One Day I'll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman: A Story of Motherhood and Transgender Rights in Rural America

by Abi Maxwell

320 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

ABI MAXWELL is the author of the novels Lake People and The Den. After graduating from the writing program at the University of Montana, she spent many years working in public libraries, and she now works as a high school librarian. She is a dedicated advocate for the rights of transgender youth in her state and frequently testifies in front of the legislature on their behalf.

Reviews

[Francesca Morrissey]

I wanted to read this book because I love memoirs and was interested in reading something related to LGBQIA+ issues for Pride Month. Unfortunately, I thought the writing was lacking. The wording in sections is confusing, which caused me to have to reread quite a bit. And while I appreciate the author’s struggles on behalf of her daughter and family, I felt like she was unnecessarily dramatic throughout. There is no doubt that raising a trans child is incredibly challenging given the current political climate, but Maxwell’s memoir of her experiences is overwrought with emotion in a way that made me wonder why she and her husband Paul weren’t seeking psychiatric help, marriage counseling or individual therapy. The author completely glosses over her own history of trauma having to do with being moledsted at age 9 and raped by a friend as a young adult. There is just so much more going on here than she let’s on, and she tries to make her struggle all about raising a transgender child in a cloistered, homogenous New England community, when it’s really about her inability to know how to navigate trauma and injustice. Lastly, trying to tie all of this together with her relationship to nature and her younger brother’s experiences as a gay man just didn’t work. While I appreciate Maxwell’s efforts to educate on transgender and LGBQIA+ policy and its affects on those who identify as such, I think her catastrophizing the experiences of her family undermines what she’s really trying to do here. And that’s a shame.

[Frankie May]

First, I want to say that I really enjoyed reading this book. It reads like a diary, and isn't very hard to follow. The author is incredibly vulnerable in sharing her story, and she did so with class.
The only reason I give it a 3 out of 5 stars is for the fact that her daughter isn't old enough to technically consent to this publication of her life.
With that being said, I think this book is really about a proud Mama that loves her daughter.
This book clearly advocates Transgender rights and support of the Queer community.

I think that this is the ideal book for someone to read if they are new and not familiar with what it means to be Transgender, and not the horrible things the media likes to portray it as.

[Reader]

A must read. Powerful beyond words.

[Erik]

This is important reading for all who are concerned about helping make our world a better place for all.