Margins
My Mother Says Drums Are for Boys book cover
My Mother Says Drums Are for Boys
True Stories for Gender Rebels
2018
First Published
4.57
Average Rating
128
Number of Pages
My Mother Says Drums Are For Boys is a humorous and heartfelt memoir comprised of stories about that middle place where boy and girl collide. Rae Theodore grew up as a young butch (or tomboy, as it was called back in the day), wanting to play the drums, wear football jerseys like her brother and always be in close proximity to Olivia Newton-John. She's tried to conform to gender norms at different points in her life. She really has. It wasn't until Rae came out later in life and embraced those things that always made her happy—baseball caps, flannel shirts, neckties in every color of the rainbow—that she discovered her authentic self. My Mother Says Drums Are For Boys is required reading for all butches, genderqueers and other gender warriors and rebels, as well as anyone interested in looking at gender in a new way. For the record, Rae is still bitter about being forbidden to play the drums and often dreams about going on tour with The Runaways and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. In her fantasy, Rae and Joan don't give a damn about their reputations and score so many chicks.
Avg Rating
4.57
Number of Ratings
14
5 STARS
64%
4 STARS
29%
3 STARS
7%
2 STARS
0%
1 STARS
0%
goodreads

Author

Rae Theodore
Rae Theodore
Author · 3 books
Rae Theodore lives in Royersford, Pa., with her wife, children and, in stereotypical fashion, her cats. By day, she works as a staff writer for one of the world's largest communications firms. By night, she writes about living in that middle place where boy and girl collide. Her favorite day of the week is Tuesday because that's when her writers' group meets. You can read about her adventures in gender nonconformity at middleagebutch.wordpress.com.
548 Market St PMB 65688, San Francisco California 94104-5401 USA
© 2026 Paratext Inc. All rights reserved
My Mother Says Drums Are for Boys