A random collection of over 1994 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: "ULTRAVIOLET: A little outside the visible range" by Ariane Keudel.
Ariane Keudel’s book Ultraviolet: A Little Outside the Visible Range is not just an autobiography, it is a confession, a meditation, and a shimmering portrait of a woman who dared to live beyond the boundaries of what most people would call ordinary light. Translated from the original German edition Ultraviolett: Ein wenig außerhalb des sichtbaren Bereichs, this work takes the reader on a journey through the spectrum of existence, where love and loss, order and chaos, and spirituality and self-destruction blend into one luminous story. It is a book written from the edge of visibility, where reality fades into something mystical and deeply human.
Ariane begins her story with Andi, her brother, companion, and soulmate in spirit, the person whose life embodied the idea of living “a little outside the visible range.” He had a saying, “Lilac is the color of the season,” a phrase that became both a joke and a philosophy. Lilac, teetering on the border of ultraviolet, became his identity, a color just barely perceptible, one that suggests beauty, mystery, and transience all at once. Through him, Ariane introduces the central metaphor of the book: that some lives, like certain colors, are not easily seen but are nonetheless powerfully felt. Andi’s life, full of flamboyance and longing for recognition, becomes the first prism through which Ariane examines her own existence, her search for meaning, and her belief in the invisible patterns that connect us all.
2023,
Ariane Keudel,
English,
"Mau Género" (Wrong Gender) is the Portuguese language version of "Mauvais genre" (Wrong Gender) by Chloé Cruchaudet.
Chloé Cruchaudet’s Mau Genre (Mauvais genre in French, Wrong Gender in English) is one of those graphic novels that stays with the reader long after the last page has been turned. Inspired by true events, it tells the remarkable story of Paul and Louise Grappe, an ordinary Parisian couple whose lives are transformed by the brutality of war, the fluidity of gender, and the search for freedom in a society bound by rigid norms. Cruchaudet’s work moves beyond historical retelling and ventures into an exploration of identity, trauma, and the unstable boundaries between love and destruction.
At its core, Mau Genre begins as a love story. Paul and Louise meet, fall in love, and marry just before the outbreak of the First World War. Their happiness, however, is short-lived. Paul is called to the front, and what he experiences in the trenches shatters any illusion of heroism or glory. Cruchaudet captures these early war scenes with a chilling economy of color and form. Black and sickly green dominate, evoking both the decay of human life and the collapse of reason. Paul’s trauma manifests in hallucinations and despair; when a comrade’s head is blown apart before his eyes, he loses all sense of self. To escape the unbearable cycle of violence, he mutilates himself, hoping for discharge. Yet the army is merciless, and Paul soon faces the prospect of being sent back. Terrified, he deserts and makes his way to Paris, where Louise hides him in their tiny room.
2023,
Chloé Cruchaudet,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Papillon: Né garçon. Devenue femme. Élue Miss Trans" (Butterfly: Born a boy. Became a woman. Voted Miss Trans) by Louïz and Florence Bouté.
“Papillon: Né garçon. Devenue femme. Élue Miss Trans,” co-written by Louïz and Florence Bouté under the direction of Frédéric Veille, is a moving autobiographical work that reads like both a confession and a celebration. The title alone, with its image of the butterfly finally taking flight, captures the book’s essence: transformation, liberation, and beauty born of struggle. It is the story of Louïz, born Jovani Louise on the island of La Réunion, who knew from childhood that her reflection held a truth she could not yet live. The book traces her journey from a shy boy who preferred dancing to football to a confident woman crowned Miss Trans France, an artist who sings, dances, choreographs, and inspires.
The story begins with a striking image: a New Year’s Eve party, a costume, and a mirror. Jovani’s friends, in the playful spirit of the holiday, suggest he dress as Rihanna. As he looks at his reflection in the mirror, the laughter dies down, and something profound happens. The disguise becomes revelation. In that reflection, Jovani recognizes herself, the woman who has always been there, waiting to be acknowledged. That instant marks the birth of Louïz, though the road ahead will still be long and hard.
2023,
Florence Bouté,
French,
Louïz,
Original title: "Es ist nie zu Spät: Transition" (It's never too late: Transition) by Marie-Luisa Quolke.
