November 20th is observed as the Transgender Day of Remembrance. To quote GLAAD: “Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.” In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, here are some recent memoirs written by living trans and nonbinary authors.
Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us
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Jennifer Finney Boylan's She's Not There was the first bestselling work written by a transgender American. Since its publication twenty years ago, she has become the go-to person for insight into the impact of gender on our lives, from the food we eat to the dreams we dream, both for ourselves and for our children. But Cleavage is more than a deep dive into gender identity; it's also a look at the difference between coming out as trans in 2000--when many people reacted to Boylan's transition with love--and the present era of blowback and fear. How does gender affect our sense of self? Our body image? The passage of time? The friends we lose--and keep? Boylan considers her womanhood, reflects on the boys and men who shaped her, and reconceives of herself as a writer, activist, parent, and spouse.
Jennifer Finney Boylan's She's Not There was the first bestselling work written by a transgender American. Since its publication twenty years ago, she has become the go-to person for insight into the impact of gender on our lives, from the food we eat to the dreams we dream, both for ourselves and for our children. But Cleavage is more than a deep dive into gender identity; it's also a look at the difference between coming out as trans in 2000--when many people reacted to Boylan's transition with love--and the present era of blowback and fear. How does gender affect our sense of self? Our body image? The passage of time? The friends we lose--and keep? Boylan considers her womanhood, reflects on the boys and men who shaped her, and reconceives of herself as a writer, activist, parent, and spouse.
Cactus Country : A Boyhood Memoir
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This debut book chronicles the author's experiences growing up as a trans boy in a Tucson, Arizona trailer park and the challenges they faced living in world of sexism, racism, substance abuse and violence.
This debut book chronicles the author's experiences growing up as a trans boy in a Tucson, Arizona trailer park and the challenges they faced living in world of sexism, racism, substance abuse and violence.
Daddy Boy
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In 2017, Emerson Whitney was divorcing the woman they'd been with for ten years--a dominatrix they called Daddy. Living in a tent in the backyard of their marital home, Emerson was startled to realize they didn't know what it meant to be an adult. We often look to our gender roles as a sort of map for aging, they write. I wanted to know what the process looked like without that: not man-ness, not-woman-ness. Dizzied by this realization, they turned to an activity steeped in stereotypical masculinity: storm chasing.
In 2017, Emerson Whitney was divorcing the woman they'd been with for ten years--a dominatrix they called Daddy. Living in a tent in the backyard of their marital home, Emerson was startled to realize they didn't know what it meant to be an adult. We often look to our gender roles as a sort of map for aging, they write. I wanted to know what the process looked like without that: not man-ness, not-woman-ness. Dizzied by this realization, they turned to an activity steeped in stereotypical masculinity: storm chasing.
I have always been me : a memoir
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A trans activist reflects on her difficult childhood in the foster system and how she was able to realize her true identity to become an award-winning diversity advocate, communications professional and public speaker.
A trans activist reflects on her difficult childhood in the foster system and how she was able to realize her true identity to become an award-winning diversity advocate, communications professional and public speaker.
In the form of a question : the joys and rewards of a curious life
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Armed with boundless curiosity and fearless questioning, the most successful woman ever to compete on Jeopardy! shares how she won an even greater prize—the joy of being herself on national television and blazing a trail for openly queer and transgender people around the world.
Armed with boundless curiosity and fearless questioning, the most successful woman ever to compete on Jeopardy! shares how she won an even greater prize—the joy of being herself on national television and blazing a trail for openly queer and transgender people around the world.
It Gets Better . . . Except When It Gets Worse: And Other Unsolicited Truths I Wish Someone Had Told Me
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The irreverent and candid coming-of-age memoir of Nicole Maines, trailblazing trans actress, activist--and sometimes someone who's just existing, which is actually pretty hard! For the first time, in her own words, Nicole tells the story of her journey from childhood in rural Maine to the spotlights of Hollywood, sharing the lessons she's learned along the way. With clever wit and unflinching honesty, she tackles some of the most insidious messaging absorbed by queer kids and all young women, from the idea that any one thing can (or should) ever really fix you, to wondering what's wrong with you when things don't always feel better, and reminding us that, sometimes, a happy ending is only the beginning of the story.
The irreverent and candid coming-of-age memoir of Nicole Maines, trailblazing trans actress, activist--and sometimes someone who's just existing, which is actually pretty hard! For the first time, in her own words, Nicole tells the story of her journey from childhood in rural Maine to the spotlights of Hollywood, sharing the lessons she's learned along the way. With clever wit and unflinching honesty, she tackles some of the most insidious messaging absorbed by queer kids and all young women, from the idea that any one thing can (or should) ever really fix you, to wondering what's wrong with you when things don't always feel better, and reminding us that, sometimes, a happy ending is only the beginning of the story.
