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: "I Want to Be Her: A Memoir" by Christi Brekke.
When it comes to storytelling, few things resonate more powerfully than honesty. Christi Brekke, a writer, blogger, and memoirist from the Pacific Northwest, embodies this principle through her candid and heartfelt memoir, I Want to Be Her (2016).
In her book, Christi chronicles a life marked by decades of depression, health struggles, and gender dysphoria, ultimately leading to her transition and the discovery of authentic happiness. Originally written as a form of therapy and self-reflection, her memoir has become a beacon for many in the transgender community, offering hope, recognition, and solidarity to those who see their own experiences reflected in her words.
Before her transition, Christi led a life filled with both ordinary and creative endeavors. She wore many hats: she waited tables, washed cars, tossed pizzas, and folded tacos as a teenager and young adult. After marrying, she pursued work in accounts payable, music ministry, and even as a high school music teacher. Music remained a constant through all stages of her life, providing both passion and comfort.
2016,
Christi Brekke,
English,
Interview,
Full title: "Becoming, Belonging and Blossoming: Diaries of a Trans Girl in Trumpland" by Christi Brekke.
Christi Brekke has long been known for her candid and heartfelt storytelling, and her new book, Becoming, Belonging and Blossoming: Diaries of a Trans Girl in Trumpland, continues in that same tradition. Following the success of her memoir, I Want to Be Her (2016), which chronicled her personal journey through gender dysphoria, health struggles, and ultimately, self-acceptance, Christi’s latest work captures the unique challenges and triumphs of living as a transgender woman in Donald Trump’s America. Where being trans during the Obama administration carried small signs of societal progress and hope, living in Trumpland, as Christi observes, is “like waking up each day in a bad episode of The Twilight Zone. Only it isn’t a TV show. It’s frighteningly real.”
In this collection of narratives, Christi explores the highs and lows of life as a trans woman navigating a political and cultural climate often hostile to her existence. She writes with the same vulnerability and honesty that made her memoir a beacon for others in the transgender community. Her new book is not simply a chronicle of hardship; it is a reflection on resilience, identity, and the small, often overlooked moments of joy that make life worth living. Through her diaries, she shares her triumphs, setbacks, and the quiet victories that come from simply being oneself in a world that can be unrelentingly critical.
Christi’s own journey gives her narrative an authenticity that is impossible to ignore. Before her transition in 2014, she struggled with severe depression, gender dysphoria, and health crises, at one point weighing 350 pounds and facing a dire medical ultimatum to lose weight or face serious consequences.
2019,
Christi Brekke,
English,
Interview,
