A Girlhood: Letter to My Transgender Daughter

This moment, this knock on the door, changed our lives forever. It created fissures that remain: This was our lives before it. This was our lives after…There was panic and loss and a kind of fear that never really goes away . . .

An Oprah Daily pick for “15 Spiritual Books to Change the Way You See Everything”

“Hays’ intimate memoir is a an ode to her daughter amid a world of injustice...[she] presents a different view of God—as a being of pure love that would never consider her daughter a mistake, but instead, a gift.”  –– Oprah Daily 

Powell’s Books: Best Nonfiction of 2022

“...one of the most important and illuminating books of the year.” –– The Irish Times

“A Girlhood is a book that burns with fierce maternal love, faith and unshakable trust.” –– The Herald (UK)

“…powerfully intimate…Hays trains her powers of observation on the sheer wonder of a child in bloom.”

–– The New York Times Book Review

Washington Post pick for “10 Noteworthy Books to Read in September” 

“Through it all, the author and her husband learn how to love their youngest child exactly as she sees herself.” –– Washington Post

“….compelling… [Hays] seamlessly interweaves family experiences with the history and struggles of transgender people…[an] urgent plea for all children to be seen and loved for exactly who they are.” –– AudioFile

You can listen to AudioFile’s podcast for a review and sample here.

To listen to Carolyn on NPR’s The Takeaway with host Melissa Harris-Perry, click here.

“... a harrowing narrative of parental love...”  –– NPR’s The Takeaway with Melissa Harris-Perry

A Selection for The Women’s National Book Association (WNBA) 2022 Great Group Reads List.

A Girlhood has been added to The Most Anticipated Books of September 2022 at Bustle.com 

“...a breath of fresh air and a powerful call to action.” –– Bustle 

“Stunning... Built like a thriller, moving, wise and illuminated on every page with love.” –– Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat and A Narrow Door

“...about as perfect as they come... personal, tender, and fierce...a must read.” –– Kendra Gayle Lee for The Southern Booksellers Review

“... a gripping and intimate story.” –– New York Family 

“… poignant… [a] clear-eyed, love-filled tale.” –– Booklist

“…a transfixing odyssey…an act of epic compassion…” — Diana Goetsch, author of This Body I Wore

“A Girlhood is, at its heart, a love story, a grand American love story… gorgeously written … This—this—is the book we need now.” — Beth Ann Fennelly, author of Great with Child: Letters to a Young Mother

“An incredibly poignant and timely story for trans families everywhere. I wish my parents had access to these words, stories, and beautiful thoughts while raising me.” — Tommy Dorfman, actress, writer, director

“... searing, haunting, and inspiring.” — Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She’s Not There and Good Boy

“Sharp, unsettling, painful, beautiful.” — Teresa Ciabatti, La Lettura, Corriere dell Sera

“Touching, combative, compelling... this memoir begins with the suspense of a thriller and ends with ... hope.” — Vogue [Italian edition]

“...part confessional, part memoir, all love-letter to trans children. In a time when care for trans children is so under fire in this country, this book is as important as it ever will be.” — Well + Good, “10 Books That Center Trans People”

“An important and moving book, which talks about bonds, change, courage, politics, rights, faith and reason…dictated by a love that does not accept compromises.” — Torino of la Repubblica (Italy)