Sarah McBride (Photo by Mat Marshall)

‘Tomorrow Will Be Different’ 
 
By Sarah McBride
 
Crown Archetype
 
$26
 
288 pages

Though she was 10 years old the first time she heard the word “transgender,” Sarah McBride knew from an early age that she was really a girl. Problem was, everyone around her saw her as a boy and she didn’t want to disillusion and disappoint them.

It’s a compelling story the former Obama staffer shares in her new memoir “Tomorrow Will Be Different,” a heart-tugging story that doesn’t always go where you think it’s going.

McBride tamped down a feeling of “homesickness” inside herself and she tried to be a boy by dating girls, joining a fraternity at college and doing guy things that felt wrong. It wasn’t until the end of her time as student body president at American University that she took the leap and came out as a woman.

It was a relief, she says, and though there was some initial shock, her friends and family never stopped loving her. For that, she acknowledges her fortune; a high percentage of her LGBT peers aren’t so lucky.

Not long after this major life changer, McBride was accepted for a dream come true, landing an internship at the Obama White House. She’d been fascinated by politics since she was small and was a campaign volunteer in her home state of Delaware. Starting in the Office of Public Engagement, she was quickly engaged; activism, as McBride learned, was something she could sink her teeth into as a trans woman.

Happier than she’d ever been, McBride’s life continued to rise. She fell in love with Andy, whom she’d met at a party, though she didn’t see him again until he emailed her months later. He was trans, too — a homegrown Wisconsin boy with a sense of humor, and she adored him. The future was bright.

And then things changed again.

There’s a message inside “Tomorrow Will Be Different” and it’s not the activism one you think is there.

Oh, there’s no denying that McBride is an activist and she’s been a big part in moving the trans needle both on the state level and nationally. She’s a history maker and shaker. But this book isn’t just about that.

Oh so subtly, McBride makes readers’ brains itch. LGBT teens can be fragile and you’ll watch closer after reading this book. Health care isn’t just an issue for the middle class, an issue she explores compellingly. Politics aren’t just something to rant about and things may not be as bad as they seem.  This book forces a different way of looking at things, but you might not initially notice that as you’re crying over the rest of this memoir.

It’s a poignant read that yields unexpected rewards if you surrender to it.