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by Jessica Verdi
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, after Dara's birth mother died. She changed her name, started over.
But Dara still has more questions than answers. Reeling, she sets off on an impromptu road trip with her best guy friend, Sam, in tow. She is determined to find the extended family she's never even met. What she does discover - and what her mother reveals, piece by piece, over emails - will challenge and change Dara more than she can imagine.
This is a gorgeous, timely, and essential novel about the importance of being our true selves. The back matter includes an author's note and resources for readers.
"Verdi's book is a triumph - an exquisite mirror in which trans parents and their children will see themselves. And for once, the reflection won't break their hearts. Ages 14-Adult." - Kirkus
"Despite its uneven character and plot development, this novel offers a compelling reading experience, making it a valuable addition to library collections." - School Library Journal
"Mellie's e-mails are full of information, regret, and deep love for her daughter, and though it's a slightly clunky plot device, both women's flaws and growth ring true." - Booklist
"Verdi just gets better and better with every book. And She Was is a beautiful, multilayered journey of love, understanding, and empathy that made me want to be a better daughter, ally, and person." - Dahlia Adler, author of Under the Lights
"A heart-tugging, powerful story of family, identity, and the struggle for acceptance. A beautiful novel that treats every moment with incredible care, Jessica Verdi's latest is a different kind of love story - one about loving yourself, your family, and your life. And it features my favorite mother-daughter relationship since Gilmore Girls." - Corey Ann Haydu, author of OCD Love Story
"An engrossing story about the collision of big, grand dreams and long-held life-saving family secrets. I could not stop turning pages and cheering for Dara." - Caela Carter, author of Tumbling
"And She Was took me right back to my adolescence, a time when I was struggling to come to terms with my trans parent's identity while figuring out my own." - Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker Sharon Shattuck
This information about And She Was was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jessica Verdi is the author of My Life After Now, The Summer I Wasn't Me, and What You Left Behind. She is a graduate of The New School's MFA in Writing for Children program and lives in New York. You can find her online at jessicaverdi.com.
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