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: "Je ne suis pas tout celle que vous croyez..." (I'm not all you think...)
'Be careful, this is not a trivial biography. I'm blonde. But unlike blondes, reputed assholes, I am an insolent, provocative, disturbing girl. I don't have my tongue in my pocket, I have a sense of repartee and outspokenness.
I am also a glamorous woman, the muse of some, the muse of others, the muse of rock stars, and a great painter. Antimemoirs (not that I take myself for Malraux!) rather than a story of my trajectory, these pages have no other ambition than to entertain you. For the rest, you will read between the lines.'
Amanda Lear (born 1939) is a French singer, television celebrity, actress, and model, known for her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s and being a muse of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí.
2009,
Amanda Lear,
April Ashley,
French,
Romy Haag,
"The pages of this book detail a journey, a pilgrimage, an evolution. This journey is without a final destination, but certainly not without a clear purpose. It began with the yearning to become whole, and not with any intention to live as a woman.
My pursuit of wholeness is without end, a dynamic process that became a consuming passion, and will last until my final breath. Although initially not focused on a change in gender, this path did lead to the acceptance that I am female and always have been female. This acceptance brought inner peace, physical health, an outer radiance, and a permanent joy that were not imaginable beforehand, but created shock waves that challenged every aspect of my external world.
2009,
English,
Jody Keller,
Original title: "Leven Tussenin: Over leven als transseksueel" (Life In Between: About living as a transsexual)
'What really lives in the mind of a transsexual? How does that feel to have a body that doesn't belong to you? What happens when two transgender people are attracted to each other? How does society react, how do they hold their own and how do they overcome their problems and frustrations?
The writer does not pretend to have all the answers to this. However, she has expressed her own experiences in a story that shows that many people do not understand that transsexuality stems from a deep, almost unconscious experience of one's own personality.
2009,
Dutch,
Loes Vlaming,
"A concise and quirky account of Shelley Whitney's journey into her true gender.
It describes her encounters with doctors, psychologists, persistent dancers, and fellow travelers before culminating in an honest and graphic day-by-day account of her stay in the hospital for gender reassignment surgery."
2009,
English,
Shelley Whitney,
Original title: "Der bunte Mann: Aus dem Leben eines Transvestiten" (The Colorful Man: From the Life of a Transvestite)
'Thomas is Elli Hunter. Elli talks about her life as a transvestite. It is the story of a man who has been moving into the role of a woman since childhood. The colorful man tells of problems, the inner and outer conflicts, and above all, of the joy of the interplay between life as a man and that of the perfect illusion of being a woman.
But Elli Hunter is not a bird of paradise or an exception. Her view of things and her opinion on transvestism describes her as her non-negotiable reality. After coming out, she was amazed to discover that there are many more secret transvestites undiscovered by her families and friends than she ever suspected. Not least since her self-employment, in which she has to deal with transvestites from all over Europe, she says: You think you don't know any transvestites? But many transvestites know you!'
2009,
Elli Hunter,
German,
"Dorothy's Boy follows the life of an outcast transgender child into womanhood. Set in q small town in Pennsylvania in the 1950s, young Kent tries to cope with desires and confusion which estrange him among the towns folk. Kent is befriended by Benny, a preacher's son. Benny comes from a deeply dysfunctional family.
The two boys become inseparable throughout their childhoods but Benny's attraction to Kent eventually becomes more than friendship. Kent's lack of interest causes them to fight and forces them to go their separate ways. Years pass while Kent attempts to live as a man. He finally undergoes a sex change and becomes Kelly, losing everyone she holds dear.
She starts anew in 1980's Silicon Valley, far from the oppressive fundamentalist Christian society she once endured. She lives alone but is secretly in love with her neighbor, Ellen as Benny reappears carrying the past with him. Their fateful reunion brings shocking consequences."
2009,
English,
M. K. Bengtson,
USA,
Full title: "Ich bin (k)ein Mann: Als Transgender glücklich leben" (I am (not) a man: Living happily as a transgender).
"How can you be happy if you feel like a woman but have a man's body - or vice versa?
Transgenders, crossdressers or transvestites are commuters between gender worlds. They have a hard time understanding themselves and encounter incomprehension from others. They often suffer less from themselves than from the problems that everyday life brings with it when dealing with other people, especially their own family.
This book shows concrete ways to better self-understanding and gives tips on how to master the difficulties as an affected person and get more fun in life.
Jula Böge (born in 1960) knows the subject matter and writes from her own experience. She works as a lawyer in a large company."
Full title: "Eindelijk, ik lééf!" (Finally, I'm alive!)
