Self-Made Woman by Denise Chanterelle DuBois is a compelling and deeply personal account of a life lived on the edge, yet ultimately transformed by courage, authenticity, and resilience. Born in a working-class Polish American family in Milwaukee, Denise’s journey from a troubled boy struggling with identity to a confident woman is a testament to the power of self-acceptance and reinvention. Denise’s early years were shadowed by hardship. Growing up in a tough 1960s Milwaukee neighborhood, she faced a toxic mix of economic deprivation, family dysfunction, and societal ignorance about gender nonconformity. Her father was domineering and rigid, leaving little room for expression or deviation from traditional masculinity.
The neighborhood offered no understanding or acceptance for someone like Denise, who internally wrestled with a profound gender identity crisis. The family’s poverty was palpable, with “neckbone soup” serving as a grim symbol of deprivation. School was no refuge either, as Denise encountered difficulties that compounded the isolation. Fearful of revealing her true self, she internalized pain and confusion, which set her on a destructive path. Self-Made Woman does not shy away from the darker chapters of Denise’s life. In her own words and with unflinching honesty, she recounts episodes of alcoholism and drug addiction, risky sexual encounters, brushes with the law, and the perils of living a double life. Her existence was a tumultuous ride through cities and states, Wisconsin, California, Oregon, Canada, Costa Rica, New York, Bangkok, Hawaii, but none brought the peace she sought.
