Book Review - What We Will Become
What We Will Become, by Mimi Lemay captivated me from the first written words. As a true story, written with love about bravery and staying true to who you are. That is a very general statement about the very specific subject matter told in this story. This author forces you to truly understand how important it is to be authentic.
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When Mimi's young daughter Em begins acting out, becoming shy, and choosing to play a boy during make-believe she must consider that there is something deeper troubling her 3-year-old than just the typical toddler tantrums.
As Mimi and her husband Joe struggle to understand their daughter's behavior Mimi can't help but recall how she was faced with life changing decisions as a young adult.
Simultaneous to following the story of how Mimi and Joe are forced to acknowledge that their daughter was born a girl but believes she is a boy, we follow the story of Mimi's youth and coming of age as a devout Orthodox Jew.
Watching her daughter struggle with her identity, Mimi recalls her own struggles identifying with her faith. She remembers how she challenged all that she knew of her faith and questioned whether she could live an authentic life as the Orthodox Jew she was raised.
Two Journeys of Transition
While the two journeys are very different, Mother and Son were both forced to make a decision on how to live authentically. Em was only 3 when she began verbalizing that she believed SHE was a HE so her parents were vital in allowing the process for Em to begin transitioning into living as a boy. A boy named Jacob.
The change in Em, as Jacob was immediate. The transition for the family took a little time to settle. Jacob has 2 sisters, 1 older and 1 younger. His older sister, Ella had to sort of mourn her sister while welcoming a brother. Younger sister Lucia was young enough not to remember Em, as much. Grandma Kathy, Joe's mom, as well as Mimi's brother were very accepting of the transition. However, Mimi's mother, also an Orthodox Jew did not accept the change as willingly.
The relationship between Mimi and her mother has been strained for most of their lives. Understanding Mimi's childhood and growth, it's remarkable to witness the love she has for her kids and family as well as how she's handled the reality that her middle child is Transgender.
While I am not Jewish and did not understand some of the details of the Jewish faith detailed in this story, the author's writing was very thorough. The way she structured the story and provided a sort of parallel between her daughter's necessary transition and her own (in her faith). She wrote in a way that made it easy to follow and made me anxious to get to the next chapter to continue following the journey; of Mimi as well as of Em (Jacob).
I was not very familiar with the transgender topic. After reading this wonderfully written story, I have a better understanding of the challenges people born one gender who feel that they are another, go through. I mentioned bravery in my first paragraph to describe this author/mother. The Lemay family is brave and the way they accepted Em's belief that she was meant to live as a male is inspiring. They portray the true meaning of living authentically.
This story did not touch me because I can relate to it. I am not Jewish and do not know anyone who is transgender. It did speak to me, however, as a mother and a human being. What I took from this story is the importance of living authentically and loving and accepting everyone for who they are. This story was written with honesty and humor.
Until my next review...
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