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: "In Between: A Memoir" by Kate Birdsall.
"Just after World War II, a child in Detroit found no words to describe the mismatch between body and soul. It would be decades before Kate Birdsall claimed her true self and transitioned, at 65.
In Between is Kate’s story. As Kate made her way through jobs, homes, and relationships, she and our culture slowly developed the vocabulary to express who she was.
By turns practical and personal, In Between shares a story more often lived than told.
When Kate finds the love of her life as her true self, it proves that not every transgender story is a tragedy. Now adapted as the feature film, Strictly for the Birds, Kate’s story is an inspiration for anyone who has ever been relegated to the category of Other."
2021,
English,
Kate Birdsall,
USA,
"Manantial" is the Spanish language edition of "Freshwater" by Akwaeke Emezi.
I liked Gina Maya's review a lot, so let me quote her: "Transgender narrative this may be, but it's far removed from Western, U.S.-based definitions in spite of its primary location in the U.S. The story follows the young life of Ada, a Nigerian child who travels to America to study, but her whole life involves psychical interaction with the indigenous spirits who vie for control of her. Is Ada Ogbanje too?
By the end, she appears to embrace this self-conception as an offspring of the Universal Creator Ala, visualized as cosmic python – the source of the spring from which all freshwater comes from its mouth. Yet Ada for almost the novel's entirety is also the human, engaged in an uneasy relationship with otherworldly spirits who inhabit her mind, visualized in turn as a room of marble, perhaps not unlike the Kaaba of Mecca. The most powerful, possessive, and controlling of the spirits is Asughara, occasionally presented as Ada's pernicious alpha. At times, Asughara blocks out Ada from consciousness, either to protect or punish Ada."
2021,
Akwaeke Emezi,
Nigeria,
Spanish,
Full title: "Eternal Rainbow Dawn: A Trans Woman Realized" by Rhiannon Tibbetts.
"This is a story of perseverance in the face of pain, ostracism, and oppression. The author has worked hard to fully become who she always was deep in her heart, body, and mind. She has had scant resources in her quest to become fully female, and she has also had to wage an ongoing battle with mental illness throughout her life.
She has an abiding faith that has guided her and supported her along the way. She has maintained her deep connection with Christ, despite the fact that many in her transgender community feel troubled with the treatment that some folks that call themselves Christians show towards people in the trans community. Rhiannon has finally found some peace and satisfaction in her golden years after having struggled on so many fronts throughout much of her life."
2021,
English,
Rhiannon Tibbetts,
USA,
Original title: "Trans Und Ich: Gefangen Im Falschen Körper - Teil 1" (Trans and Me: Trapped in the Wrong Body - Part 1) by Stefanie Claudia Schmitz.
In this book, the author Stefanie Claudia Schmitz tells of her ordeal and the difficult and often rocky path she had to take as a trans woman in order to be able to live her real life.
In addition to her life story, the author also explains common terms and names some social network groups and contact points that those affected, relatives or interested parties can turn to.
The author Stefanie Claudia Schmitz was born in Cologne in 1981 and felt as a child that she belonged to the female sex. Due to the lack of support from her family, a decade-long long ordeal until she came out completely in 2021 and finally
began to live.
2021,
German,
Stefanie Claudia Schmitz,
Original title: "The Girl from Casablanca: The True Story of the First Sex Change" is the English language edition of "La fille de Casablanca" by Juliette Jourdan.
"In 1956, in Casablanca, while Morocco struggles for its independence, Jenny, a young trans woman, solicits Dr. Georges Burou, a renowned, if somewhat enigmatic gynecologist, for a 'sex change'...
The Girl from Casablanca tells the true story of the first entirely successful sex reassignment surgery, at a time when the word 'trans' didn't even exist. It also tells a tale of daring and courage against all odds. True to himself, Dr. Burou went ahead with the first gender surgery to help a desperate and endearing young trans woman while risking ruining his career. Without knowing it, he would set the standard, to this day, for MtF surgery."
2021,
April Ashley,
Coccinelle,
English,
Jan Morris,
Juliette Jourdan,
Full title: "Finding myself: Discovering my gender identity" by Karen Lyra.
"“Finding Myself” is an inner journey I decided I must start some years ago and writing this book has become a crucial part of it, a definitive milestone in my life. I realized I am transgender not very long ago and became aware that I have lived all my life not suppressing a “part of me”, as I once thought, but suppressing my true self.
Given the stage of the life I am going through, with its circumstances, challenges and blessings, maybe it is going to take more time until I can achieve the changes I want but it is not fair to keep my true self in the dark for longer. If I haven’t come out in real life yet and it may take a while until I can take that step, I know I can put my words out there to share all I have been through since the very first moment of my life that I thought I wanted to be a girl.
2021,
English,
Karen Lyra,
Full title: "A Tale of Two Lives: A funny thing happened on the way to the Palace" by Helen Dale.
