Surpassing Certainty

What My Twenties Taught Me

By: Janet Mock

Narrated by: Janet Mock

“A defining chronicle of strength and spirit” (Kirkus Reviews), Surpassing Certainty is a portrait of a young woman searching for her purpose and place in the world—without a road map to guide her. This memoir “should be required reading for your 20s” (Cosmopolitan).

A few months before her twentieth birthday, Janet Mock is adjusting to her days as a first-generation college student at the University of Hawaii and her nights as a dancer at a strip club. Finally content in her body after her teenage transition, she vacillates between flaunting and concealing herself as she navigates dating and disclosure, sex and intimacy, and most important, letting herself be truly seen. Under the neon lights of Club Nu, Janet meets Troy, a yeoman stationed at Pearl Harbor naval base, who becomes her first. The pleasures and perils of their relationship serve as a backdrop for Janet’s progression through all the universal growing pains—falling in and out of love, living away from home, and figuring out what she wants to do with her life.

Fueled by her dreams and an inimitable drive, Janet makes her way through New York City intent on building a career in the highly competitive world of magazine publishing—within the unique context of being trans, a woman, and a person of color. Hers is a timely glimpse about the barriers many face—and a much-needed guide on how to make a way out of no way.

Long before she became one of the world’s most respected media figures and lauded leaders for equality and justice, Janet learned how to advocate for herself before becoming an advocate for others. In this “honest and timely appraisal of what it means to be true to yourself” (Booklist), Surpassing Certainty offers an “exquisitely packaged gift of her experiences...that signals something greater” (Bitch Magazine).

Love Her!

I absolutely love Janet Mock, and the fact that she is is the narrator makes you feel like you share her experiences first hand. Now I just have to wait until she writes a new book 😩

A Must Read

Beautifully written and read. Janet Mock is a force and her story will help you understand your own.

I could listen to her voice for days

Janet's voice is like velvet. And the way she tells her story of her growth and finding herself and her audience is powerful and moving and also beautiful in how easily relatable it is.

Janet's Voice Makes Everything Better

She's an incredible writer, and I can't imagine hearing it read by anyone else. Honestly, just listen. You'll see what I mean.

love it

good read. alot of self reflective moments while listening to her story. Great job on representation.