Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition - Hardcover

"The writing style is open and straightforward...this is a worthwhile addition, given how few transgender memoirs there are for teens."--School Library Journal

"Hill tackles both painful and joyful experiences with a light touch, and background information about gender and physical transition is woven seamlessly into the narrative...Will both educate cisgender readers and strike sparks of recognition in those questioning their own gender identities."--Kirkus Reviews

"Once I began reading Katie's bold, beautiful unflinchingly honest memoir, I couldn't put it down. I felt as if I could reach out and touch her."--Susan Kuklin, author and photographer of Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out

"In this powerfully honest book, Katie Rain Hill explains it all for you. If her story of growing up transgender in Bible Belt Oklahoma doesn't touch you, you may be made of stone."--Ellen Wittlinger, award-winning author of Parrotfish, Hard Love and Love & Lies.

"Part of what makes Katie's story so extraordinary is that many of her struggles are entirely ordinary...Being so open--and openly imperfect--makes Katie relatable on a human level, not just as a spokesperson."--Publishers Weekly

"Katie's memoir is an extraordinary educational tool for anyone who wants to understand more about the transgender experience. Her compelling personal journey and relatable modern voice make her story accessible to readers who have never experienced gender dysphoria, and allow her to casually and efficiently define terms such as sex, gender identity, gender expression, romantic attraction, and sexual attraction, as well as the differences between them."--Edge Magazine

"Katie's emotions are raw and gripping, and her fight to be accepted is awe inspiring...[T]his is the perfect title to foster acceptance regardless of age, gender, or orientation."--VOYA

In her unique, generous, and affecting voice, nineteen-year-old Katie Hill shares her personal journey of undergoing gender reassignment.

Have you ever worried that you’d never be able to live up to your parents’ expectations? Have you ever imagined that life would be better if you were just invisible? Have you ever thought you would do anything—anything—to make the teasing stop? Katie Hill had and it nearly tore her apart.

Katie never felt comfortable in her own skin. She realized very young that a serious mistake had been made; she was a girl who had been born in the body of a boy. Suffocating under her peers’ bullying and the mounting pressure to be “normal,” Katie tried to take her life at the age of eight years old. After several other failed attempts, she finally understood that “Katie”—the girl trapped within her—was determined to live.

In this first-person account, Katie reflects on her pain-filled childhood and the events leading up to the life-changing decision to undergo gender reassignment as a teenager. She reveals the unique challenges she faced while unlearning how to be a boy and shares what it was like to navigate the dating world and experience heartbreak for the first time in a body that matched her gender identity. Told in an unwaveringly honest voice, Rethinking Normal is a coming-of-age story about transcending physical appearances and redefining the parameters of “normalcy” to embody one’s true self.