST-READ” title by the Massachusetts Book Awards “Lemay's writing is superb—the family stories at once heartbreaking and inspiring. VERDICT This is a vital and engrossing book about how to live an authentic life.”—Library Journal, STARRED “Engrossing and compassionate…This fascinating, heart-wrenching memoir offers invaluable insights into issues of gender identity.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review “A moving memoir, Lemay’s is an important book because there is virtually nothing else available about transgender children as young as Jacob. Though most readers will view Jacob as the book’s main character, his older, precocious sister says that love and kindness are. And who can argue with that?”—Booklist, STARRED “Compassionate, wise, and sensitively told, Lemay’s narrative offers moving portraits of a mother and family willing to embrace radical change in order to unconditionally support their child…An intimate and clearly heartfelt memoir.” —Kirkus “Weaving the story of her own early struggles with faith and her attempts as a mother to decipher her son's needs, What We Will Become takes us on an unforgettable journey whose conclusion is both haunting and redemptive. With her lyrical and intimate prose, Mimi Lemay makes the case that faith can, and should, go hand-in-hand with acceptance as she provides a compelling vision of a world where every individual can become who they are meant to be."—Sarah McBride, author of Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality “With precision, honesty and grace, Mimi Lemay brings us on a journey to an uncertain world with her son, Jacob, and their entire family. Along the way, she reminds us that exclusion and injustice are no match for a mother’s devotion. What We Will Become is more than one family’s story. It is a striking call to action for a country where every child is worthy, believed in, and loved.”—Congressman Joe Kennedy III “What We Will Become is a triumphant, introspective story about being and becoming It beautifully reminds us of the challenges, but also the necessity, of unconditional love, both for ourselves and for those we care about. It gives me hope for the future of transgender children.”—Gavin Grimm, Transgender Activist —
About the Author
MIMI LEMAY is an international advocate for transgender youth and the author of the viral essay “A Letter to My Son Jacob on His 5th Birthday.” Lemay and her family meet regularly with legislators, business leaders, educators, and clergy to share their vision of a more equitable world. She is a member of the Parents for Transgender Equality National Council at Human Rights Campaign and holds a master’s in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She was recently named one of the Commonwealth Heroines of 2020 by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.
Product details
- Publisher : Mariner Books; Illustrated edition (November 12, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0544965833
- ISBN-13 : 978-0544965836
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.25 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,430,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #848 in Jewish Biographies
- #1,316 in Parenting Boys
- #2,016 in LGBTQ+ Biographies (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this book profoundly insightful and beautifully written, with one review noting its lush emotional content. Customers describe it as a true gem of a read that's easy to read, and one customer describes it as a moving memoir of parenting a transgender child. Customers appreciate the author's genuine strength and honesty, with one review highlighting how it provides a personal look at the path.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book's story profoundly insightful and emotionally transparent, with one customer describing it as lush with emotion.
"...It’s the story of crossing the threshold between lonely, heartbreaking, unfulfilling safety, through the dark night of the soul into what..." Read more
"...The backstory of the mother is also very fascinating…" Read more
"...She and Joe's compassionate and touching style of parenting their three kids, and truly seeing their son is so moving and on point...." Read more
"...Today, armed with a fierce intellect and an open heart, Lemay advocates for understanding and acceptance of transgender people, and of trans kids in..." Read more
Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a true gem that is great for everyone to understand and share with friends and family. One customer mentions being enthralled from the first page.
"...extraordinary intellect (and beauty) are in humble yet exquisite display throughout the book...." Read more
"Thank you Mimi Lemay for writing this exquisite memoir. I have recommended this book to many; people from every background...." Read more
"Compelling, powerful and moving. Mimi is a spectacular writer with a story that has to be heard...." Read more
"Thank you Mimi Lemay for writing this unbelievably gorgeous, intimate, gripping book...." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, finding it wonderfully written, with one customer noting it is extremely easy to read.
"...Well paced and constructed, expertly crafted and extremely easy to read...." Read more
"This is a very well written book about a family who triumphed over what becomes a tragedy for so many of the families that it happens to...." Read more
"...It is beautifully written and informative ( while not being didactic)...." Read more
"Compelling, powerful and moving. Mimi is a spectacular writer with a story that has to be heard...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's insights, with one describing it as a detailed and intimate look at the author's journey, while another notes how it expands the reader's perspective.
"...It is beautifully written and informative ( while not being didactic)...." Read more
"...She gives us an intimate view of her growth as a woman and a mother...." Read more
"...it, Mimi Lemay’s memoir (volume I I hope), gives a contemplative, detailed, and personal look at the path that led her to where and who she is...." Read more
"...writer and she shares her family’s journey with honesty, incredible thoughtfulness, and a great deal of tenderness...." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's strength, describing it as genuine and beautifully crafted.
"...Well paced and constructed, expertly crafted and extremely easy to read...." Read more
"Beautiful, courageous book about a mother’s journey to recognize her child is transgender...." Read more
"I am simply floored by the beautiful story of love, support and strength that Mimi has shared...." Read more
"...The strength the author has is genuine and inspiring. Her son, I believe will be a force to be reckoned with when he is grown...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's approach to transgender content, with one customer describing it as a moving memoir of parenting a transgender child, while another notes its helpfulness for those with transgender family members.
"...experience with being part of the Orthodox community and parenting a transgender child...." Read more
"...and an open heart, Lemay advocates for understanding and acceptance of transgender people, and of trans kids in particular...." Read more
"...Besides being a pager turner, it will be helpful for anyone who has a trans or non-binary child, and for those who wish to be allies...." Read more
"A marvelous story about a small transgender boy and his marvelous family!..." Read more
Customers appreciate the authenticity of the book, describing it as honest.
