March 31st is the International Transgender Day of Visibility, which makes it a particularly great day to check out books written by transgender and nonbinary authors. Here are some great works of fiction and nonfiction for teen and adult readers.
Fiction by Transgender and Nonbinary Authors
|
|
Felix ever after
by Kacen Callender Worrying that his combination of such marginalizing qualities as being black, queer and trans are too impossible to allow happiness, Felix turns vengeful in the face of transphobic hate messages before finding himself in a quasi-love triangle. |
|
|
Into the real
by Z Brewer Three teens--one who presents as genderqueer, one who presents as female, and one who presents as male--are caught up in three very different stories of survival. But those stories intersect as the teens start to realize that they might in fact be a single, singular 'they' alternating among worlds--and that accepting themself might be the key to defeating the monsters that plague them in all three. |
|
|
Pet
by Akwaeke Emezi A girl and her best friend confront difficult choices in the face of a home city in denial when they meet a being who exposes the community’s willful disbelief about the existence of monsters. A first young adult novel by the award-winning authors of Freshwater. |
|
|
The mirror season
by Anna-Marie McLemore After Ciela and Lock are sexually assaulted at the same party, they develop a cautious friendship through her family's possibly-magical pastelería and his secret forest of otherworldly trees. |
|
|
Birthday
by Meredith Russo Born in the same hospital on the same day, Morgan and Eric grow up to become best friends before they drift apart, reunite, fall in love and ultimately discover what fate has in store for them, in a romantic follow-up to If I Was Your Girl. |
|
|
Lost in the Never Woods
by Aiden Thomas Forced to confront a past she cannot remember involving the disappearance of her two brothers five years earlier, Wendy encounters a boy who begs for her help when other children start to go missing. By the author of Cemetery Boys. |
|
|
The city in the middle of the night
by Charlie Jane Anders A reluctant revolutionary survives exile by forging an unusual, world-changing bond with a family of ice creatures that live outside the human confines of their dying planet. By the Nebula Award-winning author of All the Birds in the Sky. |
|
|
Magic for liars
by Sarah Gailey Detective Ivy Gamble embarks on a search for a killer at a California private academy for mages where her estranged, magically gifted twin, Tabitha, hides in plain sight. |
|
|
Little fish
by Casey Plett After her grandmother dies, thirty-year-old trans woman Wendy receives a phone call that reveals that her grandfather may have been trans himself and she resolves to uncover the mystery of her ancestor's truth. |
|
|
Confessions of the fox : a novel
by Jordy Rosenberg Discovering a mysterious manuscript from the 18th century, a recently jilted academic uncovers the story of the London underworld's most notorious thief, escaped convict and lover, in a bold reimagining of Brecht's Threepenny Opera. |
|
|
The subtweet : a novel
by Vivek Shraya Everyone talks about falling in love, but falling in friendship can be just as captivating. When Neela Devaki's song is covered by internet-famous artist Rukmini, the two musicians meet and a transformative friendship begins. But as Rukmini's star rises and Neela's stagnates, jealousy and self-doubt creep in. With a single tweet, their friendship implodes, one career is destroyed, and the two women find themselves at the center of an internet firestorm. Celebrated multidisciplinary artist Vivek Shraya'ssecond novel is a stirring examination of making art in the modern era, a love letter to brown women, an authentic glimpse into the music industry, and a nuanced exploration of the promise and peril of being seen. |
|
|
Sorrowland
by Rivers Solomon Fleeing from the strict religious compound where she was raised, Vern, in the safety of the forest, gives birth to twins, and to keep her small family safe, unleashes incredible brutality far beyond what a person should be capable of. |
Nonfiction by Transgender and Nonbinary Authors
|
|
Trans mission : my quest to a beard
by Alex Bertie The YouTube personality and social advocate presents a courageous firsthand account of his life, struggles and victories as a transgender youth, discussing his private battles with identity, the challenges of the healthcare system and what he recommends for today's transitioning teens. |
|
|
Sorted : growing up, coming out, and finding my place : a transgender memoir
by Jackson Bird Internet creator and activist Jackson Bird demystifies the transgender experience by sharing his own story, while debunking trans history milestones and educating readers with Transgender 101 facts. |
|
|
Uncomfortable labels : my life as a gay autistic trans woman
by Laura Kate Dale In this candid memoir, Laura Kate Dale recounts what life is like growing up as a gay trans woman on the autism spectrum. From struggling with sensory processing and learning social cues and feminine presentation, through to coming out as trans during an autistic meltdown, Laura draws on her personal experiences from life prior to transition and diagnosis, through to the years of self-discovery, to give a unique insight into the nuances of sexuality, gender, and autism, and how they intersect. |
|
|
Time is the thing a body moves through
by T. Fleischmann Using the artwork of Felix Gonzales-Torres as a path through questions of love and loss, violence and rejuvenation and gender and sexuality, the author, combining serious engagement with the warmth and clarity of prose, revels in the experiences and pleasures of art and the body, identity and community. |
|
|
Being Jazz : my life as a (transgender teen)
by Jazz Jennings The author recounts how her public experiences have influenced her attitude towards the transgender community, as she works to educate others about transgenderism while navigating the challenges of being a teenager. |
|
|
Super late bloomer : my early days in transition
by Julia Kaye A collection of the webcomic Up and Out depicts the author's early days of transitioning from a man to a woman, showing the ups and downs of the process. |
|
|
Before I had the words : on being a transgender young adult
by Skylar Kergil The transgender activist and YouTube personality discusses his life, his relationship with his family members, and how he finally found self-acceptance. |
|
|
Trans like me : conversations for all of us
by C. N. Lester Discusses the most important and high-profile narratives around the trans community and examines what these narratives mean in terms of cultural progress |
|
|
Tomorrow will be different : love, loss, and the fight for trans equality
by Sarah McBride The national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign presents a timely memoir about her struggles with gender identity and relationships against a backdrop of the transgender equality movement. |
|
|
Surpassing certainty : what my twenties taught me
by Janet Mock The transgender activist and best-selling author of Redefining Realness presents a memoir of her search for purpose, love and self-realization in an early adulthood marked by her education at the University of Hawaii, a defining relationship and her entry into journalism. |
|
|
Something that may shock and discredit you
by Daniel Mallory Ortberg Lavery The writer of Slate’s “Dear Prudence” column presents an irreverent collection of essays and observations on all things pop culture, from a sinister reimagining of HGTV’s House Hunters to the beauty of William Shatner. |
|
|
Fairest : a memoir
by Meredith Talusan The award-winning journalist and activist presents a coming-of-age memoir that describes her experiences as a Filipino boy with albinism, a white immigrant Harvard student, a transgender woman and an artist whose work reflects illusions in race, disability and gender. |
|
|
I'm afraid of men
by Vivek Shraya A powerful meditation on the damaging effects of masculinity from a trans girl--a writer with celebrated indie roots and a knack for dismantling assumptions and challenging the status quo. Toxic masculinity takes many insidious forms, from misogyny and sexual harassment to homophobia, transphobia, and bullying. Vivek Shraya has firsthand experience with nearly all of them. Through deeply personal reflection, she offers a rare and multifaceted perspective on gender and a hopeful reimagining of masculinity at a time when it's needed more than ever. |
|
|
Becoming Eve : my journey from ultra-Orthodox rabbi to transgender woman
by Abby Stein A former member of Brooklyn’s founding Hasidic Jewish family traces the remarkable story of how she transitioned from a non-English speaking rabbinic leader to a woman and outspoken advocate for gender freedom. |