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: "Minoritarian Liberalism: A Travesti Life in a Brazilian Favela" by Moisés Lino e Silva.
"A mesmerizing ethnography of the largest favela in Rio, where residents articulate their own politics of freedom against the backdrop of multiple forms of oppression.
Normative liberalism has promoted the freedom of privileged subjects, those entitled to rights—usually white, adult, heteronormative, and bourgeois—at the expense of marginalized groups, such as Black people, children, LGBTQ people, and slum dwellers.
In this visceral ethnography of Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Moisés Lino e Silva explores what happens when liberalism is challenged by people whose lives are impaired by normative understandings of liberty. He calls such marginalized visions of freedom “minoritarian liberalism,” a concept that stands in for overlapping, alternative modes of freedom—be they queer, favela, or peasant."
2022,
Brazil,
English,
Moisés Lino e Silva,
Original title: "Pedagogia da Desobediência: Travestilizando a Educação" (Pedagogy of Disobedience: Transvestilizing Education) by Tiffany Odara.
"The book Pedagogy of Disobedience: Travestilizing Education by researcher, pedagogue and Iyálorixá Thiffany Odara tells about the production of transvestite knowledge in the city of Salvador. Weaving together the histories of the trans movement with the theoretical dialogues of black feminism, Thiffany proposes to travestylize education as a way of building spaces of knowledge that are for all people. A transgressive pedagogy that speaks of claims and access, especially of trans people, to the condition of humanity. A publication that opens the way for other pedagogies and incites the disobedience of the CIStema. Thais Faria Castro (Editor)"
2021,
Brazil,
Portuguese,
Thiffany Odara,
Original title: "A construção de mim mesma: Uma história de transição de gênero" (The Making of Myself: A Story of Gender Transition) by Letícia Lanz.
"For decades, Letícia Lanz presented herself to the world in the role of Geraldo Eustáquio. Understanding yourself differently from most was a long and painful process. In this moving and honest account, Letícia recounts what it was like to come out as a transgender woman at the age of fifty.
Letícia Lanz is a psychoanalyst, speaker, activist and was a candidate for mayor of Curitiba in 2020. She is married with three children and five grandchildren. In this impactful book, she tells the story of her transition. The struggle to free herself from the bonds of gender began when she was still a child and culminated in a heart attack fifty years later. After a life marked by the permanent conflict between being herself or the person society demanded she to be, in the ICU bed, she understood that transitioning was the only thing to do if she wanted to stay alive.
2021,
Brazil,
Letícia Lanz,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Pão de Açúcar" (Sugarloaf Mountain) by Afonso Reis Cabral.
"In February 2006, the Porto Fire Brigade rescued a body with marks of aggression and naked from the waist down from the well of an abandoned building. The victim, who was ill and had taken refuge in the basement, had been beaten over several days by a group of teenagers, some of whom were as young as twelve.
Rafa had found the place on one of his usual forays into the "dirty areas", and that kind of tent immediately piqued his interest.
Then, torn between attraction and repulsion, he wondered if he should keep the secret to himself or share it with his friends. But what value is there in a treasure that cannot be shown?
A dizzying novel about a true case that shook the country, a fascinating incursion into the lives of a victim and his aggressors, Pão de Açúcar is a masterful combination of fact and fiction, with real and imaginary characters meticulously drawn, which confirms the talent and literary maturity of Afonso Reis Cabral."
2018,
Afonso Reis Cabral,
Brazil,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Antologia Trans: 30 poetas trans, travestis e não-binários" (Trans Anthology: 30 trans, transvestite and non-binary poets).
"How to dream and, at the same time, intervene? Poetry represented, for us, the interface between these two possibilities of political action. It is the discourse that emerges from the painful experiences of T in a cisgender society, but which rises in resistance, in potential. It consolidates dominion over the word and over oneself. Power is not something that is attained at the end of a path, nor is it something that is beyond our reach. It is here, emanating from our articulations, our spaces, and our words."
