Johanna E. - Das Tagebuch der Johanna E.

Original title: "Das Tagebuch der Johanna E.: trans. schamlos. direkt" (The Diary of Johanna E.: trans. shameless. direct) by Johanna E.

There are books that whisper, books that shout, and then there are books like Das Tagebuch der Johanna E.: trans. schamlos. direkt, books that simply bare it all, unfiltered and unapologetically alive. Johanna E., Austrian stewardess, yoga teacher, and former star of the German reality show Transgender – Mein Weg in den richtigen Körper, is no stranger to bold decisions.

In my earlier interview with her on The Heroines of My Life, I was struck by her fierce honesty, her radiant resilience, and her refusal to be anyone other than herself. Now, Johanna takes her truth-telling to the next level in her intimate, chaotic, and deeply human book, Das Tagebuch der Johanna E.: trans. schamlos. direkt. Published as a beautiful, large-format edition, the diary reads like a series of emotional explosions, pages soaked in vulnerability, contradictions, and courage. The premise is as provocative as the title. After a client gives her a blank diary, Johanna begins pouring her heart and raw experiences onto the page. She writes of love and lust, shame and yearning, spiritual quests and sexual confessions. She is “mutig,” “naiv,” and “zerrissen,” brave, naive, and torn. She doesn’t shy away from contradictions; she lives in them.

“Ich will nie wieder Sex. Ich schwöre bei Gott” (I never want to have sex again. I swear to God.) she writes at one point, a vow made in frustration, pain, or perhaps defiance. And yet, not long after, she is haunted by encounters with three men whose bodily traces linger on her skin, even as she longs for one man who truly sees her. The rawness of this juxtaposition is not accidental; Johanna invites us into her most private moments not for pity, but for recognition. For connection.

The diary also follows an unexpected emotional arc when Johanna meets an Afghan refugee through Facebook who calls her Aisha, the Muslim name she once had. Just as this new relationship unfolds, a ghost from her past reappears: her long-lost fiancé from Cairo. Suddenly, her world is not just a tangle of memory and desire but of cultures, religions, and personal reckonings. This book is not just “trans” or “shameless” or “direct,” though it is gloriously all three. It’s also poetic, political, and often painfully funny. It doesn’t offer answers or tie life up in neat bows. Instead, Johanna lays her contradictions bare on the page like offerings: messy, sacred, and real. Whether you're transgender, cisgender, or somewhere in between, Das Tagebuch der Johanna E. is a wake-up call to feel more deeply and to live more truthfully. It is a testament to what it means to be human, messy, magical, and unafraid to put your most complicated self into words.

Available via Amazon

and The Heroines of My Life

Some publications about Johanna E.:

Interview with Johanna E.
Johanna E. is a vibrant and multi-talented Austrian woman whose journey has captivated audiences across German-speaking Europe. Known for her appearance on the acclaimed reality TV show...

Transgender - Mein Weg in den richtigen Körper
Producer: RTL2 Release Year: 2012 "Transgender - Mein Weg in den richtigen Körper" (2012) is a compelling and deeply personal documentary series aired on RTL2 that...