This one is special, well-written and needed for the advocacy it bolsters. Thank you to Abi Maxwell for writing this story, and advocating for your child. This one is a tough read because these issues are happening in real time, watching the current climate for this memoir to come out is abysmal. But we fight on. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I am so thankful to Knopf, PRH Audio, Abi Maxwell, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this galley before publication day. I really enjoyed the dialogue and plot of this book and can’t wait to chat this one up with my friends!

Dear Abi, what a beautiful, powerful, touching and heartbreaking book you have written. I felt like you poured your heart out showing us the ups and downs of parenting a transgender child and dealing with a horrible unaccepting community. Your parenting was just as I expect I would be. A bit unsure but listening to my child and my heart. When you accepted what your child was telling you I could feel your family love. And your strength showed through so incredibly and thankfully because you had a fight on your hands. You were so strong dealing with fearful, stupid and angry people . What an inspiring book for any parent or LGBTQ+ person or friend of to read.

Thank you #NetGalley and #OneDayIllGrowUpandBeaBeautifulWoman for the opportunity to read this ARC

a really gorgeous and special memoir, difficult at times but so so important - especially right now, when trans rights are at stake. hope a lot of people get to read this one.

I typically don't rate memoirs with a star-rating, so I haven't on sites, but I have here because I want you to know how important this book is for people to read. Finishing it as the election draws closer was especially difficult but important, and Maxwell's memoir—which reads like a collection of essays—showed not only the beautiful parts but the hard parts and the parts she had to overcome to be the best ally for her daughter. Essential reading for anyone who says they are or wants to be aa trans ally and advocate.

This memoir is a tough but important read. I hope that the biggest impact this book has is for parents and the general public to hear a mom fighting and advocating for her trans and autistic daughter in such an impassioned way. Hearing what Greta and her family endured is absolutely devastating and, I fear, too common an experience for similar children living in conservative areas. I hope it serves as a but of a guidebook for other parents and teachers going through similar things.

There were parts that felt like Maxwell took some liberties with the dialogue, and perhaps misremembrance of conversations which took on a bit of an artificial and self-righteous feel. I loved that you could feel her rage through the page, but there were times where it felt a bit like she was using her daughter and gay brother as examples for how great of an ally she is. Despite this, she IS an excellent advocate for her daughter and trans kids in general, and a good example of how people can learn and change for the better (even if it did take having a trans kid of her own to realize how to become a better ally). I didn't always agree with how she dealt with the people who were possibly open to learning more BUT good lord, I can't blame her for not having the capacity to deal with that on top of everything else.

I hope there is a follow up when Greta is older and can maybe contribute in her own voice as well!

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC!

This book was fine. Why I like the most about it, was the parents educated themselves on everything that was going on. They went above and beyond, so their child would be safe and get the help they needed. I also like that you read about the extended family learning everything so they can be a part of their lives. You also get to read all about author her feelings about the law and how she’s dealt with it with her husband. There is a lot of struggles and pain that they had to go through for their daughter. And I like that she wrote about it. because it shows how much they care for their child, and they want to learn and be open minded so they can be there for their daughter.

It’s always funny how the views of a place can be so vastly different from one generation to the next. Abi Maxwell’s grandparents loved Grafton, New Hampshire and it’s family values and those same “values” criticize the next generation and are even harsher on the next. Maxwell definitely illustrates how judgmental we are in the “melting pot” of America where people are supposed to be free to be who they want.

As loud as the judgmental are now, Maxwell glides us into the storm that is coming for her daughter. One Day I’ll Grow and Be a Beautiful Woman starts off with sentimentality with some harsh truth thrown in. The author does an excellent job of showcasing the contrasts of yesteryear to today.

Then we go through the horrifying events that transpire when you are trying to protect your child while your neighbors and friends turn against you. What can happen to a family, a marriage, your child, and yourself. How the fear lingers even when you're forced to move. The damage that is done when everyone responds differently when Greta says, “I’m a girl.”

