Tomorrow Will Be Different, by Sarah McBride

REVIEW:  Recognizing that each reader brings their own background and beliefs to a book, I did not read this book as a political statement.  I read it as a personal journey that also informs the reader of the broader picture in our country of the struggles anyone labeled “different” has to endure to have the same basic human rights and respect as anyone else.  I thought the alternating between the author’s story and the nation-wide data was very powerful.  Of course, politics cannot be ignored because that is what determines the current “law of the land,” but even if you do not always agree with the author, she does a compelling job of explaining her experiences and point of view.  I found the novel very insightful and moving and recommend it be read with an open mind and kind heart.  I received a complimentary copy of the book for this review. 

People

Sarah McBride Sally – mother, former guidance counselor Dad – former antiwar protester, corporate attorney Sean and Dan – brothers Andrew Cray – husband, deceased Jack Markell – mentor, governor of Delaware Joe Biden – Vice President Beau Biden – son, Delaware Attorney General Bishop Gene – officiated at both wedding and funeral Helen – high school friend, first to call author by female name and pronoun State of Delaware

For Discussion:

NOTE:  Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1. How might Sarah’s story have been different if her parents had different backgrounds?
2. On page 10 the author stated that how people are represented in popular culture is crucial to how people are accepted.  Do you agree?   Can you think of how pop culture has influenced how you view something? 
3. Sarah asked her friend Helen, who was studying abroad, to try calling her by a female name.  How important was Helen’s acceptance to Sarah?  Would you be able to do this for a friend?
4. On page 28, Sarah identified one problem as an “empathy gap,” meaning that people could not understand how a transgender person feels because it was so far removed from their experiences.  How important do you think empathy is in our dealings with other people who are different from us?  How can we gain empathy?
5. Sarah stated that she was, “proud to be transgender” and that “Our identities matter” (page 68).  What is your identity and how important is it to you that other people know this?
6. The state of Delaware plays an important part in Sarah’s story.  Do you feel the same sense of connection to your state?  What makes Delaware special to its citizens?
7. After Sarah posted the picture of herself in the woman’s bathroom on Instagram and Facebook she received an overwhelming number of vicious responses (pages 235-6).   Were you surprised at the hatefulness of these responses?  Sarah thought she would not be affected by these but was surprised at the sense of despair she felt.  How can we counter this when it happens to a child for whatever reason?
8. Following the above incident, Sarah wrote that bullies, “…see our power and they are jealous of it” (page 238).  Do you agree that bullies are insecure and jealous and act like they do in order to make themselves feel better?  What can we do to stop bullies?
9. When Sarah was working on her convention speech, a friend reminded her of a quote by Maya Angelou, “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel” (page 242).   Many people feel that our actions speak the loudest.  What do you think about this quote?
10. The author never told the reader her birth name or used a masculine pronoun when referring to herself before she transitioned.  How did this affect your understanding?
11. At the end of the book, Sarah quoted a statistic that, “the percentage of Americans saying they personally know someone who is transgender rose from single digits to roughly a third” (page 225).   (Please note that I could not find a citation for this statistic.)   Do you know anyone who is transgender?   Do you know anyone who is different from you and your family?   Do you think this is generational?

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