In 2014, I interviewed Angela and this is what she shared with me: "I wanted to share the story of my life to give a brief view of what people like me go through once we find out that we are transgender.
Which aspects of my biography could be used by other transgender women planning their transitions? Of course, you can follow my steps and make use of my expertise. But as I mentioned in my preface: make use of the tools but use them in your own way. Be authentic. What really can be an eye-opener is how I brought it out in the open.
Another piece of advice will be: to try to be open to everyone. Do not be afraid of negative reactions. That’s part of your process. No one does anything wrong, because they will respond to you the way they feel about it. No one can understand what you are going through."
2009,
Angela van Bebber,
Dutch,
Full title: "Becoming Drusilla: One Life, Two Friends, Three Genders"
"For years Richard Beard would take spontaneous holidays with his motor-cycling friend Drew. They would spend a few days walking, camping, cycling, canoeing - outdoor, manly fun - before returning to everyday life: wives, children, jobs.
Richard was writing novels. Drew was working in the engine-room of cross-channel passenger ferries. Then one year Drew phoned to announce a complication: he was planning to transition and begin living as a woman.
This is the story of how Drew became Dru, of what happened to their friendship, and their adventures in wildest Wales the first time they went camping as man and woman. It is warm, sad, funny; an intimate tale of shared humanity."
2009,
English,
Richard Beard,
Full title: "You Can't Shave in a Minimart Bathroom" by Shauna Marie O'Toole.
"As the laws across the country change, more and more people are coming out as transgender or transsexual. Finding a starting place to facilitate transitioning at work can be a challenge. I offer an outline of what we did to facilitate my transition. Use what works and come up with a different plan for what doesn't. If nothing else, it is a starting point for discussions."
In 2017, I talked to Shauna about the book: "Minimart is my transition diary. A few stories were added here and there. A few things were edited and wordsmithed. However, this is where I was able to talk freely during this incredible journey towards Authenticity. I knew there would be things I would want to remember and share. If I didn't write them down, they would have been lost.
I started writing this book on November 1, 2003. This is the day after I accidentally came out to the world.
2009,
English,
Shauna Marie O'Toole,
Original title: "Il était une fois ... Guilda" (Once upon a time... Guilda). This is the second biography of Jean Guilda, following her 1979 book "Guilda: elle et moi" (Guilda: her and me).
Guilda, also known as Jean Guilda, was born Jean Guida de Mortellaro in Paris, France (1924-2012). She was a cabaret artist who made a career in France and Quebec.
She was best known for her comedy and cabaret shows where dressed in extravagant female clothes, impersonated one or other of the typical women of the last millennium — Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, Mistinguett, Edith Piaf and Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Lucille Ball.
Jean Guilda was one of the guests at the 2010 Montréal Pride celebrations. He appeared on stage for a short time and aroused the enthusiasm of the crowd present at Place Émilie-Gamelin. The organizers highlighted the importance and great career of this man who was the first transvestite to show himself in Quebec in the 1960s. After his death in 2012, he was buried in Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery, in Montreal.
2009,
French,
Jean Guilda,
"Memórias do Abade de Choisy vestido de mulher" (Memoirs of the Abbé de Choisy dressed as a woman) is the Portuguese language edition of "Mémoires de l'abbé de Choisy habillé en femme" by François-Timoléon De Choisy.
The first edition of the memoirs was published in .... 1736. Yes, it is not a joke. Since then, the memoirs have been published many times in many languages. Probably this is one of the first trans documents in the history of humankind.
Let me quote the introduction from Goodreads: "By a whim of his mother, Francois Timoleon de Choisy - better known as the Abbé de Choisy - was dressed as a girl until the age of 18. After a short spell in male attire he became, by all accounts, the classic transvestite - a male heterosexual who never attempted to disguise his biological sex while going about in public in full female attire.
2009,
François-Timoléon De Choisy,
Portuguese,
Full title: "Transgender Explained: For Those Who Are Not" by Joanne Herman.
"Written in 2009, when only 8% of Americans knew a transgender person, Joanne Herman's book sought to educate everyone else. It was before Caitlyn Jenner's transition greatly increased awareness, before transgender surgeries became more widely covered by health insurance, and before gender-affirming care became available for youth and the average age of gender transition dropped dramatically. Organized by topic into short, easy-to-read chapters, Joanne's book served as a way to quickly get up to speed on what it means to be transgender."
Joanne Herman is a retired American executive and philanthropist. She has been a key figure in developing transgender philanthropic leadership through her work with and support of The Point Foundation, Fenway Health, Outgiving, and Outfest. She is also the author of the book "Transgender Explained: For Those Who Are Not" which provides a non-complicated explanation of transgender for almost a decade.
2009,
English,
Joanne Herman,
