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And She Was
And She Was | Jessica Verdi
5 posts | 5 read | 2 to read
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.
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review
Mem_ugh
And She Was | Jessica Verdi
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Mehso-so

I didn‘t hate it but I spent a good amount of time pissed as hell at Dara. What an entitled little brat, the only person you‘ve known as your mother reveals to you that she is transgender and your first reaction is to be angry because she spent the money you could‘ve used for tennis on her transition. Cool, you‘re a jerk. Also the casual transphobic terminology, while completely normal in the setting, should‘ve been checked my Dara immediately.

blurb
Mem_ugh
And She Was | Jessica Verdi
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I woke up intending to go on a long run, realized it‘s raining cats and dogs and so here I sit, with my couch blanket, a book and a large cup of coffee. #perfectsaturday

review
Between-the-Shelves
And She Was | Jessica Verdi
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Pickpick

This book follows the story of Dara, a recent high school graduate who finds out her mother is transgender. There were moments of this book that made me cringe--but I think that was the point. You can tell that Verdi did her research, and her overall portrayal of Dara's Mom feels authentic.

4/5 stars

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review
GerardtheBookworm
And She Was | Jessica Verdi
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Mehso-so

A YA version of Transamerica but instead of Felicity Huffman having a bisexual, junkie hustler for a son, we have a well adjusted teenage tennis star. When 18 year old Data discovers her biological single mom is really her biological dad, she embarks on a road trip to discover her real late mother's family. Pacing is slow in the beginning and there is an obligatory love triangle but it picks up near the end with her trans mom's story. Okay.

quote
islandstorygirl
And She Was | Jessica Verdi
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"Every time I open the fridge and hear the hot sauce bottles rattle against each other in the door, my heart aches."