Marie-Luisa Quolke’s book Es ist nie zu spät: Transition (It’s Never Too Late: Transition) is more than a memoir. It is a declaration of courage, truth, and hard-won freedom. Born in Berlin in 1960, Marie-Luisa entered the world as a boy, though deep inside she knew from an early age that something was profoundly out of place. Her story is not one of sudden realization, but of decades spent in silence, misunderstanding, and quiet endurance. For nearly fifty years, she lived in a body that did not reflect her soul, following the path expected of her, while suppressing the woman within. It took her a lifetime to claim her identity, and in doing so, she proved that authenticity has no expiration date.
The book offers an intimate account of what it means to live with this deep internal dissonance, and how society’s unpreparedness can compound that pain. Growing up in a time when being transgender was barely understood, Marie-Luisa had no words to describe what she was feeling. Like many of her generation, she carried her secret into adulthood, shaping her life around the expectations of others rather than the truth of her own heart. Her writing captures this tension vividly, allowing readers to feel the weight of those lost years. Yet the book is not a lament. It is a triumphal act of self-expression, a testimony that it is never too late to step into one’s true self, no matter how long the journey has been.
2023,
German,
Germany,
Marie-Luisa Quolke,
Original title: "ULTRAVIOLETT: Ein wenig außerhalb des sichtbaren Bereichs" (ULTRAVIOLET: A little outside the visible range) by Ariane Keudel. The book was published in English too.
"ULTRAVIOLETT: Ein wenig außerhalb des sichtbaren Bereichs" by Ariane Keudel, published also in English as "ULTRAVIOLET: A little outside the visible range," is a profoundly moving and extraordinary biography that immerses readers in the turbulent life of Andreas Keudel.
The narrative is a vivid exploration of family, loss, and the relentless quest for identity, chronicling a journey that moves from a toxic childhood to the surprising revelation of gender dysphoria, a discovery that reshapes the course of his life. From the very beginning, Andreas faces immense challenges, growing up with an alcoholic mother and a violent father, before being placed into the care of a nurturing foster family where he experiences a more stable and loving childhood. Yet, despite this refuge, the young Andreas is marked by a sense of being different, feeling like an invisible third within the family dynamic, constantly navigating rivalry, seeking love and recognition, and wrestling with a persistent inner question of who he truly is. Ariane Keudel’s writing captures the essence of this complex journey with remarkable clarity and vividness.
2023,
Ariane Keudel,
German,
Original title: "TRANSLUCIDA" (Translucent) by Sebastião Reis Junior.
The book Translúcida by Sebastião Reis Junior emerges as a singular work that blends photography, literature, and social critique to confront the realities of transgender prisoners in Brazil. Composed of thirty-eight photographs of incarcerated transgender women taken by Reis Junior, a minister of the Superior Court of Justice, the book is accompanied by thirty-five texts and two illustrations, all aiming to provoke reflection on human rights, incarceration, and the right to self-identity.
The photographs were captured at the Pinheiros II Detention Center in São Paulo, providing a rare and intimate glimpse into lives often hidden behind prison walls. Reis Junior approaches his subjects with sensitivity and respect, requesting permission to photograph each inmate, ensuring that the images convey dignity rather than exploitation. The book is not intended merely as a photo collection, nor does it confine itself to a discussion of prison conditions. Instead, it uses visual and literary art to spark broader conversations about transgender existence, societal prejudice, and the human experience of those marginalized by both the legal system and social norms. According to the minister, the work seeks to dismantle the silences that surround transgender lives and to illuminate the truths that prejudice and misinformation often obscure. The contributions in Translúcida come from people with diverse backgrounds, including legal professionals, military personnel, doctors, and artists, each expressing their reflections on human rights through the medium of their choice.
2023,
Portuguese,
Sebastião Reis Junior,
Full title: "Dance Naked with God" by Barbara Marie Minney.
Barbara Marie Minney’s Dance Naked with God is a collection that challenges readers to immerse themselves in the raw, multi-layered rhythms of human emotion. The work unfolds in language that is emotionally fractured yet intricate, each poem resonating with intensity and vulnerability. Partway through, Barbara poses the question, “How do poets love?” and in doing so, she invites readers to consider love not as a simple, singular experience but as a force that is complicated, all-encompassing, and profoundly human.