All the poets and the two illustrators of the publication (Lune Carvalho and Augusto Silva) are students of the Popular Transformation Course, a free initiative that has existed since 2015 in Ação Educativa. The goal is to help trans, transvestite and non-binary people get into college, on a non-profit basis. In all, there are 62 poems with themes ranging from the experience of the transgender body, sex, beauty, love, and transition.
2017,
Amara Moira,
Brazil,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Meu nome é Helena" (My name is Helena) by Larissa Rosso.
Larissa Rosso presents the story of Helena Soares Meireles, who was born Heleno. "It took Helena Soares Meireles months to encourage herself to be reunited with her father after the operation that changed her body forever. At the age of 36, the transsexual had undergone a sex affirmation surgery, indicated for cases of dysphoria or gender incongruence, adapting her genitalia to the gender with which she actually identified – from a young age, Heleno, her baptismal name, felt like a woman."
"The procedure conducted at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA) transformed, after more than two years of psychological preparation and monitoring by a multidisciplinary team, the penis and scrotum into a vagina.
2018,
Brazil,
Helena Soares Meireles,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Nem Tao Bela, Nem Tao Louca" (Not So Beautiful, Not So Crazy) by Ruddy Pinho.
"In this book you will find in more than 300 pages a mature woman, mother, friend, lover, warrior and religious. A Ruddy she didn't even know herself. Showing that in Brazil, despite all the social and political problems, it is possible to win, to be different, to be respected and to grow old. Of course, the glamorous ever-present in his life was not left aside in his passages with the personalities of the artistic world. New York and Paris are constant backdrops of hilarious narratives. Some records of these memories then in the more than 80 photos enclosed throughout the book."
2007,
Brazil,
Portuguese,
Ruddy Pinho,
Original title: "Transexuais em telenovelas: a construção de personagens na Rede Globo" (Transsexuals in soap operas: the construction of characters in Rede Globo) by Lalo Nopes Homrich.
"Lalo Nopes Homrich's work does not detract from the long tradition of studies on representations of minorities on television, particularly in soap operas, but it does something so far unprecedented. It sheds light on the field of production – the social production of representations – by interviewing the professionals involved with the construction of three transsexual characters in Rede Globo soap operas: Ramona, a trans woman, in the soap opera As Filhas da Mãe (2001); Dorothy, a trans woman, in the soap opera Geração Brasil (2014); and, finally, Ivan, trans men, in the soap opera A Força do Querer (2017).
2020,
Brazil,
Lalo Nopes Homrich,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Ainda Há Uma Chance" (There's still a chance) by Fernando Silveira De Melo.
Get to know the story of Fernanda Resteles narrated by herself, in the 57 chapters of this book. She does not spare the reader from knowing every detail of her life, both on the streets and in the intimacy of her home. In these pages you will understand what the struggle of a transsexual woman is like when she is abandoned by those who should protect her the most: her family.
Fernanda tells her entire trajectory since she was 13 years old, when she had to leave home so as not to suffer more mistreatment simply because she assumed her transsexual condition. She entered prostitution so as not to die of hunger, survived on the streets, was almost murdered several times, took refuge in drugs, got good friends, but also enemies and had to flee Rio de Janeiro because of a crime she did not commit.
2022,
Brazil,
Fernanda Resteles,
Fernando Silveira De Melo,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Contos Profícuos" (Fruitful Tales) by Lupita Amorim, Melissa Cruz, Angie Hope, Luisa Lamar, Sophie Silva, and Raphaely Luz.
Why is there so much intolerance and hatred against trans people? Why is there such inhumanity to these people, putting them on the margins of society? This book seeks to unravel these questions, argued by the organizer of the work.
Therefore, Raphaely collects and transcribes stories told orally by transvestites from Mato Grosso, in order to humanize their stories and show our readers that transsexuals are people who have hearts, dreams and hope, as well as show how hard their lives are to reach any step of progress.
