Alana Joy’s Dreamy Morning is not simply a memoir, it is a deeply human account of breaking apart and putting oneself back together, of falling into despair and clawing one’s way toward hope. Written with unflinching honesty, the book carries the weight of both pain and renewal. Alana describes moments when life seemed to crumble beneath her feet, when loneliness and loss left her stripped of nearly everything familiar.
She admits to hitting rock bottom, confessing that she experienced emotions so raw and indescribable that they left her searching for meaning in the ruins. Yet even in those moments, she writes, she was learning. When a person has lost nearly everything, she reflects, it changes them. Her search for answers led her to spiritual studies, where she began to piece together a philosophy of contrast, a way of seeing life as both yin and yang, with every hardship shaping her into who she was becoming. The memoir charts her journey from Greg, a child who instinctively knew something was different, to Alana, a woman who had dreamed all her life of seeing her true self reflected in the mirror.
The book recalls the childhood misery of avoiding restrooms at school, the discovery as a teenager that surgery could align her body with her identity, and the wild, risk-filled years of outdoor adventures, firefighting, and struggles with alcohol and drugs. It also delves into her battle with Lyme disease, which deepened her search for meaning. For decades, she endured self-denial and silence, until finally, at age fifty-eight, she came out as Alana and began her transition. In Dreamy Morning, she chronicles the euphoria of finally living authentically, alongside the depression and challenges that inevitably followed. What makes the book striking is its refusal to smooth over the rough edges. Alana does not shy away from contradictions, regrets, or doubts. She admits that if she were writing the book today, she would highlight more of the joys and less of the struggles, yet she also recognizes that the rawness of the narrative is what gives it its worth.
In my interview with Alana for The Heroines of My Life, she elaborated on many of the themes woven into her autobiography. She shared how difficult it had been to open up, given her naturally private nature, yet she felt compelled to challenge the idea that being transgender is a choice. She wanted parents, young people, and anyone struggling with identity to know they are not alone. She spoke about the fears that haunted her childhood, like her avoidance of school restrooms and the urinary infections that resulted, and she expressed sadness that fifty years later, many trans children still face the same fears.
Alana also highlighted the dangers of drugs and alcohol, reflecting on her own missteps in the hope that others might avoid them. Her guidance to transgender women was steady and compassionate: take small steps, do not rush, and above all, love yourself. That message of love, both self-love and unconditional love for others, runs through her life and her writing. She believes that if the world could embrace this kind of love, it would be transformed. Her own definition of love is expansive, encompassing relationships, companionship, spiritual connection, and the simple joy of sharing life’s small moments. She dreams of a world where beauty is seen in everyone and everything, and she encourages others to look for that beauty despite society’s obsession with youth and perfection.
Dreamy Morning is not just the story of one transgender woman’s transition. It is also a meditation on survival, spirituality, resilience, and the transformative power of telling the truth. Alana’s willingness to reveal her lowest points, alongside her triumphs, makes her story all the more relatable. For readers, the book offers not only an intimate look into her journey but also a broader lesson about perseverance and hope. It reminds us that even when we feel broken, every experience contributes to who we are becoming, and that authenticity, however difficult, is a gift without measure. Through both her book and her words in our interview, Alana Joy has left a trail for others to follow, a trail built not of perfection but of honesty, kindness, and the courage to live as one’s truest self. Her Dreamy Morning is not just a story worth reading; it is a story worth carrying forward, because within its pages lies the timeless reminder that no matter how dark the night, morning always comes.
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Photo via The Heroines of My Life
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