Review
“McBride's story is touching, thought-provoking, at times tear-jerking, and absolutely worth the read for all who care about equality.”—Harper’s Bazaar
“Sarah McBride's memoir is a must-read, offering encouragement while showing that the fight for equality is just getting started.”—Paste
“In a world where the most vitriolic voices often sound the loudest, McBride's story reveals that most people are not prone to hate.”—The Washington Post
“Whatever the idea of a memoir from a still fresh-faced adult might connote, McBride subverts it: The past few years of her life contain more human experience than many lifetimes. . . . The tumult of these years—the affirming highs and the devastating lows—are chronicled in her vital and powerful new memoir, Tomorrow Will Be Different.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Sarah McBride is a force to be reckoned with. . . . And now, McBride is detailing her history-making journey in her new memoir, Tomorrow Will Be Different.”—HuffPost
“Sarah McBride's powerful memoir, Tomorrow Will Be Different, is a brave and moving story that will inspire and galvanize readers to join the urgent fight for LGBTQ rights. The energy and vigor Sarah has brought to the fight for equality is ever present in this book and she starkly defines what is at stake, and how we can do better to advocate on behalf of all people.”—Vice President Kamala Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Truths We Hold
“Incredibly powerful.”—Hello Giggles
“Tomorrow Will Be Different is at once a memoir, a roadmap to liberation, and a love letter to anyone feeling the faint flicker of doubt as the fight for equality goes on.”—Ms.
“From the beginning, McBride has been breaking barriers in politics, and in her memoir . . . she steps into the fullness of who she is. Tomorrow Will Be Different is absolutely phenomenal.”—Bitch Media
“One of the most prominent transgender activists of her time, McBride interweaves thoughtful analysis of contemporary political issues, such as bathroom access and trans health care, into her own triumphant journey.”—Washington Blade
“Tomorrow Will Be Different is a life-changing book. With equal measures revolutionary fervor and down-to-earth kindness, Sarah McBride tells the story of coming out as trans and of the terrain, both personal and political, for transgender people and those who love us. Urgent, gentle, and fierce, Sarah McBride makes me believe that the future will not only be different, but glorious—not just for LGBTQ people, but for everyone.”—Jennifer Finney Boylan, New York Times bestselling author of Long Black Veil and She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders
“Tomorrow Will Be Different is a book about falling in love, being true to yourself, and creating change. Sarah's journey is as relatable as it is inspiring -- a powerful, compelling story, beautifully told by a fearless activist who has only just begun to make her mark on the world.”—Cecile Richards, New York Times bestselling author of Make Trouble and former president of Planned Parenthood
“Sarah McBride, an inspiring political leader and one of the nation's most visible and tireless advocates for equality, has already broken barriers and made history. Mixing tragic heartache with unending hope, Tomorrow Will Be Different promises to be a seminal book at a critical moment for both the LGBTQ community and our country.”—Chad Griffin, former president of the Human Rights Campaign
“Part autobiography, part advocacy, [Tomorrow Will Be Different] succeeds beautifully on both counts. . . . Highly readable and beautifully written, [McBride’s] is an inarguably important book that deserves the widest possible readership.”—Booklist (starred review)
“A brave transgender woman experiences both triumph and tragedy in this memoir of transitioning and so much more. . . . Throughout, the author ably balances great accomplishments and strong emotions. Reading McBride's inspiring story will make it harder to ostracize or demonize others with similar stories to share.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“In her first book, activist McBride shows self-awareness and purpose. . . . All readers will find this book enlightening.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“McBride’s intimate story of fighting for social justice in the midst of heartbreak will resonate with many readers.”—Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Sarah McBride is a Delaware state senator and the national press secretary at the Human Rights Campaign, working tirelessly to advocate for LGBTQ equality. She has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Vogue, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker, and she speaks regularly at national LGBTQ and political events. A native of Delaware, McBride is on the front lines of the progressive movement.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
It’s rare to know in real time that what you are about to do will define the course of the rest of your life. But as I sat at my laptop in the small office I had been given as student body president at American University, I knew that my world was about to turn upside down. I was about to reveal my deepest secret and take a step that just a few months before would have seemed impossible and unimaginable.
My hand hovered over the keypad of my laptop, ready yet reluctant to click “post” on a Facebook note that would change my life forever. I could almost hear the responses I feared would come.
What a freak.
Ew.
This is disgusting.
And probably the most biting, because I was afraid it was true: Well, there goes any life and future for that kid.
Throughout my whole life until this point, it had always seemed that my dreams and my identity were mutually exclusive. My life had been defined by a constant tension between the two: the belief—as certain as the color of the sky—that it was impossible for me to have a family, a career, fulfillment, while also embracing the truth that I am a transgender woman.
For the first twenty-one years of my life, my dreams—the possibility of improving my world and making my family proud—had won out over my identity. But the older I got, the harder it became to rationalize away something that had become clear was the core of who I am. And by college, it had enveloped my whole being. It was present every second of my life.
I no longer had a choice. I couldn’t hide anymore. I couldn’t continue living someone else’s existence. I needed to come out. I needed to tell the world that I was transgender. I needed to live my own life as me.
A little over a year before, I had been elected student body president at American University. AU, nestled between suburban neighbor- hoods in northwest Washington, D.C., is one of the most politically active schools in the country and boasts a rich history of political milestones. It was the site where John F. Kennedy called for “not merely peace in our time, but peace for all time” months after the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the home of the younger Ted Kennedy’s pivotal endorsement of then-senator Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primary.
I had always loved politics, advocacy, and government. They had seemed like the best way to improve my community and leave a lasting impact on the world. From the ages of six and seven, after discovering the White House and learning about all of the history that occurred within its walls, I knew that politics would be my life’s calling.
When I served as student body president at AU and began working on the issues I had always cared about—gender equity, racial justice, opportunity regardless of economic background, and, yes, LGBTQ equality—it became clear that making a difference in the world wouldn’t diminish or dilute my own pain and incompleteness.
I had come out to my parents over winter break in the middle of my yearlong term. Since then, I had come out to my closest friends, and as I woke up on the morning of April 30, 2012, my last day as student body president, I was resolved to announce to the world that I was really Sarah McBride.
