I still had reason to be proud, to know that my family came from here, that we had history. That above all else, I was of and from this New Hampshire land. I'm trying to say what it felt like then... To have my town look at my daughter and say, *No, we will not make it a safe space for her here.* To have it say, *No, she does not belong, she is not what we believe a child should be.* I'm trying to describe the depths to which that broke my heart.
A heartbreaking, harrowing memoir that often had me in tears. Abi Maxwell loves all the family history in her New Hampshire town, until she discovers that her “nice“ neighbors have no compunctions about denying the rights and needs of her transgender/autistic child.
The book piles on dramatic emphasis a bit too much, but the text never fails to respect the author's daughters identity, which I admire tremendously.
CW in comments.
“Abi, it's hard for me. I'm sorry, I just can't wrap my head around it.“
“Why don't you just try,“ I said. “You know how to read. Read one fucking book, Lisa, one fucking article, and you'll see that my daughter's life depends on people putting even an ounce of effort into understanding.“
Finally, at the suggestion of a friend, I called the Disability Rights Center in our state. I spoke with a lawyer, and I learned that many aspects of my daughter's denial were likely in violation of the law.
“You get more flies with honey,“ suggested another woman I'd been put in touch with for advice.
“I don't have any more fucking honey,“ I snapped.
This is going to be an absolute heartbreaker of a read, but I love this mom. She never misgenders or deadnames her daughter, even when writing about her birth.
Beautiful written heart wrenching memoir by Abi Maxwell her family and their fight to protect the rights of their Transgender daughter.
One Day I'll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman: A Mother's Story | 
