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: "She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders" by Jennifer Finney Boylan.
The book was published in 2003 and had many re-editions, including one in 2013. "When she changed genders, she changed the world. It was the groundbreaking publication of She's Not There in 2003 that jump-started the transgender revolution.
By turns hilarious and deeply moving, Boylan – a cast member on I Am Cait; an advisor to the television series Transparent, and a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times -- explores the territory that lies between men and women, examines changing friendships, and rejoices in the redeeming power of love and family.
She's Not There was one of the first works to present trans experience from the perspective of a literary novelist, opening a door to new understanding of love, sex, gender, and identity. Boylan inspired readers to ask the same questions she asked herself: What is it that makes us---ourselves? What does it mean to be a man, or a woman? How much could my husband, or wife, change—and still be recognizable as the one I love?"
2003,
2013,
English,
Jennifer Finney Boylan,
Original title: "Η Μαύρη βίβλος" (The Black Book) by Τζένη Χειλουδάκη (Jenny Cheiloudaki). The book was published in 2003 and republished in 2015,
23 forbidden chapters from the life of a creature who traveled, tasted, fell in love, enjoyed, lived to the extreme.
Jenny Cheiloudaki is a Greek celebrity, a popular model of the 1990s, who became known to the general public through television and due to the social scandal caused by the publication of her love affair with the then Prosecutor of the First Instance of Rhodes - Giorgos Sakellaropoulos, who met her while inspecting brothels in Rhodes. According to Wikipedia, the scandal and publicity were intended by Hiloudaki, and once Sakellaropoulos discovered she was transgender, he left her to return to his family.
2003,
2015,
Greek,
Jenny Cheiloudaki,
Full title: "Wrapped in Blue: A Journey of Discovery" by Donna Rose.
In Eric Peterson's review we can read: "I know Donna, and consider her to be a friend. AND, this book is incredible. When I started it, I was under the impression that I knew a fair amount about the transgender experience. To be fair, I knew more than most cis-gender people know, and what I knew was more or less correct. But there was SO much that I DIDN'T know, and I'm incredibly grateful to Donna for being so forthcoming, so brave, so insightful, so willing to share her story".
In 2014, I had the pleasure of talking to Donna, and this is what she said when asked about some advice for transgender women: "Transition, and often beyond, is very difficult if you’re obsessed with who might know about your history. You’ve got to grow some thick skin before you can move forward. I could say some flowery things like, “it’s what on the inside that counts” or “it doesn’t matter what anyone else things” but those things are of little comfort when confronted by someone who is challenging your gender. It took me quite a while to get past the stares and the snickers but it was something I needed to do to be me.
2003,
Donna Rose,
English,
Interview,
