Worth A Read Most Definitely
Length 352
Quick Review A deep dive into gender, race, relationships, and what it means to grow and be human. Jodie Patterson confronts it all when she realizes her daughter is her son, Penelope.
The Bold World by Jodie Patterson is wonderful. Honestly, I loved it. I had never been heard of her before reading the book, which is nice because I don’t have any preconceived notions. All I really knew was it was about being a mother to a trans son. Yay! Supporting women and the LGBTQIA people! It’s what I’m all about, plus I love reading and educating myself about these things.
About more than just her son, The Bold World is absolutely Jodie Patterson’s story. She begins with her early life and family. There is a commitment to family in every page of this book. Patterson allows herself and the people in her life to be as complex as people are prone to being. Never sidestepping the contradictions, feelings, pain, confusion of humanity. Anecdotes are relaid with a matter-of-factness, which leaves no room for question. It happened. She manages to communicate her self-love and mistakes without ever being apologetic for either.
Courageous is how I would describe The Bold World. It takes a brave heart to lay out the complexities of being woman, of being black in America today. To openly struggle with being a strong black woman and a mother of trans son is another level. Opening up about the ups, downs and absolute mystery of mothering well in a world that too often vilifies different is courageous. It is heartbreaking and overwhelming hopeful all at the same time.
The topic of transgender is still such a new concept for so many people. Jodie Patterson is helping to tear down the walls separating normal and other in The Bold World. It is inspirational and necessary. Not only does she tackle trans-issues, she talks about skin color, gender, sexism, family, motherhood, marriage, and being human. It is a remarkable story told with grace and hope.
Memorable Quotes
“The South, I knew had the power to fix anything. There was spirit in the soil.”
“…sometimes the king is a woman.”
“this correlation between money and control, where control is in the hands of men, and women are often excluded, or minimized, from the conversation.”
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Title: The Bold World; A Memoir of Family and Transformation
Author: Jodie Patterson
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780399179013