"Having grown up as a RAF Brat and keen scout, dreaming of being a pilot in the RAF, she concealed a secret for decades before accepting, in 1998, that she needed to transition.
Losing one job as a consequence, she joined Greater Manchester Probation in 1999. As the first openly trans employee nationally she provided awareness training for probation and prison staff and others and became the de facto lead on trans issues.
She persuaded the then Lesbian and Gay staff association to extend its membership criteria to include trans and spent several years as chair. She also helped to found a:gender — the UK pan-Civil Service trans support network and was made an honorary life member when she retired in 2015.
2021,
English,
Helen Dale,
UK,
Original title: "Borrokalari transgeneroak: Historia eginez, Joana Arc-ekotik Dennis Rodman-enganaino" is the Basque language edition of "Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman" by Leslie Feinberg.
"This groundbreaking book - far ahead of its time when first published in 1996 and still galvanizing today - interweaves history, memoir, and gender studies to show that transgender people, far from being a modern phenomenon, have always existed and have exerted their influence throughout history.
Leslie Feinberg - hirself a lifelong transgender revolutionary - reveals the origin of the check-one-box-only gender system and shows how zie found empowerment in the lives of transgender warriors around the world, from the Two Spirits of the Americas to the many genders of India, from the trans shamans of East Asia to the gender-bending Queen Nzinga of Angola, from Joan of Arc to Marsha P. Johnson and beyond."
2021,
Basque,
Leslie Feinberg,
Full title: "The Life of Ally: A: Trans Woman Story" by Allyson Lliara.
"A transwoman goes through troubles trying to figure out who she is and the struggles with coming out with family, friends, and finding herself in the process.
2021,
Allyson Lliara,
English,
Full title: "Inside Out" by Jody Frances Vaclav.
"This book tells of a journey of hardship, courage, humor, and the strength to have "mercy and forgiveness" on my path from Joe to Jody and the pitfalls of Gender Dysphoria and sex reassignment."
"Since the age of 4, I was harboring a secret too great to share with anyone. I was living in a mismatched body and mind and was struggling to understand "why" my male genitalia did not match the inner female gender I felt myself to be.
When I made the bold commitment to become Jody, a transgender woman, I didn't realize the repercussions of my life-changing decision, the separation and the loss of all the people I loved. The female voice in my head and feelings in my male body were relentless, constantly challenging me to continue my quest to discover my real identity.
2021,
English,
Jody Frances Vaclav,
Full title: "Who She Wants to Be: An Uncommon Memoir" by Tara Taylor.
"Growing up transgender in the 60s and 70s, when there weren’t many resources for gender dysphoric people, “Who She Wants to Be: an uncommon memoir,” recounts Tara’s life beginning with her childhood and trying to navigate what was expected of boys, but relating to and preferring the company of girls; dressing in her mom’s clothes and putting on her makeup (thinking she wouldn’t notice); confusion of who she was and trying to “cure” herself by destroying her girl’s clothes.
At 23, she began taking her mother’s estrogen pills then, on her own, found a doctor who would prescribe her hormones. She went in and out of transition until her mother urged her to get off the fence and come to terms with her transgender identity. The world opened for Tara once she became who she really was, gaining new friends and allies, and finding a generous gentleman who paid for her surgery."
2021,
English,
Tara Taylor,
Full title: "Trans Historical: Gender Plurality before the Modern" by Greta LaFleur, Masha Raskolnikov, and Anna Klosowska.
"Trans Historical explores the plurality of gender experiences that flourished before the modern era, from Late Antiquity to the eighteenth century, across a broad geographic range, from Spain to Poland and Byzantium to Boston.
Refuting arguments that transgender people, experiences, and identities were non-existent or even impossible prior to the twentieth century, this volume focuses on archives - literary texts, trial transcripts, documents, and artifacts - that denaturalize gender as a category.
2021,
Anna Klosowska,
English,
Greta LaFleur,
Masha Raskolnikov,
Full title: "Stayin' Alive: A Transgender Safety Guidebook" by Grace Felicia Lawrence.
"STAYIN' ALIVE Is a Safety Guidebook for our youth and adults to have the tool to keep themselves safe in today's world. I am a three times hate crime survivor, telling my story keeps me alive. Respectfully. Grace".
"Grace Felicia Lawrence, the founder and president of the International Human Rights Nonprofit Organization and Global Transgender Safety Tasks Force USA Inc., has completed her new book “Stayin Alive”: a compelling read on the hardships and struggles of the transgender community.
Lawrence shares, “The 2015 National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that TGNB people were unemployed at three times the rate of the general population and four times for TGNB people of color. Household incomes of TGNB people were found to be significantly lower than the general population, 12 percent reported annual income of less than $10,000.
2021,
English,
Grace Felicia Lawrence,
Full title: "Becoming Queen Angela: A True Crime Autobiography" by Angela Schrigly.
"The story begins with my evidence, though circumstantial, about how the R.C.M.P in Banff National Park work with drug dealers in the East in a corrupt fashion. It also gives a summary of my goals of Becoming Queen.