Her poems teem with imagery that overlaps and interlocks like scales, creating a shimmering, chameleon-like effect that captures the kaleidoscope of introspection, desire, and spiritual seeking. By the final poem, the reader is left with a sense of renewal, an awareness that passion, grief, and joy can coexist in the same space, transforming the self in subtle yet profound ways. These poems do not offer a neat answer to the question of how poets love, but they illuminate the depth and ferocity of poetic devotion, the ways it can challenge and expand one’s understanding of intimacy, identity, and faith. Reading the collection, I found myself transported into moments of ecstatic reflection and quiet revelation, feeling the liveliness of my own resurrection mirrored in Barbara’s words.
2023,
Barbara Marie Minney,
English,
Interview,
Original title: "La respuesta a todo lo que le preguntarías a una tía trans" (The answer to everything you would ask a trans girl) by Valentina Berr.
Imagine you are at a birthday party. You do not know many people there, and by chance you sit next to a young woman you have never met before. She seems approachable, the conversation warms up, and suddenly you realize she is trans. For many people, this becomes the perfect moment to unload a flood of questions, questions rarely asked with bad intentions, but often intrusive, repetitive, or simply exhausting for the person receiving them. When did you know you were trans? What did your parents say? Have you had surgery? How do you have sex? Don’t trans women have an advantage in sports?
It is this all-too-familiar scenario that inspired Valentina Berr’s La respuesta a todo lo que le preguntarías a una tía trans (The Answer to Everything You Would Ask a Trans Girl), published by Editorial Egales. In this book, Berr flips the script: instead of being cornered by strangers, she takes the initiative and writes down all the answers herself, with humor, warmth, and disarming honesty.
The idea is simple but powerful. Many trans women have experienced being turned into unwilling teachers at social gatherings, forced into conversations about their past, their bodies, and their most intimate details with people they hardly know. Berr acknowledges this paradox, recognizing that the questions will keep coming whether or not she wants them to. So she decides to create a safe space in which curiosity can be satisfied without causing harm. She invites readers to imagine that she is that trans woman at the party, and the book is the conversation you might secretly want to have. But this time, she is in control. “Today, that girl is me, and this book will be that conversation,” she writes. “Here you will find the answers to all the ‘Can I ask you something?’ questions you can think of about being trans.”
2023,
Spain,
Spanish,
Valentina Berr,
Original title: "パパだけど、ママになりました 女性として生きることを決めた「パパ」が、「ママ」として贈る最愛のわが子への手紙" (A letter from a father who decided to live as a woman to his beloved child as a mother) by Toshimi Tanio 谷生 俊美
This heartfelt statement from Toshimi Tanio, a transgender woman and film producer, captures a powerful and emotional story about identity, love, family, and the journey of parenthood beyond traditional boundaries. Toshimi’s book, A Letter From a Father, delves deeply into her lived experience as a transgender woman who, despite complex challenges, embraces motherhood alongside her partner.
Born and raised as a man, Toshimi Tanio lived most of her early life feeling a disconnect with the gender assigned at birth. Since childhood, he harbored a quiet but persistent wish to live as a woman. Despite this internal truth, Toshimi lived as a man into adulthood and built a successful career as a reporter and correspondent, even serving as the Cairo bureau chief for Nippon Television from 2005.
It was during her time covering conflict zones in the Middle East that Toshimi’s yearning to live authentically intensified. Faced with life’s fragility and the urgency to live without regrets, she began gradually embracing her true self, first by wearing neutral clothing and light makeup, and then by openly expressing his desire to live as a woman. Upon returning to Japan in 2010, and with the support of her employer and a mental health diagnosis of gender identity disorder, Toshimi began hormone therapy and embarked on her gender transition at age 39.
2023,
Japanese,
Toshimi Tanio,
Original title: "Flor de invierno: Confesiones de una mujer trans" (Winter Flower: Confessions of a Trans Woman) by Raven Victoria Perich Minguillón.
In Flor de invierno: Confesiones de una mujer trans (2023), Raven Victoria Perich Minguillón offers readers more than just a memoir, she offers a lighthouse. Her words guide those navigating the stormy seas of gender identity, societal expectations, and personal truth. This book is a vivid, raw, and deeply personal journey of a woman who, against all odds, found the courage to bloom in winter, when everything around her seemed cold and hostile.
Raven opens with a jarring yet truthful observation: “Some people believe that transgenderism is a choice. As if one morning you woke up and decided you weren't who everyone thought you were, but someone else.” In these words lies the first crack in the societal illusion that gender identity is something whimsical or voluntary. She reminds us that it's not about becoming someone else, but finally realizing who you have always been. That realization, often delayed by fear and silence, can shatter your world before rebuilding it anew.