2022,
Angie Hope,
Brazil,
Luisa Lamar,
Lupita Amorim,
Melissa Cruz,
Portuguese,
Raphaely Luz,
Sophie Silva,
Original title: "Lilyth: A difícil jornada de uma transexual" (Lilyth: The Difficult Journey of a Transsexual) by Lilyth S.J. Rabelo and Adilson J.S. Rabelo.
This can be a book like any other, with a story that can be seen as autobiography or as fiction; as memories or as delusions; as real or imaginary; judge the eyes of those who read it.
The truth belongs to those who live it; The others are left to look, to think, to distrust, to question, to understand (or not) and finally to accept, perhaps (or not). This is a part of a biography that still walks his journey; Lilyth is still a struggle, a dream, a pulsating life.
2019,
Adilson J.S. Rabelo,
Brazil,
Lilyth S.J. Rabelo,
Portuguese,
Original title: "As Transexuais!" (The Transsexuals!) by Maria Helena Guedes.
Transsexuality refers to the condition of the transgender individual who suffers from gender dysphoria, a feeling of discomfort or impropriety from their own anatomical sex, and wishes to transition to a gender other than the one imposed at birth, with some medical help (gender reassignment therapy) for their body.
The stereotypical explanation is of a woman trapped in a male body or vice versa, yet many members of the trans community, as well as people outside the community, reject this formulation.
2015,
Brazil,
Lea T,
Maria Helena Guedes,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Travestis: Carne, Tinta e Papel" (Transvestites: Flesh, Ink and Paper) by Elias Ferreira Veras.
Contrary to what we find in most of the writings of historians, in this book bodies are present, as it presents the historical account of the regime of bodies, of the models of corporeality, of the techniques of body production, of the technologies of fabrication of bodies, which are present and changed between the 70s and 80s of the twentieth century, more specifically in Brazil and in the city of Fortaleza, in the state of Ceará.
The book focuses on the history of the production of transgressive bodies, transgressive bodies, and trans bodies. It deals with the public emergence of the transvestite subject, how this place of subject was historically produced and inhabited in Brazil.
2020,
Brazil,
Elias Ferreira Veras,
Portuguese,
Original title: "O Casulo Dandara" (The Dandara Cocoon) by Vitória Holanda.
Writing about Dandara and her life may not convince some people who think that being transgender is a disease, that it is a lack of shame or simply because they believe that boys wear blue and girls wear pink.
However, it is a way of showing that being transgender in her life was not a child's choice influenced at school or in the media. In other words, she was born Dandara.
2021,
Brazil,
Portuguese,
Vitória Holanda,
Original title: "Rosa Maria Codinome Rosa Luz: Processos criativos de uma travesti negra nas rimas" (Rosa Maria Codinome Rosa Luz: Creative processes of a black transvestite in rhymes) by Ros4 444.
The artist Ros4 brings a compilation of rhymes and information about the creative process of her first EP, Rosa Maria Codinome Rosa Luz, remembering her trajectory as a black transvestite who began her artistic research in the hood, thinking about visual arts, music and writing.
Ros4 Luz is a transgender woman of color, visual artist, rapper, performer and communication professional. Her multimedia work is defined by its autobiographical aspect as well as the tensioning of hegemonic standards.
2023,
Brazil,
Portuguese,
Ros4 444,
Rosa Maria Codinome Rosa Luz,
Original title: "MA: Eu. Mulher. Trans" (MA: Me. Woman. Trans) by Marcela Bosa.
"Marcela has always been Marcela, but until she was 31, when she looked in the mirror, that wasn't what she saw. Determined to find herself and become who she really was, she walked a path that was not always easy and happy.
It is with a touch of irreverence, logic and charisma that she tells us her story, invites us to get to know her, to meet her family, some friends who appeared along the way and to discover how difficult it is to escape from social constraints, but rewarding.