The real beginning takes you to my ancestral background where my Paternal Grandfather whose Surname Pike came from the Gilbert Pike, the Privateer who captured a Dutch warship in the late 1500s and on board was an Irish Princess who was herself captured. Her name was Shiela Na Giera and the two were said to have fallen in love. They settled in Newfoundland and gave birth to the first English male baby on the North American Continent (or so the story goes).
2021,
Angela Schrigly,
English,
"Im Park der prächtigen Schwestern" (In the Park of the Magnificent Sisters) is the German language edition of "Las malas" (The Bad Girls) published in Argentina in 2019 by Camila Sosa Villada.
From the Argentine author Camila Sosa Villada, a book of love and affection: when we finish the last page, we want the whole world to read it too! When she arrived in the city of Córdoba to study at the university, Argentine author Camila Sosa Villada decided to go to Parque Sarmiento during the night. She was scared to death, thinking that the brutal verdict she had heard from her father could come to fruition at any moment: "One day they will knock on this door to warn me that they found you dead, thrown into a ditch." For him, this was the only possible destination for a boy who dressed as a woman.
2021,
Argentina,
Camila Sosa Villada,
German,
Full title: "Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words" edited by Dr. Lindsay Herriot M ed PhD and Kate Fry.
"Growing Up Trans shares stories, essays, art and poetry created by trans youth aged 11 to 18. In their own words, the works illustrate the trans experience through childhood, family and daily life, school, their bodies and mental health. Together the collection is a story of the challenges, big and small, of being a young trans person. At the same time, it’s a toolkit for all young people, transgender or not, about what understanding, acceptance and support for the trans community looks like.
In addition to the contributed works, there are questions and tips from experts in the field of transgender studies to challenge the reader on how to be a trans ally.
Growing Up Trans came out of a series of workshops held in Victoria, British Columbia, to bring together trans youth from across the country with mentors in the community."
2021,
Canada,
Kate Fry,
Lindsay Herriot,
Full title: "Hello world, I'm Amy Kate" by Amy Kate Carter.
"Imagine waking up every day in a body and a gender that doesn't feel right. For forty-two years, this was my life. Pain, misery and depression were all I knew. Any vague semblance of a smile on my face was fake, there only to appease the people present at the time.
Gender dysphoria, and consequently being transgender, is not a choice any sane individual would make. The only real choice is how to deal with it. I faced a choice of fight to survive or leave this world in a ball of flame. I was born a boy, but as I grew it became clear to me that this was a mistake. Today, I'm a happy confident woman having undergone transition from male to female. This is my life, my story. Unapologetically me."
2021,
Amy Kate Carter,
English,
UK,
Full title: "The TaraElla Story" by TaraElla.
"This is the story of my journey, as an LGBT author and singer-songwriter navigating the ever-changing media landscape, and constant cultural upheavals of the early 21st century. My journey towards embracing a positive attitude to life, to our differences, and to the world in general. I have chosen to tell my story in the hope that it will inspire others, and I hope that more people do this too.
I am grateful to the stories of other people, and their life journeys, for inspiring me over the years, and getting me through hard times. Life is interesting, and what we learn from it can be unexpected. I wish to contribute to the vast pool of stories already out there, in the hope that one day, my story could be useful to another person out there, who needs a bit of inspiration.
"Nattdjur" (Nocturnal animal) is the Swedish language edition of "Las malas" (The Bad Girls) published in Argentina in 2019 by Camila Sosa Villada.
From the Argentine author Camila Sosa Villada, a book of love and affection: when we finish the last page, we want the whole world to read it too! When she arrived in the city of Córdoba to study at the university, Argentine author Camila Sosa Villada decided to go to Parque Sarmiento during the night. She was scared to death, thinking that the brutal verdict she had heard from her father could come to fruition at any moment: "One day they will knock on this door to warn me that they found you dead, thrown into a ditch." For him, this was the only possible destination for a boy who dressed as a woman.
2021,
Argentina,
Camila Sosa Villada,
Swedish,
Original title: "Sein, wie man ist: Autobiographische Erzählung einer Transfrau" (Being Who You Are: A Trans Woman's Autobiographical Narrative) by Johanna Baader.
When I started writing the book on Aug. 14, 2016, I was 57 years young and the father of two sons aged 20 and 22. After 26 years of marriage, my wife separated from me because of my change to wife. Professionally, I come from computer science and have been successful in it for many decades. In this capacity, I wrote a lot of documentaries, so I already had a lot of writing experience. Besides, writing is kind of in my blood. I am now retired and live alone in the district of Günzburg.
My life began as a boy in the late fifties. In early childhood, I already noticed my feminine tendencies. In adolescence and adolescence, the trend continued. At that time, I didn't realize that my inner woman and femininity had long since picked up speed and inexorably in the direction of outing to a woman. In the fall of 2016, they finally came out, with far-reaching consequences. It remains exciting, read on in the book ...
2021,
German,
Johanna Baader,
