A "New York Times" Notable Book
"Casts a searing eye on the labyrinth that is the American foster care system." -- NPR's "On Point"
Who are the children of foster care? What, as a country, do we owe them? Cris Beam, a foster mother herself, spent five years immersed in the world of foster care looking into these questions and tracing firsthand stories. The result is "To the End of June," an unforgettable portrait that takes us deep inside the lives of foster children in their search for a stable, loving family.
Beam shows us the intricacies of growing up in the system--the back-and-forth with agencies, the rootless shuffling between homes, the emotionally charged tug between foster and birth parents, the terrifying push out of foster care and into adulthood. Humanizing and challenging a broken system, "To the End of June" offers a tribute to resiliency and hope for real change.
" A] powerful . . . and refreshing read." -- "Chicago Tribune"
"A sharp critique of foster-care policies and a searching exploration of the meaning of family." -- "Publishers Weekly," starred review
"Heart-rending and tentatively hopeful." -- "Salon"

J spun. His stomach clenched hard, as though he'd been hit. It was just the neighbour lady, Mercedes. J couldn't muster a hello back, not now; he didn't care that she'd tell his mother he'd been rude. She should know better. Nobody calls me Jeni anymore.

J always felt different. He was certain that eventually everyone would understand who he really was: a boy mistakenly born as a girl. Yet as he grew up, his body began to betray him; eventually J stopped praying to wake up a 'real boy' and started covering up his body, keeping himself invisible - from his family, from his friends...from the world. But after being deserted by the best friend he thought would always be by his side, J decides that he's done hiding - it's time to be who he really is. And this time he is determined not to give up, no matter the cost.

PRAISE FOR TRANSPARENT
""Transparent" is a remarkable book - captivating, powerful, funny, and wise. Without ever upstaging her subjects, Beam explains how she fell in love with them, and so allows us to do the same. This is literature of the first order."
- Andrew Solomon, author of THE NOONDAY DEMON
"Putting aside the gob-smacking strength, humanity, and hard-won wisdom in both the writer and her subjects, TRANSPARENT is just an astonishing book and Cris Beam, an extraordinary talent. This is everything that writing should be: gripping, desperate, heart-breaking and joyous." --David Rakoff, author of DON'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE
"An unprecedented window into the lives of transgender teens, "Transparent" is a testament to the resilience of young adults trying to find themselves in a world that would prefer them lost. I couldn't put it down." --Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls
"These kids are most usually known "about" rather than known. But Cris Beam knows them. Bless her for so eloquently and respectfully sharing their stories with the rest of us." --Kate Bornstein, author of HELLO, CRUEL WORLD: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws
"Cris Beam has written a terrific book, both tender and tough, about brave sexual travelers who violate borders in search of new worlds." -- Richard Rodriguez, author of BROWN

"Keenly observed and deeply felt, TRANSPARENT is essential reading -- as illuminating as RANDOM FAMILY, with hard-won personal insight. We need more books like this, and more writers like Cris Beam." --Janice Earlbaum, author of GIRLBOMB: A HALFWAY HOMELESS MEMOIR