Born in the South as a boy from a traditional and very conservative family, being the middle daughter of three sisters, Marcela, in this book, narrates us her doubts, her anxieties, her daily life, presenting us with small pills of good coexistence with trans people. We can follow her maturation in each chapter, from graduation in Physics to admission to a prestigious bank via competitive examination, from marriage to divorce and finally from therapies to gender affirmation.
2023,
Brazil,
Marcela Bosa,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Heleonora e sua Luta" (Helenonora and her Struggle) by Heleonora Faria.
"Among several ups and downs, the story of Heleonora is presented, of how her gender transition took place, a non-binary person, from male to female in the midst of schizophrenia and prejudice.
The journey involves family, friends, psychologist, college classmates, university roommates, and strong moments experienced with them. Learning to experience love and being true to oneself were among the main learnings of an unconventional or linear journey."
2023,
Brazil,
Heleonora Faria,
Portuguese,
Original title: "AINDA HÁ UMA CHANCE: Relatos de uma mulher transexuall" (THERE'S STILL A CHANCE: Reports of a transgender woman) by Fernanda Resteles.
"Discover the story of Fernanda Resteles narrated by herself in the 57 chapters of this book. She does not spare the reader knowing every detail of her life, both on the streets and in the privacy of her home. In these pages you will understand how a transsexual woman struggles when she is abandoned by those who should protect her the most: her family.
Fernanda recounts her entire trajectory since the age of 13, when she had to leave home to avoid suffering more abuse simply because she assumed her transsexual condition. She entered prostitution to not die of hunger, survived on the streets, was almost murdered several times, took refuge in drugs, made good friends but also enemies and had to flee Rio de Janeiro because of a crime she did not commit. The author constructed her narrative in such a way that not only the dramatic parts of her life were visualized, but also the funny and amusing ones. The book is easy to read and fluid and is a great example that the battles of this life can be won by people of determination, strength, and faith."
2022,
Brazil,
Fernanda Resteles,
Portuguese,
Full title: "Brazilian 'Travesti' Migrations" by Julieta Vartabedian.
"This book sheds new light on the interconnections between identity, gender and geographical displacement. At its centre are Brazilian travesti migrants, assigned as male at birth but later seeking to convey the aesthetic attributes of women by repeatedly performing a minutely-studied type of femininity. Despite the fact that they have been migrating between Brazil and Europe for more than forty years, very little is know about them, especially in the English-speaking world.
This work therefore fills a significant lacuna in our understandings of sexualities, bodies and trans issues, whilst rejecting hegemonic terms such as 'transsexual' and 'transgender' in favour of the specificity of the travesti. What it presents is an ethnographical study of their bodily and geographic-spatial migrations, analysing how they become travestis through the gendered modification of their bodies, their involvement in sex work, and the transnational migrations to Europe that many of them make. Examining their lives in both Brazil and Europe, it also analyses how their migrations influence the construction of their subjectivities. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in Brazil and Barcelona, this exciting book will appeal to all those interested in gender, sexuality and transgender issues."
2018,
Brazil,
English,
Julieta Vartabedian,
Original title: "Vidas Trans: A luta de transgeneros brasileiros em busca de seu espaco social" (Trans Lives: The struggle of Brazilian transgenders in search of their social space) by Amara Moira, João W. Nery, Márcia Rocha, and Tarso Brant.
In VIDAS TRANS, four trans people: Amara Moira, João W. Nery, Márcia Rocha, and Tarso Brant tell readers about the moment when they realized that something was different, about the feeling of inadequacy before the required standards, about the prejudices and pain experienced inside and outside the family, about the moment of transition and, finally, about the freedom felt by this decision. In four individual reports, each one tells their life story, and constant and everyday struggle in reaffirming the right to their name, body, and full existence.
2019,
Amara Moira,
Brazil,
João W. Nery,
Márcia Rocha,
Portuguese,
Tarso Brant,
