by Janet Mock
First published 2017
Janet Mock is nineteen and juggling two worlds. Days find her in lecture halls at the University of Hawaii as a first-generation college student. Nights take her to Club Nu, where she works as a dancer under neon lights. Finally comfortable in her own skin, Janet still struggles between showing and hiding herself as she enters the dating world. At the club she meets Troy, a yeoman from Pearl Harbor naval base, who becomes her first serious relationship. Their connection brings both joy and complications as Janet moves through her early twenties. She experiences the usual growing pains of young adulthood: romantic heartbreak, living independently, career uncertainty. Her dreams pull her toward New York City and the competitive magazine publishing industry. As a trans woman of color, she faces additional challenges while building her professional life. Before becoming a prominent media figure and advocate, Janet takes time to discover who she is and learn to speak up for herself.
Genres: coming-of-age, autobiography, contemporary, biography-memoir, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: Hawaii, New York City, Pearl Harbor
Period: Early 20s
225 pages · Hardcover · Atria Books
Content warnings: mental-illness