"...upbringing and the road to understanding Jacob's needs and authentic self are wonderful...." Read more
"...This is told with such grace, honesty and such a sure hand--I cannot recommend it highly enough...." Read more
"Eloquent, raw, real, brave and seeping with unconditional love." Read more
"Honest and vulnerable telling..." Read more
Customers describe the book as full of love, with one review noting it is seeping with unconditional love.
"...This story is lush with emotion, description and love. A must read." Read more
"...This book is full of love: of her community, her family, and her transgender son, Jacob...." Read more
"...It is a narrative of bravery, love and serves as a reminder that there is still goodness in this world." Read more
"Eloquent, raw, real, brave and seeping with unconditional love." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2019This book is so, so good. My entire weekend has been engulfed, so be warned.
It’s the story of crossing the threshold between lonely, heartbreaking, unfulfilling safety, through the dark night of the soul into what ultimately becomes purpose and fulfillment.
The question that builds softly and ultimately belts, asks of our duty to bring our gifts to full expression as divine actualization. Mimi’s extraordinary intellect (and beauty) are in humble yet exquisite display throughout the book. They explode in a blossom of brilliance as the book takes you through an awakening that spans generations to realize an integral purpose in service, justice and freedom for others.
“What we will become” is thought provoking, laugh-out-funny, uplifting, tear inducing and awe strikingly heartfelt.
Well paced and constructed, expertly crafted and extremely easy to read.
A reminder that if we can, we must be brave and brilliant like Mimi and Jacob. And that if you can’t, that we still deserve and need complete and unconditional love.
I wrote this on a phone on a train, so please forgive any typos or syntax problems!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024This is a very well written book about a family who triumphed over what becomes a tragedy for so many of the families that it happens to. Mimi and Joe have a very few resources for a child so young and yet they prevail and they have a happy boy by the time he is five years old! The backstory of the mother is also very fascinating…
- Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2022Thank you Mimi Lemay for writing this exquisite memoir. I have recommended this book to many; people from every background. It is beautifully written and informative ( while not being didactic). The author dovetailed her experience with being part of the Orthodox community and parenting a transgender child. She gives permission to many who struggle with finding themselves within their own lives and finding themselves in the context of being a parent ( in this case to a parent to a transgender child). This memoir is a keeper!
- Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2019Compelling, powerful and moving. Mimi is a spectacular writer with a story that has to be heard. She and Joe's compassionate and touching style of parenting their three kids, and truly seeing their son is so moving and on point. Jacob's soul is soothed and nurtured and he is thriving thanks to their presence as parents. Just as amazing is Mimi's courage in sharing her own path coming from a conservative Jewish upbringing and the parallel between her own finding herself and Jacob's path to his true identity and wholeness. A really valuable read. I recommend this book highly.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2019This story is so rich in detail and background and contains a very powerful subject but at the end of the day, this story is about a Mother who does the best she can for her child and a child who just wants to be known for who he really is inside. This is a modern story and a very powerful one that shows the "behind the scenes" look at what these families go through on a day to day an year to year basis as these children mature and demand to be who they really are.
As a Spiritual person I love and accept all the different types of people in our world and I love Humans, not races or genders or any other unimportant stereotypes, and I have worked with people of all kinds including many Transgender people and this book even taught me a few things I had never realized. It's humbling to see what this family has lived through and I am so proud of them for sharing their story with us and helping the world just understand a little bit better before they jump to conclusions and judgement. Thank you. 4 Star Book.
*If this review has helped you make an informed decision on this book in any way please take a moment of your time and let me know by voting this review as Helpful. Thank you!*
- Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2019I really could not put this book down. Mimi LeMay deserves praise for opening her life to us all. She gives us an intimate view of her growth as a woman and a mother. She gently takes us through her early years raised in a very orthodox faith to her development as a modern mother who is navigating an uncharted path of gender identity with her son. Both parts of Ms. LeMay's life story will be eye-opening to many. Her experience with a two-year old having a gender crisis is important for everyone to know. Many people think that such an issue can not be dealt with until much later. Ms. LeMay helps us to know that gender issues can appear quite early in one's life and that children must be heard and respected. Many thanks to Mimi LeMay, her son, and her family for sharing this candid story. It will help us all to grow in wisdom.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2019I came to this book for the story of a mother coming to terms with her young child's gender identify; I stayed for Lemay's compelling account of her own journey to an understanding of her faith--and how her past informs her family's present and future. Both stories are riveting, and Lemay knows how to artfully connect them so readers can appreciate each one's singular beauty. Her reflections on growing up in a conservative, ultra Orthodox Jewish community in NJ and attending an elite Jewish seminary in England are fascinating and reveal a world I knew very little--to nothing--about. Lemay vividly evokes the prescribed life she endured as a child and young adult--with respect and enough distance to appreciate the tools that experience gave her. Today, armed with a fierce intellect and an open heart, Lemay advocates for understanding and acceptance of transgender people, and of trans kids in particular. I literally could not put the book down, and have purchased eight copies (so far) to give as holiday gifts. As the mom of a trans child myself, I feel like Lemay's account of her son's transition comes as close to explaining to family and friends why we are supporting our child and his expression of his gender identity.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2024I spent the first half of the book regretting my choice of this book. SO much time is spent on the life of the mother during her childhood and life before marriage. I wanted to love this book but it fell short.


