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.
"Zhìdìyǒushēng: wǒ bùxiǎng gǎibiàn shìjiè, yě bùxiǎng bèi shìjiè gǎibiàn" - 掷地有声: 掷地有声我不想改变世界，也不想被世界改变 (Loudly: I don't want to change the world, and I don't want to be changed by the world) is the collection of Jin Xing's essays about womanhood.
'Jin Xing's first essay book tells you what a woman should do and how to live a life to the fullest! 47 insightful articles, do not only talk about what you want to hear, they only say what others dare not say. The truth is loud and sound, and the truth stirs energy everywhere. Jin xing talks about the beauty of women: "Sexiness is not about putting it on, it's about making men think about you, have the urge to take care of you, and talk about you when talking to other men." "Sexy is for men to run after them!"
Jin Xing talks about the happiness of being a wife and mother and talks about practical durability. The enviable family of five has made her know how happiness needs to be managed.
Why do people say that "marriage is the graveyard of love"? Marriage is the graveyard of love! What's so bad about the grave? The grave does not refer to death, but to detachment!'
2013,
China,
Chinese,
Jin Xing,
Full title: "Professing Selves: Transsexuality and Same-Sex Desire in Contemporary Iran".
"Since the mid-1980s, the Islamic Republic of Iran has permitted, and partially subsidized, sex reassignment surgery. In Professing Selves, Afsaneh Najmabadi explores the meaning of transsexuality in contemporary Iran. Combining historical and ethnographic research, she describes how, in the postrevolutionary era, the domains of law, psychology and psychiatry, Islamic jurisprudence, and biomedicine became invested in distinguishing between the acceptable "true" transsexual and other categories of identification, notably the "true" homosexual, an unacceptable category of existence in Iran.
2013,
Afsaneh Najmabadi,
Iran,
Full title: "J'inventais ma vie" (I invented my life) by Marie-Pierre Pruvot. This is the first part of the 5-book series about Marie-Pierre Pruvot's life.
"Marie-Pierre Pruvot has had two lives and two careers: one as a teacher, discreet and punctuated by national education schedules; and the other as a reviewer at the Carrousel in the sixties and seventies, where Bambi lit fires on stage and burned with her iron the memory of the men who came to contemplate her plastic. These two professions call on the same talent, and require that we put the world and life on stage to better show our audience how we conceive the world... It is therefore quite naturally that readers will discover this book which mixes the romantic and the real, and in which overlap the events linked to the Algerian war, and those borrowed from the real life of Marie-Pierre. At that time, this part of France beyond the Mediterranean was still bubbling with the aftermath of the war of independence and mentalities were only beginning to hint at the possibility of taking charge of one's destiny... and inventing one's life."
2013,
Bambi,
French,
Georges Burou,
Marie-Pier Ysser,
Marie-Pierre Pruvot,
Original title: "Teilzeitfrau: Der Crossdresser an meiner Seite" (Part-time woman: The crossdresser by my side).
'Paul is in his mid-forties and has been married to Julia for twelve years when he confides a secret to her. It is his very own secret that has existed since childhood. Paul is a cross-dresser – and this is the flattering term for a transvestite. Because that doesn't sound so medical and fraught with prejudice.
For Julia, as an unsuspecting partner at his side, the world does not collapse. On the contrary - it makes her curious and for her this is the answer to many questions she had asked herself about her husband, who was suspected to be in a life crisis.
2013,
German,
Linda Engel,
"Wanting in Arabic is a refusal of convenient silences, convenient stories. Concerned with not covering the tracks of her own metamorphosis, the author dwells in the contradictions of transsexual poetics, in this attendant disfigurations of lyric, ghazal, l'ecriture feininine, and, in particular, her own sexed voice. Without a memory of her father's language, the questions her poems ask are those for a home known through photographs, for a language lost with childhood.
Braiding theoretical concerns with the ambivalences of sexed and raced identity, with profound romanticism, Wanting in Arabic attempts to traverse the fantasies of foundational loss and aggressive nostalgia in order to further a poetics of a conscious partiality of being, of generous struggle and comic rather than tragic misrecognition."
2002,
2013,
English,
Trish Salah,
Full title: "Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels" by Justin Vivian Bond.
"Hailed as "the greatest cabaret artist of [V's] generation" in the New Yorker, Mx. Justin Vivian Bond makes a brilliant literary debut with this candid and hilarious coming-of-age tale.
Bond recalls in vivid detail how it looked and felt to first discover Mom's lipstick (Iced Watermelon by Revlon), and how dreary it could be for a trans/queer kid to join the Cub Scouts. Always haunted by the knowledge of being "different," Bond began to create intimate friendships with girls, and to feel increasingly at risk with boys.
