A random collection of over 1910 books and audiobooks authored by or about my transgender, intersex sisters, and gender-nonconforming persons all over the world. I read some of them, and I was inspired by some of them. I met some of the authors and heroines, some of them are my best friends, and I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing some of them. If you know of any transgender biography that I have not covered yet, please let me know.
Original title: "Watashi ga watashidearu tame ni…" - 私が私であるために… (For Me to Be Me...) by Ai Haruna (はるな 愛).
This is the first book of Ai Haruna. Born Kenji Onishi in 1972, she is a Japanese TV celebrity and actress, singer, businesswoman, beauty pageant queen, and transgender activist. Her childhood was a happy time but her family was poor. She has a younger brother.
At school, she was known for her musical talent, performing at different school and cultural events. When she was in junior high school, she was bullied because of her feminine manners, so she could hardly study and her grades were poor.
When she was 13 years old, she appeared on a variety show as a cross-dresser, and from that moment she started to think about living as a woman full-time. After graduating from junior high school, she entered a high school for boys and joined a karate club. However, she dropped out of school, and she worked at the transsexual show pub "Joke Tavern" in Shinsaibashi, Osaka (she still makes guest appearances on the stage there any time she is in Osaka). In 1991, she confessed to her father that she was transsexual.
In 1995, she underwent gender reassignment surgery at the Wada Plastic Clinic in Osaka.
In 1998, she moved to Tokyo and her entertainment career accelerated. In 2007, she competed in "Miss International Queen 2007" and reached the top 4. Two years later, in 2009, she tried again to participate in "Miss International Queen 2009" and won. The beauty queen title made her famous in Japan and resulted in the publication of her seven books within the next 3 years. She remains one of the most popular transgender women in Japan.
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