I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition
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An autobiography-viewing the author's life from the transformative lens of her recent transition-and a critical examination of the trans strain in Western culture.
An autobiography-viewing the author's life from the transformative lens of her recent transition-and a critical examination of the trans strain in Western culture.
Make It Count: My Fight to Become the First Transgender Olympic Runner
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MAKE IT COUNT is Telfer's raw and inspiring story. From coming of age in Jamaica, where she grew up hearing a constant barrage of slurs, to beginning her new life in Toronto and then New Hampshire, where she realized what running could offer her, to living in the backseat of her car while searching for a coach, to Mexico, where she trained for the US Trials, this book follows the arc of Telfer's Olympic dream. But it's also the story of resilience and athleticism, of a runner who found a clarity in her sport that otherwise eluded her--a sense of being simply alive on this earth, a human moving through space. Finally, herself.
MAKE IT COUNT is Telfer's raw and inspiring story. From coming of age in Jamaica, where she grew up hearing a constant barrage of slurs, to beginning her new life in Toronto and then New Hampshire, where she realized what running could offer her, to living in the backseat of her car while searching for a coach, to Mexico, where she trained for the US Trials, this book follows the arc of Telfer's Olympic dream. But it's also the story of resilience and athleticism, of a runner who found a clarity in her sport that otherwise eluded her--a sense of being simply alive on this earth, a human moving through space. Finally, herself.
Maybe This Will Save Me: A Memoir of Art, Addiction and Transformation
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For years, Tommy Dorfman turned her back on her thoughts and emotions, hoping they'd simply go away. After a lifetime of confusion, she finally gained clarity around her gender and began to transition. But there were still parts of herself she'd locked away, elements of her story that she needed, for the first time, to fully confront. She sought guidance in a tarot deck.
For years, Tommy Dorfman turned her back on her thoughts and emotions, hoping they'd simply go away. After a lifetime of confusion, she finally gained clarity around her gender and began to transition. But there were still parts of herself she'd locked away, elements of her story that she needed, for the first time, to fully confront. She sought guidance in a tarot deck.
Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer
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In her memoir, Paper Doll, Dylan pulls back the curtain of her it girl lifestyle with an honest, witty, and intimate reflection of her life post-transitioning. She covers everything from her first big break in theater to the first time her dad recognized her as a girl to how she handled scandals, cancellations, and tucking. Dylan's humor and honesty is woven throughout this colorful memoir, uncovering a life beyond the 365 days that will delight her fans and create new ones alike.
In her memoir, Paper Doll, Dylan pulls back the curtain of her it girl lifestyle with an honest, witty, and intimate reflection of her life post-transitioning. She covers everything from her first big break in theater to the first time her dad recognized her as a girl to how she handled scandals, cancellations, and tucking. Dylan's humor and honesty is woven throughout this colorful memoir, uncovering a life beyond the 365 days that will delight her fans and create new ones alike.
The risk it takes to bloom : on life and liberation
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One of the most formidable Black trans activists in history, in this passionate and powerful memoir, recounts the possibility of transformation after tragedy, and how complex moments can push us all to take necessary risks and bloom toward collective liberation.
One of the most formidable Black trans activists in history, in this passionate and powerful memoir, recounts the possibility of transformation after tragedy, and how complex moments can push us all to take necessary risks and bloom toward collective liberation.
Trauma Plot: A Life
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In Trauma Plot, Hood draws on disparate literary forms to tell the story that lurked in good girl's margins-of three decades marred by sexual violence and the wreckage left behind. With her trademark critical remove, Hood interrogates the archetype of the rape survivor, who must perform penitence long after living through the unthinkable, invoking some of art's most infamous women to have played the role: Ovid's Philomela, David Lynch's Laura Palmer, and Artemisia Gentileschi, who captured Judith's wrath. In so doing, she asks: What do we as a culture demand of survivors? And what do survivors, in turn, owe a world that has abandoned them? Trauma Plot is a scalding work of personal and literary criticism. It is a send-up of our culture's pious disdain for trauma porn, a dirge for the broken promises of #MeToo, and a paean to finding life after death.
In Trauma Plot, Hood draws on disparate literary forms to tell the story that lurked in good girl's margins-of three decades marred by sexual violence and the wreckage left behind. With her trademark critical remove, Hood interrogates the archetype of the rape survivor, who must perform penitence long after living through the unthinkable, invoking some of art's most infamous women to have played the role: Ovid's Philomela, David Lynch's Laura Palmer, and Artemisia Gentileschi, who captured Judith's wrath. In so doing, she asks: What do we as a culture demand of survivors? And what do survivors, in turn, owe a world that has abandoned them? Trauma Plot is a scalding work of personal and literary criticism. It is a send-up of our culture's pious disdain for trauma porn, a dirge for the broken promises of #MeToo, and a paean to finding life after death.