But when the bully next door wanted to meet secretly, Bond couldn't resist. Their trysts went on for years, making Bond acutely aware of how sexual power and vulnerability can be experienced at the same time. With inimitable style, Bond raises issues about LBGTQ adolescence, parenting trans/queer children, and bullying, while being utterly entertaining."
2013,
Justin Vivian Bond,
Polish,
"This is the story of a literally self-made woman. Kimmie Holland always knew deep down she was unsuited to be a man. But it wasn’t until years of depression, crippling panic attacks, a traumatic divorce, and a failed suicide attempt brought her face-to-face with the grim reality of her situation: either change or die.
So with nothing to lose and a pair of high heels, a skimpy black nightie, and a shoulder-length wig, she placed an ad on Craigslist asking the question “Can I Be Your Fake Girl?” Within minutes of posting, she got her answer: a resounding “yes” from dozens of men.
So she began her transformative journey from fake girl to real girl to a married woman. Part confession, part rant, part inspiration, A Girl the Hard Way is a message of hope and sisterly support to self-made girls everywhere, whether part-time, full-time, of whatever kind."
2013,
English,
Kimmie Holland,
Original title: "Aus dem Leben mit Ihm/Ihr" (From Life with Him/Her)
'This book tells the true story of a seemingly normal partnership and marriage from the partner's point of view. Excerpts from normal everyday life, strokes of fate, and the change of the husband after 14 years. The first signs of crossdressing and two years later the outing of the man to the transvestite, from which later the actual transsexuality emerged.
What can they expect, also in the future? How does the environment in general, as well as family and friends, react? How does the partner feel about all this and cope with the fact that her husband is changing? She tries to convey all this in this book in order to possibly show other partners and society that transsexuals are normal people who deserve to live the way they want. And they hope for more tolerance.'
2013,
German,
Linda Kokott,
"Press for Change (founded in 1992) was a hugely successful campaign for the civil rights of transgender people in the UK -- achieving in the first 12 years a string of legislative successes that included protection against discrimination in employment, the right to NHS treatment and ultimately the process for full legal recognition of transsexual people in their acquired gender in 2004. The organisation continues to this day.
These are the memoirs of Christine Burns MBE, one of the leading figures in that campaign until 2007. Christine tells the story of how she personally became involved in campaigning and how that involvement entwined in her home, work, and political life."
In 2014, I interviewed Christine and this is what she said about the 70s and 80s: "Some things are vital to survival - food and shelter are among the most fundamental of human needs. In the 1970s, 80s, and early 90s trans people couldn’t secure those things for themselves. If you didn’t “pass” then people would simply not employ you. And if you did “pass” then the ability to hold on to your job depended in many cases on people not being aware of your past.
2013,
Christine Burns,
English,
UK,
Full title: "From Alan to Helen: A Journey through Time and Gender" by David W Algeo and Helen Wright.
"Alan spent over fifty years of his life believing something was wrong with him. Knowing he was more than just a hard working, hard playing, womanising northern man. Deep inside he yearned to be a woman.
Living a life of adventure from wagon fitter to stock car driver, Alan hid his shameful alter ego - Helen. Secretly cross-dressing, sneaking ladies' clothing bound for the refuse, and visiting seedy sex shops in a bid to learn more, Helen's incessant yearning drove Alan to the edge. Finally, after being caught by his wife and almost ending his own life, Alan found the courage to assume his true identity. He became Helen. The woman he had always been."
2013,
David W Algeo,
English,
Helen Wright,
Full title: "Life Goes on I Know Mine Will: A True Transgender Story!"
"In this moving book, readers are introduced to the challenges that transgenders experience in their daily lives. It shares how they face emotional situations every day despite years of therapy and even after completing a transition from male to female.
This is a must-read work is for anyone who wants to get an in-depth knowledge of the trials that the transgender community face every day, and to find themselves even in a prejudiced society."
2013,
English,
Lina Pagniacci Capoli,
Full title: "My Brother My Sister: Story of a Transformation" by Molly Haskell.
"On a visit to New York, the brother of well-known film critic Molly Haskell dropped a bombshell: Nearing age sixty, and married, he had decided to become a woman. In the vein of Jan Morris’s classic Conundrum and Jennifer Finney Boylan's She's Not There, a transgender memoir, Haskell’s My Brother My Sister gracefully explores a delicate subject, this time from the perspective of a family member.
Haskell chronicles her brother Chevey’s transformation through a series of psychological evaluations, grueling surgeries, drug regimens, and comportment and fashion lessons as he becomes Ellen. Despite Haskell’s liberal views on gender roles, she was dumbfounded by her brother’s decision. With candor and compassion, she charts not only her brother’s journey to becoming her sister, but also her own path from shock, confusion, embarrassment, and devastation to acceptance, empathy, and love.
