What We Will Become

A Mother, a Son, and a Journey of Transformation

By: Mimi Lemay

Narrated by: Mimi Lemay

A mother’s memoir of her transgender child’s odyssey, and her journey outside the boundaries of the faith and culture that shaped her.

From the age of two-and-a-half, Jacob, born “Em”, adamantly told his family he was a boy. While his mother Mimi struggled to understand and come to terms with the fact that her child may be transgender, she experienced a sense of déjà vu - the journey to uncover the source of her child’s inner turmoil unearthed ghosts from Mimi’s past and her own struggle to live an authentic life.

Mimi was raised in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family, every aspect of her life dictated by ancient rules and her role as a woman largely preordained from cradle to grave. As a young woman, Mimi wrestled with the demands of her faith and eventually made the painful decision to leave her religious community and the strict gender roles it upheld.

Having risen from the ashes of her former life, Mimi was prepared to help her son forge a new one - at a time when there was little consensus on how best to help young transgender children. Dual narratives of faith and motherhood weave together to form a heartfelt portrait of an unforgettable family. Brimming with love and courage, What We Will Become is a powerful testament to how painful events from the past can be redeemed to give us hope for the future.

Read by the author.

©2019 Mimi Lemay (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

A Courageous Story of a Family

Mimi Lemay weaves the story of her own spiritual journey growing up in an Orthodox Jewish community with the present day journey of finding her way as a mother of a transgender child so artfully. I fell in love with this family and I didn’t want the book to end. I think Mimi’s book along with “This is How it Always Is” by Laurie Frankel should be required reading for all humans. How can you not fall in love with these kids and how can your heart not break for what these families go through to make a way for their kids in the world? Thank you, Mimi, for having the courage to share your story. Thank you, Jacob, for giving your blessing for your mom to do so. I hope this book will change many, many lives.

Amazing book that all parents should read.

With or without a transgender child in your life, if you are a parent you should read this. All parents should follow their children and let them become who they truly are instead of forcing them to live out their parents dreams for them.
This is an amazing story of parents who love their child regardless of anything else. Who wants their child to not only thrive but to live more than anything!
Thank you for writing your story, Jacob’s story, and your family’s story! You are fighting to make this world a better place and I see you!

Something that needed to be said

I have to admit I was hoping for a little more (more story, more pages, more about Jacob), however, I very much enjoyed this book. It is inspiring and very comforting.