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.
Full title: "Life's a Drag!: Danny La Rue & The Drag Scene" by Peter Underwood.
"Life's A Drag! — an evocative title for a very contemporary and compelling book. While it is true that there have been forms of drag, both private and public, since earliest times, as a form of modern entertainment drag in recent years has developed into a phenomenon which is now a world-wide multi-million pound entertainment industry in itself.
This penetrating study, giving a depth background of the world drag scene however, primarily a book about one drag artist — the hugely-successful Danny La Rue, himself a veritable Industry of Drag and unquestionably the highest-paid performer of his type in the world."
1974,
Danny La Rue,
Drag queen,
English,
Peter Underwood,
"L'énigme. d'un sexe à l'autre" is the French language edition of "Conundrum" by Jan Morris.
I found this nice intro on Goodreads: "The great travel writer Jan Morris was born James Morris. James Morris distinguished himself in the British military, became a successful and physically daring reporter, climbed mountains, crossed deserts, and established a reputation as a historian of the British empire. He was happily married, with several children. To all appearances, he was not only a man, but a man’s man."
And here is an excerpt from a fantastic review from Transascity: "Conundrum is an autobiography, a tale about the life and transsexual journey of Jan Morris, noted British journalist and author. Born Humphrey Morris, Jan led an idyllic if somewhat lonely childhood, feeling since age 3 or 4 that she was born into the wrong body."
1974,
French,
Georges Burou,
Jan Morris,
"El enigma" is the Spanish language edition of "Conundrum" by Jan Morris.
I found this nice intro on Goodreads: "The great travel writer Jan Morris was born James Morris. James Morris distinguished himself in the British military, became a successful and physically daring reporter, climbed mountains, crossed deserts, and established a reputation as a historian of the British empire. He was happily married, with several children. To all appearances, he was not only a man, but a man’s man."
And here is an excerpt from a fantastic review from Transascity: "Conundrum is an autobiography, a tale about the life and transsexual journey of Jan Morris, noted British journalist and author. Born Humphrey Morris, Jan led an idyllic if somewhat lonely childhood, feeling since age 3 or 4 that she was born into the wrong body."
1974,
Georges Burou,
Jan Morris,
Spanish,
Original title: "Memorias De Un Cambio De Sexo" (Memories of a Sex Change) by Claudia Alejandra.
"Memories of a Sex Change" focuses on the transition of Claudia Alejandra - one of the first transgender pioneers of the Chilean transgender community. The book was written by the protagonist Claudia Angélica Valenzuela Leiva who underwent a gender-affirming surgery on June 16, 1975 at the Portales Clinic, when she still had masculine characteristics and appeared under the name of Roberto Antonio.
We read about her childhood, fears, and concerns related to one question... was he a man or a woman? After the operation, her recollections were covered in a manuscript by Claudia herself and published by the "Aqui Esta" Publishing Company. She said: "For now, I am happy that my wishes have come true. I will perform at the "Sortilegio" nightclub and if it goes well... I can make it to Argentina." Her post-surgery awakening came after her operation: "When I was alone in the room I kept looking at the post-operative sheet that was next to my bed that said the name of the patient: Miss Claudia Valenzuela Leiva. I was so happy." The book that narrates her memories is complemented with many photos.
1974,
Chile,
Claudia Alejandra,
Claudia Angélica Valenzuela Leiva,
Spanish,
Full title: "Conundrum" by Jan Morris.
I found this nice intro on Goodreads: "The great travel writer Jan Morris was born James Morris. James Morris distinguished himself in the British military, became a successful and physically daring reporter, climbed mountains, crossed deserts, and established a reputation as a historian of the British Empire. He was happily married, with several children. To all appearances, he was not only a man, but a man’s man."
