A Girlhood
by Carolyn Hays
Blair Books
September 5, 2022
One ordinary day, a caseworker from the Department of Children and Families knocked on the Hays family’s door to investigate an anonymous complaint about the upbringing of their transgender child. It was this knock, this threat, that began the family’s journey out of the Bible Belt, but never far from the hate and fear resting at the nation’s core.
A GIRLHOOD, a mother's "letter" to her transgender daughter, asks us all to love better, not just for the sake of this one child, but for children everywhere enduring injustice and prejudice just as they begin to understand themselves. A GIRLHOOD is a call to action, an ode to community, a plea for empathy, a hope for a better future. A GIRLHOOD is a love letter to a child who has always known exactly who she is—and who is waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.
Foreign Sales:
Ara Llibres - Catalan
Flammarion - France
ADD Edizioni - Italy
Planeta - Spain
Picador - U.K.
Praise for A Girlhood:
“Hays…pens this poignant letter to her transgender daughter... [she]
does a wonderful job of honestly recalling the turmoil, moves, and
challenges that followed as well as the unexpected aid from families
and friends. Throughout the letter, she shows constant love and
support for her daughter, who remains at peace with her choices.
Gradually, Hays and family become eloquent advocates for the girl
and the trans community. Families facing similar challenges will be
comforted and inspired by this clear-eyed, love-filled tale.”
—Booklist Magazine
“Powerfully intimate…Hays trains her powers of observation
on the sheer wonder of a child in bloom.”
—New York Times Book Review
“... a harrowing narrative of parental love...”
—NPR’s “The Takeaway”
“...a breath of fresh air and a powerful call to action”
—Bustle Magazine
“An important and moving book, which traverses family bonds,
change, courage, politics, rights, faith and reason . . . dictated
by a love that will not accept compromises.”
— La Republica
“. . . searing, haunting, and inspiring . . . a story that asks us to consider
what we would do if the simple act of loving our own child threatened
to cost us everything. In prose memorable for its gentleness and wisdom,
Ms. Hays’ story is about more than the transgender question: it’s about
ignorance and wisdom; hatred and love; men, women, and children.
In the end, A GIRLHOOD is about all of us.”
— Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She’s Not There and Good Boy