2023,
Raven Victoria Perich Minguillón,
Spanish,
Full title: "Dr. Jeanne Hoff's Unwavering Fight for Acceptance and Equality for Transgender Individuals: Beyond the Binary" by El Rudolph.
"In a world struggling to grasp gender beyond the binary, Dr. Jeanne Hoff ignited a revolution. This inspiring biography chronicles her pioneering research, shattering the silence on gender dysphoria and paving the way for compassionate healthcare for transgender individuals. Witness her tireless advocacy, challenging discrimination and championing legal recognition for all.
Through insightful research, personal stories, and Jeanne's own unwavering voice, this book illuminates the ongoing fight for equality while offering a roadmap for a future where everyone can live authentically. Join this inspiring journey and discover the enduring legacy of a woman who dared to see the world with empathy and courage, lighting the way for a more inclusive future."
2023,
El Rudolph,
English,
Jeanne Hoff,
Original title: "La fille d’elle-même" (The Daughter of Herself) by Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay. The book was published in 2021 and republished in 2023.
"Winner 2022, Prix des Libraires Rights for TV adaptation purchased by Zone 3 A runaway bestseller in Québec, where it has captured the hearts of readers and pushed trans-identity into the mainstream conversation, Dandelion Daughter is an intimate, courageous portrait of what it’s like to grow up having been assigned the wrong sex at birth.
Set against the windswept countryside of the remote Charlevoix region some five hours north of Montreal, Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay’s autobiographical novel immortalizes her early years as an alienated boy trapped in a world of small-town values and her parents’ dissolving marriage, through complex adolescent years of self-discovery and first loves, to the harrowing episodes that fuel the growing realization that she must transition and give birth to her new self if she is to continue living at all. One of the first novels of its kind to appear in Québec, this inspiring story has already connected with a wide readership, and has been adopted by many schools to help expand worldviews and curriculums."
2021,
2023,
Canada,
French,
Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay,
Gabrielle Tremblay,
Original title: "Lo que cuentan de las personas trans" (What they say about trans people) by Zulema Wild.
"This book is for those people who want to learn about trans people.
There will be people who say that we are not normal, but normal is too basic to call us that.
This book tells stories of trans people as well as a lot of information about everything that trans people experience.
A constant fight to be who we want to be, a fight to want to be accepted in a world of people who are still in the Franco era. Zulema is a trans girl and this book is dedicated to all those people who want to expand their knowledge and want to know more about trans people."
2023,
Spanish,
Zulema Wild,
Full title: "Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn’t My Rapist" by Cecilia Gentili.
"In these hilarious and heartbreaking letters, Cecilia Gentili reinvents the trans memoir, putting the confession squarely between the writer and her enemies, paramours and friends. Writing to childhood figures such as her rapist's daughter, her father's mistress, her best friend, and her mother, Gentili probes deeply into the bitter cruelty, buried secrets, and delicious gossip of a small town. Is she here for revenge, or forgiveness? Both! And more! A story of sex, theft, murder, motherhood, and outrageous fashion choices, Faltas is a beautiful, messy meditation on what it takes to heal, and even grow."
2023,
Argentina,
Cecilia Gentili,
English,
Full title: "Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair" by Mercury Stardust.
"As a transwoman, I've discovered (the hard way) that we live in a world with much to fear. But imagine fearing something as simple as asking for help. Imagine relying on others-landlords-to provide a basic human right, like housing, but knowing those same people believe you're an abomination because of your sexuality or gender identity. Imagine a world where reaching out for help is more than just a mundane task-it's a game of chance. Sadly, for too many renters, this isn't just a one-time moment of fear. For single moms, college students in a foreign town, and many others, a knock on the door can feel just as terrifying, even when you need the help.
All renters deserve to feel empowered enough to take matters into their own hands. The skills I'll show you how to develop will allow you to help friends, teach family members, and even assist a panicking neighbor-further empowering more people to take on tasks on their own. We all have a home-whether it's made up of brick walls or plaster-filled with memories and dreams. Knowledge should pass through any barriers put up around it because a little bit of knowledge can go a long way toward making someone feel more in control of their own life."
2023,
English,
Mercury Stardust,
Full title: "Veni Vidi Vici - What Actually Happened?: The inner journey doesn't always mirror the outer" by Mina Rudin.
