When He Was Anna

A Mom’s Journey into the Transgender World

By: Patti Hornstra

Narrated by: Rosie O'Toole

My child is transgender. He was once a she.

When He Was Anna: A Mom's Journey into the Transgender World is a mother's brutally honest story of the stress and confusion that consumed her family in the early years of her child's transition from female to male.

Raising children is not for the faint of heart. Children are challenges. Having a transgender child is no exception to that; it is, in fact, quite a unique challenge.

When He Was Anna: A Mom's Journey into the Transgender World was written with the goal of helping all parents (not only those with transgender children) see that they aren't alone as they struggle to navigate the parenting journey and recover from mistakes made along the way.

In the end, there is one certainty - the struggle is real; so is the love.

©2020 Patti Hornstra (P)2021 Patti Hornstra

Thank you!

This book touched the deepest parts of my heart and soul. It gave me hope.
As a mother of Nina Marie, now Greyson Lu, you made me laugh, cry and feel all the things I have held inside for so long. Thank you for letting me know I’m not alone in this. That I’m not a bad mother for grieving the loss of my daughter...my girly girl. It has been a very hard 2 plus years. I hope there is a light at the end of this tunnel.

The ending was terribly disappointing.

I understand that this is Pattys personal experience and opinions, but I just thought it was disappointing that she couldn’t meet her child where they wanted to be met. Instead, I found her one-sided story to be stubborn and close-minded.

Mother’s rant

This is an annoying long rant by a mother of a transgender son. Very disappointing.