The Bold World

Inspired by her transgender son, activist Jodie Patterson explores identity, gender, race, and authenticity to tell the story of a family's history and transformation. As an African American growing up in the 1970s on Manhattan's Upper West Side during a time when neighborhoods defined people, Jodie Patterson learned early on to engage with her community for strength and comfort. But then in 2009, this mother of five had her world turned upside down. Realizing her definition of community wasn't wide enough for her own child's needs, Jodie forced the world wide open. In The Bold World, we witness a mother, reshaping her attitudes and beliefs, as well as those of her community, to meet the needs of her transgender son, Penelope—along with her own and those of everyone in her family who absolutely, unequivocally refused to conform. Jodie's relentless drive to change the world reminds us of our own individual strength and tenacity, of our very...