2013,
English,
Molly Haskell,
"Since 1986 I have been obsessed with this lad, Trevor, he was the most drop-dead gorgeous bloke I had ever met. I messed up and turned down his proposal in 1993, but then in 2006, he told me he wants to be a woman.
This is my journal of how I cope day to day with my husband's transition to becoming a woman. We finally married in 2011 and my life has been turned upside down ever since. No holes barred look at the difficulties faced, the pressure, and the heart ache. Then there is the love that binds us together no matter what we face.
I may have a few grammatical errors a few spelling errors, and a few swear words but this is my journal and typed how it was written.
2013,
English,
Treva Angelina Askey,
UK,
Victoria Askey,
Full title: "Sunlight in the Darkness"
"Anne Cognito was ranked the highest British woman at the 1991 and 1992 world windsurfing championships in 14th place: unremarkable but for the fact that she was assigned male at birth. She kept her transgender history secret, fearing the consequences of competition as a trans woman in less enlightened times.
After being sacked from the British intelligence services in 1985 for transitioning from male to female, she has lived a hidden life ever since. She describes how her trans history informs every aspect of the daily routine whilst leading an outwardly ordinary, but sometimes extraordinary, life.
The first trans woman to represent Britain in an international sporting competition? The fastest trans woman to run the London Marathon? Rejected by family and friends, and sacked for transitioning, to becoming the top-ranked British woman at the World Windsurfing Championships. Loss, life, and love. This is her story."
2013,
Anne Cognito,
English,
Original title: "La Tarantina e la sua «dolce vita». Racconto autobiografico di un femminiello napoletano" (The Tarantina and her "dolce vita". Autobiographical story of a Neapolitan femminiello)
"Suddenly the war seemed far away, we shrugged off the dust, hunger, fatigue of the post-war period, for the first time we looked up and looked ahead. The worst was over. At that time Rome was a magnet, everyone dreamed of living in the city of cinema, of stars, the capital of elegance and modernity of which we read in magazines: and the mirage was at hand, right there, a few kilometers away".
The heroine of the Roman "dolce vita", the undisputed queen of the Spanish Quarters, was loved and courted. Tarantina's life was certainly all this, but not only. Like many other "femminielli" of her generation or the following ones, hers was also a tiring existence, made up of painful rejections (especially on the part of the family and the community of origin), of precariousness and despair, of prison and broken dreams.
2013,
Gabriella Romano,
Italian,
La Tarantina,
Full title: "My Secret Garden: Walking In My Secret Garden" by Bobbie Jean Chiasson.
"This is my life story about being a Transgender and living in the south where we are hated and not wanted here. I have decided to make a stand with my words and show everyone what these people are like."
2013,
Bobbie Jean Chiasson,
English,
Full title: "Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change" by Ellen Krug.
"What is the price of living an authentic life? Ellen Krug knows. "Getting to Ellen" details the "gender journey" taken by Ellen Krug, a woman born into a male body. As a man, "Ed" Krug had everything anyone could ever want: the love of a soul mate named Lydia, two beautiful daughters, a house in the best neighborhood, a successful trial lawyer's career--a Grand Plan life so picture-perfect it inspired a beautiful pastel drawing.
In a quest to find inner peace, Ed gradually confronted fear and loss, including the residue of growing up in an alcoholic household and a parent's suicide.
2013,
Ellen Krug,
English,
USA,
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: "D'un corps à l'autre" (From one body to another)
'I remember myself as a kid, playing with my brother. They used to say 'boys'. And of course, I was a boy since we did exactly the same things. What was valid for one was valid for the other: clothes, entertainment, toys, Meccano, life. So why this weird feeling that we were different? That I wasn't in the same world? That what I wanted was my sisters' world, their own world? That's where I wanted to go.'
In January 2010, the Grand Orient of France accepted for the first time a woman as a member of the obedience. And what a woman! For more than fifty years, Olivia Chaumont lived in the body envelope of a man but, deep down, she always knew she was different. At the dawn of 2007, she decided to have surgery in Thailand to live in her real skin, that of a woman.
2013,
French,
Olivia Chaumont,
Full title: "Please Call Me Shirley: Paradox - Transformation, Transition & Transfiguration"
"This is my story, a story of self-discovery. It is a story of intense internal struggle and dysfunction marked by often self-inflicted wounds. It is a story of survival against all odds. It is a story filled with travel, adventure, and courage in the face of adversity.
But above all, it is a story about the transforming power of love. I have been a husband, a parent, a grandparent, a soldier, a scientist, a clergyman, and a respected community leader. Trying to come to terms with my gender identity and sexual orientation confusion has significantly impacted my life’s journey and altered my world view.
When I began writing this story in June 2000 most of the things that provided security and structure in my life had collapsed around me. What I considered to be my life goals and objectives had been shattered. I was labeled by the State of Florida as a “sex offender”, and was virtually unemployable."
2013,
English,
Grant Shirley Boughton,