One Day is a tough read. I related to this story as my Mom and I had issues in a small-town we lived in. I was “outed” just because of how I look and disgusting things were said about my Mom and me. Mind you, we had lived there for thirty years when a new neighbor moved in and disrupted our entire lives. We sold our house and moved, but it changed how we look at our new neighbors now. This book was a huge trigger for me. Huge hugs to anyone reading who needs it.

I think it’s important that these stories are written and read. We need to always keep in mind that this is the present and Maxwell’s is one voice, but it’s a common story. Being able to put in words the horror of judgment is a gift. Difficult to read due to the emotions laid out, but a necessary one.

This is the book that I will forever recommend when an anti-LGBTQ opinion is voiced. Trans rights are human rights, and the author, Abi Maxwell, patiently puts in the emotional labor to explain, over and over again, why it is a basic human right to be yourself. As a mother of two boys who are close to Greta's age, I felt Abi's emotional journey acutely. I, in fact, worked in a Youth Services department of a conservative town, and have also had patrons hide a book about Pride or stuff it into the pages of a different book so others wouldn't see it. Abi's lived experience as a mother of a transgender little girl is so powerful, and so genuine, that I couldn't read it fast enough. I worried throughout the whole book that it would end with an act of despair, which, thankfully, it did not.

I agree with other commenters who felt that the beginning of this novel was the strongest, and that the ending came across as a bit weak. I was confused that she wouldn't know how red of a state Montana was until they were almost going to move there. These minor criticisms should not detract from the quality of this memoir. It is a mother's heart on paper.

This is a must-read for parents, it is a beautiful and heartfelt memoir that will educate you and enhance your empathy. Abi Maxwell breaks down her experience of fighting for her daughter’s right to be seen as a human being in a world that thinks they know what is best. She offers a level of candor that is relatable, and she doesn’t try to sugar coat how she feels throughout it all. Obviously, a parent’s main concern is for the health and happiness of their children, but sometimes it takes a child to remind them of what they truly need to achieve it. In a world that is trying to regulate her daughter’s existence, all she needs to do is see how happy being a girl makes her daughter. I think that Abi does an excellent job at countering the narratives anti-trans legislation tries to send out into the world in a way that any mom with a heart would find themselves agreeing with. The topic is a hot button issue these last few years, but it doesn’t need to be. If we, as a society, can listen to stories like these and take the time to really educate ourselves, the health of our nation can grow. We can make room in our hearts to prevent suicide, bullying and discrimination all by following what is right. No child should have to suffer at the hands of the adults of this country. No one should feel like they are not worthy of existing. So-called religious beliefs should never come into play when it comes to someone living or dying. If you think differently about these last three sentences, you should pick up this book and try to see the world from someone else’s perspective, even if it doesn’t change your mind, hopefully you can learn to open your heart a little.

This book is about the story of a mother trying to raise her autistic, transgender daughter in a conservative town in New Hampshire. It spans the period from before her daughter was born to until she is 10.

I went into this book blind, not knowing what it is about. I learned a lot, and loved Maxwell’s writing style. Abi Maxwell writes from her heart, her writing is clear and smooth. As a mother, it made me think of how important community is in raising our children but as important as community is, what a lonely experience being a mother can be. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about this topic.

Big thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House and Riverhead Books for sharing an ARC of this book with me. All opinions are my own.

This book was beautifully honest and as a mother, I appreciated being able to read it. This story follows Maxwell and provides an honest look at her journey raising, and trying to protect, her transgender daughter in a conservative town in a time where people in power are actively trying to implement laws that would endanger her child. I'll be thinking about this story for a very long time.

So beautifully written so heart wrenching a mothers fight for her transgenders daughters rights.to be herself.The author stands up for her daughter fights small minded people in her small town.Any parent who is facing this situation will benefit from this book or anyone who truly want to understand about raising a transgenders child #netgalley#knopf

This was a beautiful memoir about motherhood. About family, growth, standing up for what's right, forgiveness, and strength.

This book is about a mother whose daughter is transgender. The obstacles the mother, her daughter, and the entire family all faced.

I enjoyed this book a lot, and I loved that it was a story from the POV of a mother- to hear her internal dialogue, her thoughts, her challenges, and the ways she learned to be their for her daughter.