The book is the follow-up of two books published previously in Swedish: "Mina Rudin - Veni Vidi Vici - Min resa från pojke till flicka: En självbiografi av Wilhelmina Rudin" (2019) (Veni Vidi Vici - My Journey from Boy to Girl: An Autobiography by Wilhelmina Rudin) and "Veni Vidi Vici - Resan Efter: Del 2 - En Självbiografi Av Wilhelmina Rudin" (2020) (Veni Vidi Vici - The Journey After: Part 2 - An Autobiography By Wilhelmina Rudin).
"Imagine that you wake up and realize that you are in the wrong body. You were a boy yesterday, and woke up as a girl. Or you fell asleep as a girl and woke up as a boy. Wondering how it would feel. Every morning of my life, I have woken up and had a masculine attribute. We all know that boys have a snot, while girls do not. But in my case, and many other transgender people out there in society, it happens every day."
2023,
English,
Mina Rudin,
Wilhelmina Rudin,
Original title: "Wiebkes Tagebuch X: Teil X des Tagebuchs einer trans Frau, der vierte “angekommene” Teil (Aug.-Okt. 2023) (Wiebke werden)" (Wiebke's Life X: Part X of the diary of a trans woman, the fourth “I finally am myself”- part (Aug.-Oct. 2023) (Becoming Wiebke Book 10)) by Wiebke ter Lichten.
"In the summer of 2018, my girlfriend asked me out of the blue if I’d ever considered being completely transformed into a woman. She suggested that it might be interesting. I pushed around quite a bit, and to be honest, the thought may have crossed my mind for a split second, but I dismissed it because I was absolutely certain the result wouldn't be good. Then Christmas 2018 came and her gift was just that: a makeover. She’d spoken to the manager of a service and made all the preparations. No chance for me to back out! The styling took place on Valentine's Day 2019 and Wiebke was born."
2023,
German,
Wiebke ter Lichten,
Full title: "The Yellow Sparrow: Memoir of a Transgender" by Santa Khurai.
"Santa Khurai was seventeen when she decided to start dressing like a woman. Born male, she had always believed herself to be female, and she claimed her feminine identity fiercely and openly. Her bold act of wearing dresses and make-up in public brought down upon her the wrath of her father, insults and ridicule wherever she went, and, frequently, beatings at the hands of the armed forces who are a constant presence in her native Manipur. The humiliation and physical attacks did not deter her. In her words, ‘My desire to be a woman, a beautiful, fashionable woman, was so strong that I was not afraid of challenging anything that came in the way... I felt that I could bear anything but I could not live like a man.’
2023,
English,
India,
Santa Khurai,
Full title: "A Couple's Journey to Transgenderism" by Noreen Antao.
"Noreen Antao went into her second marriage with high hopes that the man she loved, and who loved her and her children, would be the light of her life, for the rest of her life. Just before the marriage he revealed to her his deepest secret, something he had revealed to no one he liked to wear women's clothes. "His coming out of the closet to me, put me in the closet with him."
This led them on a 15-year journey of discovery, deeper and deeper into a world of crossdressing, transgenderism, homosexuality, and even B&D. "It was very sad to watch Jason becoming more female than male I was gradually losing my husband to 'the other woman'." Noreen's experiences offer a rare look into the struggle of finding one's true sexuality, and the effect that can have on one's spouse, career and family."
2023,
English,
Noreen Antao,
"Dandelion Daughter: A Novel" is the English language version of "La fille d’elle-même" (The Daughter of Herself) by Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay.
"Winner 2022, Prix des Libraires Rights for TV adaptation purchased by Zone 3 A runaway bestseller in Québec, where it has captured the hearts of readers and pushed trans-identity into the mainstream conversation, Dandelion Daughter is an intimate, courageous portrait of what it’s like to grow up having been assigned the wrong sex at birth.
Set against the windswept countryside of the remote Charlevoix region some five hours north of Montreal, Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay’s autobiographical novel immortalizes her early years as an alienated boy trapped in a world of small-town values and her parents’ dissolving marriage, through complex adolescent years of self-discovery and first loves, to the harrowing episodes that fuel the growing realization that she must transition and give birth to her new self if she is to continue living at all. One of the first novels of its kind to appear in Québec, this inspiring story has already connected with a wide readership, and has been adopted by many schools to help expand worldviews and curriculums."
2023,
Canada,
English,
Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay,
Gabrielle Tremblay,
