Sarah McBride covers a wide variety of topics in Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality. But given the complexity of gender identity and McBride’s own path, it’s not surprising. This was also a perfect pick for Pride Month. It fits perfectly in a time where LGBTQIA+ equality issues permeate the news and aspects of our culture.
McBride is young, but she accomplishes plenty throughout the book. Not the least of which is winning a seat in the Delaware State Senate in 2020. (Not covered here—maybe in a later memoir.) This book is an introduction to her, her life, and her advocacy work. Plus, she educates while she writes. After reading this book, you’ll have plenty of talking points for your next discussion about trans discrimination and need for laws and practice to protect equality for people who are trans.
Another aspect of McBride’s life is her relationship with her late husband, Andy Cray. Cray was a trans man, lawyer, and nationwide advocate. Sadly, he didn’t survive a bout with oral cancer, despite a valiant battle. In some ways, the journey through the maze of healthcare and the cancer experience was no different for Sarah and Andy than any other couple. At the same time, they worried about things that cisgender couples don’t need to. (Cisgender is the term for people who not trans.) It honestly broke my heart.
My conclusions
This book pulled me right in and grabbed hold. Maybe it’s because people in my life are also transgender. Or perhaps McBride’s activism speaks to my sense of politics and advocacy. It could also be that I love a good memoir about medical experiences. The combination of these various aspects just appealed to me. In addition, McBride is a strong writer.
As a youngster, she wanted a career in politics, and now it’s her chosen career. Whether she continues in public life or not, allowing readers into her world for about 300 pages is brave. But as McBride says about life before transition, “Being me appeared so impossible that changing the world seemed like the more realistic bet.” This book is about how she does both.
I admire McBride for all the hurdles she faces and surmounts in her young life. She comes out to the world, transitions, falls in love, marries, becomes a widow, and gets elected State Senator all before age 30. Calling it quite a life is beyond understatement. But imagine what the world can expect from this woman in the decades to come!
Pair with Jennifer Finney Boylan’s memoir Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs or Laurie Frankel’s novel about a family with a trans child, This Is How It Always Is.
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