This is a very personal story. This is one that is important to read!

What an emotional and heartwrenching memoir. Abi Maxwell's One Day I'll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman follows Maxwell's journey in parenting a child who she later learns is both autistic and trans in a community that wants to do little or nothing to help her child feel included. Through this memoir, Maxwell discusses the numerous ways her school and community hurt her and her child, and the numerous ways Maxwell and her husband had to fight for her daughter's very basic needs. I love that Maxwell is consistent throughout the book in calling her daughter by the correct pronouns, even before her transition. Maxwell is able to recognize the times she was wrong in pushing back against her daughter's desire to be herself, and is able to identify ways where she was not properly advocating for her daughter. This book gets incredibly emotional and difficult, as the community that Maxwell so clearly loved works hard to ensure her daughter is not included as she is. This book will likely be triggering for many readers, and her portrayal of her husband's anxiety and depression feels extremely realistic. It's not a light read, and sadly Maxwell is not the only parent who has gone through something like this.

Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Abi Maxwell has written a book that absolutely needed to exist in this world. I find it so frustrating how people can have opinions on situations they could never understand unless they’ve experienced them. This book tells a story of strength and love as a mother navigates the tempestuous seas of parenting a transgender, autistic child. I don’t think I would have gotten through it myself, without a litany of assault charges on my record. I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to better understand what it is like for parents in this situation. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf - This book has become a part of me and the lens that I see the world through.

This timely memoir is stunning and heartbreaking. Abi’s family is caught in the crossfire of gender identity, trans youth and the closed minds of their small town. Very powerful and heartwrenching. Everyone should read this book. Especially in the political climate we are in. Its a 1000% must-read. Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks again to Netgalley and Knoph for sending me an eARC of this book!

I usually hesitate give a star rating for memoirs, because I don't want to diminish the story itself. I think the story of this family's journey was incredible and emotional and gut-wrenching and anger-inducing. I loved seeing Greta grow and blossom and overcome so much as she was able to live more and more like her true self. I think stories like this are so crucial for people to understand a real story about a trans child, rather than making their own assumptions about bogeyman on the news or straw man arguments that don't even really exist. I think it was important for Abi to write truthfully, explaining the moments of her own apprehension, showing their family's imperfections, successes and failures, as they navigated their new reality.

There are a couple of critiques about the way the book itself was actually structured which led to me giving it three stars. First off, for a book that isn't even really that long, it took me a very long time to read and at times felt like it was dragging. I think the way the book is formatted, with dense, long paragraphs, makes it feel like a lot more to get through. Even when I was really interested in the story and the family, I sometimes found it hard to pick the book up, and if I did I wouldn't make much progress in a reading session.

Secondly, I think the author needed to focus the story a little bit more. The main story was about her daughter, but we would often go on tangents about her Grandparents, her brother, her early relationsihp with her husband, and the lake itself. While moments like that do provide context for how they are navigating through life now, it felt like they often pulled away from the story abruptly and went on a bit too long. The author also *very* briefly mentions a couple of moments where she was raped and sexually assualted. I'm talking only a couple of sentences about each. That felt a bit weird to me. I think those either needed to be properly explored (though maybe in their own book in the future) or left out completely, because they almost felt like they were just dropped in for some kind of shock factor, or just to add drama to the author's story? I'm not sure. It just didn't feel right within this story about her daughter's gender journey.

I loved this memoir. It was so powerful of a mother’s love for her daughter and how she will fight for her but also recognize that she can’t change the world’s closemindedness.

Thank you Knopf for supporting Abi Maxwell's story, honoring it with publication support. A powerful memoir, one that I have already recommended to students I teach and advise, and a reminder that to learn we listen, read, and reflect on the different lives, feelings, and lived experiences of others. I was moved my Maxwell's sharing not just a story of parenting, of gender identity, but also one about community, family, and persisting in the face of adversity, of showing up for people you love and seeing, celebrating who they are.
It is important to read and amplify stories such as Maxwell's, to be aware that many transgender youth , adults, and families, face hurt and harm. I appreciate Maxwell's writing, hope the book will be a tribute to for many, and that the book is a welcome discussion starter.