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Jessica Verdi
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And She Was Kindle Edition

by Jessica Verdi (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 38
Teachers' pick
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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 backmatter includes an author's note and resources for readers.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    373 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Scholastic Press
  5. Publication date
    March 27, 2018
  6. Reading age
    14 years and up
  7. Grade level
    9 - 12
  8. File size
    6805 KB
  9. Page Flip
    Enabled
  10. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  11. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  12. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

* "Verdi's book is a triumph--an exquisite mirror in which trans parents and their children will see themselves. And for once, the reflection won't break their hearts." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Brutally honest ... unflinching ... a compelling reading experience ... a valuable addition to library collections." -- School Library Journal

"A solid choice for all YA collections." -- School Library Connection

"A heartfelt tale" -- BCCB

About the Author

Jessica Verdi is the author of And She Was, What You Left Behind, The Summer I Wasn't Me, and My Life After Now. She is a graduate of The New School's MFA in Writing for Children program and lives in New York. You can find her online at jessicaverdi.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074P98LMQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scholastic Press (March 27, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 27, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6805 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 373 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 38

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Jessica Verdi

Jessica Verdi

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Jessica Verdi lives in New York with her family. A graduate of The New School's MFA in Writing for Children program, she is the author of several books for children and teens, including FOLLOW YOUR ARROW, I'M NOT A GIRL, AND SHE WAS, WHAT YOU LEFT BEHIND, THE SUMMER I WASN'T ME, and MY LIFE AFTER NOW. She loves seltzer, hot sauce, TV, vegetarian soup, flip-flops, and all animals. Visit her at www.jessicaverdi.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @jessverdi.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
38 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Gretchen Gray
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
As an LGBTQ ally, I appreciate this book and what it will do to promote understanding between cis and transgender people. And She Was is a well-paced, realistic YA/coming of age story and I loved every page of this heartbreaking and uplifting book. Wonderful read. Highly recommend.
One person found this helpful
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Johannah Bryson
5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and honestly told. So good!
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
A beautiful story told with honesty and respect. This is a Book Club must! This is a read until you’re finished, even if it’s way past time you were asleep. Ms. Verdi has made me fall in love with Dara, Sam and Melli. Well done, well done!
2 people found this helpful
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May Angelou
4.0 out of 5 stars Pronouns Matter
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2018
The issue of transgenderism takes the stage front and center and features large in a young girl’s trip to find out about her extended family. This coming-of-age story is as much about Dara’s mother Mellie, assigned male at birth, as it is about Dara.

Learning the truth about her mother causes a violent riff between Dara and Mellie and sends Dara on her journey of self-discovery. Dara’s simmering bitterness and anger towards her mother’s lies cause her to make mistakes, big and small. But ultimately it’s Mellie’s voice that we hear.

Mellie, born Marcus Hogan, has to outline her previous life and her life choices to a daughter initially resistant to hearing them. In so doing, we get a poignant, harrowing and awful glimpse into the life of a boy with an abusive father and a worried, uncomprehending mother. Mellie’s growth, learning, escape and subterfuge as she came to grips with who and what she was make for stellar reading. It’s hard to read certain passages but we recognize them as necessary steps on the path to adulthood and true identity.

As the book twines the threads of Mellie’s past with Dara’s present, we come to see how the two women are very much alike. As Dara learns about the family of Celeste (her birth mother), everyone talks about how much Dara looks like her. But Dara has much of her “father” in her as well. It just takes us time to see that. Ms. Verdi gives us that time. Her main characters grow throughout the novel and we are taken along for the ride.

In the end, we find that it’s the people we’ve known and grown with who will bind and define us. Love, sex, gender roles, anxiety, terror, desperation and acceptance put us through the wringer and no more so than when they come from family. This is a superb novel, no matter what your orientation.
2 people found this helpful
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Shaw
5.0 out of 5 stars Jessica Verdi is one of my favorite writers. If you're a fan of "The Summer ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2018
Jessica Verdi is one of my favorite writers. If you're a fan of "The Summer I Wasn't Me" (which is my personal favorite) or "My Life After Now," you'll love "And She Was." This is one of the most important books I've read in a really long time, especially given the current political climate where transgender issues are a constant part of a larger cultural and social conversation.

"And She Was" presents a sort of dual narrative, with Dara, the teenage protagonist narrating most the story in all her teenager-y angst, and Mellie, Dara's mom, telling her story through a series of emails to Dara. Spoiler Alert! Mellie is transgender, and the book starts when Dara finds out. What happens next is Dara's mental (and physical) journey to finally understanding her mother. It's heartwarming, gut-wrenching, and real. It'll be hard to not fall in love with these characters (especially Mellie. She is EVERYTHING.)

Seriously, pick this up. NOW!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful journey of discovery
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2019
Verdi does an amazing job bringing people and situations to life and this book might be her best one yet! I've been a fan of the author from book one and carry every one of her characters in my heart long after the final page is read. AND SHE WAS is so clearly a 'Verdi' book exploring new territory as only she can. Told with love and care, mark this a MUST READ and watch expectantly for what this author is working on next!
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Brian Katcher
5.0 out of 5 stars The world was moving, she was right there with it
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2019
Phenomenal story about a girl who discovers that her mother is a transgender woman, and actually her biological father. Dara, the daughter, was well written, but Mellie, was the one who stole the show. Mellie was about my age, so I kind of identified with her more than her 18 year old daughter, especially when she reminisced about 90s technology.
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John Rogers Clark IV
5.0 out of 5 stars Not only a great story with an involved plot
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2018
Not only a great story with an involved plot, it portrays the process someone who is transgender must experience in order to feel 'true'. The use of emails while Dara is on her search for the elusive grandparents, as well as her realization that they're not what they initially seemed, add levels of excellence to this story. A book I'd strongly suggest any and all libraries consider for their collection.
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CaseyCip
5.0 out of 5 stars Such an important book for these times. I hope ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2018
Such an important book for these times. I hope teens and young adults get a chance to read it.
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