And here is an excerpt from a fantastic review from Transascity: "Conundrum is an autobiography, a tale about the life and transsexual journey of Jan Morris, noted British journalist and author. Born Humphrey Morris, Jan led an idyllic if somewhat lonely childhood, feeling since age 3 or 4 that she was born into the wrong body.
1974,
English,
Georges Burou,
Jan Morris,
Original title: "Travelling: Un itinéraire transsexuel" (Traveling: A transsexual itinerary) by Kathy Dee.
If "Travelling" was only the report of a transsexual itinerary, it would only be a new testimony to a phenomenon, that the evolution of morals no longer relegates us to a shameful domain. But the adventures of Jean-Marie, a bookseller in Liège, who became Kathy, the night beauty of the bars of Sankt-Pauli in Hamburg, lead to a major literary work.
The pursuit, often desperate, of a truth, is profound: her childhood, discovery of sexuality, marriage, and divorce. Then she changes (test of make-up, injections with hormones, first getaway disguised as a woman, the first client picked up), bursts into sheaves of personal or collective reminiscences, an explosive homage to James Joyce and Henry Miller, which ends with this cry: "Jean-Marie is dead!" As far as he ever existed, swinging, like his first name, between two poles. I'm Kathy now. From Jean-Marie to Kathy, it is therefore a birth that we are given to witness, but - above all - the birth of a writer.
Full title: "Canary: The Story of a Transsexual" by Canary Conn.
Canary Conn is an American entertainer and writer. She made numerous talk show appearances to discuss her transition in the 1970s. Let me quote an interesting review: "There's a lot more visibility within the trans community today and I wanted to read a story from a time in which trans lives were less than celebrated from the source. It was interesting to read what still resonates today and how attitudes have changed. She finds herself struggling to make ends meet and lives in constant fear of being discovered for who she is or being outed by someone she had confided in and becoming the topic of discussion at the office or other social gathering."
1974,
Canary Conn,
English,
Full title: "Zulma" by Elaine Hollingsworth.
There is not too much information about this book. I could not come across any reviews. On the cover of the book, we have some indications.
From the lips of a boy/woman who lived it - the story of six horrifying months in a Mexican prison. A nonfiction novel by Elaine Hollingsworth is the brief and brutal history of a young man who wanted only to be a woman.
1974,
Elaine Hollingsworth,
English,
Full title: "Being Different: the Autobiography of Jane Fry" by Robert Bogdan.
By working together with a pre-operative transsexual, Robert Bogdan has produced a book that bears out his initial claim for the value of autobiography as a means of understanding social reality.
This is not a book on transsexualism - indeed, on this matter it is sometimes irritatingly vague - but on the management of sex roles, on the inability of the medical profession to deal with non-conformists and on the enormous hazards that face anyone who fails to conform with society"s expectations of them.
1974,
English,
Jane Fry,
Robert Bogdan,
"Los travestis: Y el enigma de cambio de sexo" (The Transvestites: And the Enigma of Sex Change) by Jaques Delpal.
I tried to find some information about this publication but unfortunately, I was not able to find any source. On the cover, we can see Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy, better known by her stage name Coccinelle, a French transgender actress, entertainer, and singer. She was born on August 23, 1931 in Paris, France and passed away on October 9, 2006 in Marseille, France.
She was an international celebrity and a renowned club singer. She performed regularly at the famous nightclub Le Carrousel de Paris, which also featured regular acts by other famous trans women such as April Ashley and Bambi. She underwent a vaginoplasty by Georges Burou in Casablanca in 1958. After the operation, she became a media sensation and performed the Cherchez la femme revue which ran for 7 months at the Olympia in Paris between 1963 and 1964. In 1987, her autobiography was published, titled Coccinelle par Coccinelle. She was married to Francis Bonnet from 1960 to 1962, Mario Costa from 1963 until his death in 1977, and Thierry Wilson from 1996 until her death.
1974,
Bambi,
Coccinelle,
Georges Burou,
Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy,
Jacques Louis Delpal,
Spanish,
