Darling Days

This “extraordinary memoir” from a gender non-conforming child of the ‘80s, is “brave and true, as devastating as it is inspiring.” —Joey Soloway, Emmy-award winning creator of Transparent

Born into the beautiful bedlam of downtown New York in the eighties, iO Tillett Wright came of age at the intersection of punk, poverty, heroin, and art. This was a world of self-invented characters, glamorous superstars, and strung-out sufferers, ground zero of drag and performance art. Still, no personality was more vibrant and formidable than iO’s mother’s. Rhonna, a showgirl and young widow, was a mercurial, erratic glamazon. She was iO’s fiercest defender and only authority in a world with few boundaries and even fewer indicators of normal life. At the center of Darling Days is the remarkable relationship between a fiery kid and a domineering ma—a bond defined by freedom and control, excess and sacrifice; by heartbreaking deprivation, agonizing rupture, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

Darling Days is also a provocative examination of culture and identity, of the instincts that shape us and the norms that deform us, and of the courage and resilience it takes to listen closely to your deepest self. When a group of boys refuse to let six-year-old, female-born iO play ball, iO instantly adopts a new persona, becoming a boy named Ricky—a choice iO’s parents support and celebrate. It is the start of a profound exploration of gender and identity through the tenderest years, and the beginning of a life invented and reinvented at every step. Alternating between the harrowing and the hilarious, Darling Days is the candid, tough, and stirring memoir of a young person in search of an authentic self as family and home life devolve into chaos.

A childhood lived on the edge. A search for an identity all their own—
A Vivid 80s Downtown Setting: Step into the beautiful bedlam of the East Village, a world of punk rockers, performance artists, and drag queens where iO Tillett Wright came of age.A Fierce and Mercurial Mother: Meet Rhonna, a glamorous, erratic showgirl and iO’s fiercest defender, whose love was a mix of freedom, control, excess, and sacrifice.Early Gender Exploration: When boys won’t let six-year-old iO play ball, a new persona is born: a boy named Ricky, a choice celebrated by iO’s parents and the start of a profound journey of identity.A Story of Survival: An unflinching look at a childhood defined by poverty, art, and addiction, and the incredible resilience it takes to find your own truth when your family life is chaos.