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.
Original title: "Oefeningen in dapperheid: Biografie van René/Renate Stoute" (Exercises in bravery: Biography of René/Renate Stoute)
"In his desire to escape the petty bourgeois existence of his parents, René Stoute (1950-2000) began to use opium and later heroin. He paid for it with money he obtained by breaking in and forging checks. In prison, he discovered himself as a writer.
In 1982 she published "On the Back of Dirty Swans", the iconic collection of stories about the junkie existence that won the Golden Donkey's Ear as the best-selling debut. Unfortunately, she didn't just struggle with drug addiction. Since her earliest childhood, she felt that deep down she was a woman. It wasn't until she turned 40 that she dared to perform a sex-changing operation that she hoped would make her happy."
2022,
David de Poel,
Dutch,
Renate Stoute,
René Stoute,
Original title: "De waarheid zal me bevrijden" (The truth will set me free)
The poignant story of Alejandra, a trans woman who fled Mexico
In a small village in Mexico, young Alejandra lives a hopeless existence. Driven by poverty and looking for affection, she sells her body at the age of thirteen.
In the meantime, she learns that she is different, that it is not safe for her here. She goes to the US, but without papers, life is not easy there either.
In 2015 Alejandra arrives at Schiphol and gets a one-way ticket. Despite great adversity - the viscous procedures, rejections, and depression - she maintains her ultimate quest for freedom.
She longs to live, to love, and to be who she really is.
The truth will set me free is the gripping story of Alejandra, a trans woman looking for a safe home. At times a sad story, but zest for life and perseverance prevail from start to finish.
2022,
Alejandra Ortiz,
Dutch,
Mexico,
Original title: "Casablanca voorbij" (Beyond Casablanca)
Corinne Van Tongerloo was born in 1936 as Cornelis Van Tongerloo into a large family in the Antwerp Schipperskwartier. She feels early that something is not right. Ideally, she wants to be just like her sisters. But that is not without problems at that time. The word transgender does not yet exist and she has to look for a solution herself.
The life of this transgender pioneer reads like an adventure novel, full of unexpected twists and strong emotions. At the same time, it is a time document of a period in which there was no medical or psychological guidance for transgender people. But above all, it is an ode to the courage and resilience of a special woman, who, despite trial and opposition, manages to develop into a balanced and optimistic personality.
2017,
Belgium,
Corinne Van Tongerloo,
Dutch,
Linda Asselbergs,
"Het Deense meisje" is the Dutch language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2015,
David Ebershoff,
Dutch,
Lili Elbe,
Original title: "Mevrouw: autobiografische roman" (Madam: Autobiographical Novel)
She lived and wrote with courage and perseverance, but also with fear. Because she grew up in a time when there was no room for women like her. Because she could be 'exposed'. And she was, over and over again. It was Valérie against the world.
"Madam" is published because Valérie is no longer afraid. To show how we dealt with people who do not fit into specific boxes. It's time for her story.
And so it happened that at the age of eighteen, eleven years after child protection placed me under supervision and my parents pledged to take good care of me, I was practically illiterate, without any education, convinced that I was in the wrong body locked up, with a train ticket, seven guilders fifty and a garbage bag of worn-out clothes, returned penniless to the place where I had been taken from when I was seven, under supervision of me, locked up in the wrong body.
2022,
Dutch,
Netherlands,
Valérie Lempereur,
Original title: "Mam, ik ben een meisje: Biografie van transgender Rika D. Lammers" (Mom, I'm a girl: Biography of transgender Rika D. Lammers)
Living in Suriname, Eric had already noticed something unusual about himself. Neither clear nor demonstrable. Coincidentally, he read a story about a transgender person in an article. When reading the article, he began to recognize his otherness.
The family moved to the Netherlands. In that free-thinking country, it became clear to him that he was transgender. However, her path to her transition did not go without a struggle. Spicy and painful reactions from her environment did not upset her. She started her transition. A true rebirth to be a woman. A rediscovery. This process was accompanied by many ups and downs.
2018,
Dutch,
Ping Sterke,
Orginal title: "Bo: Eindelijk vrouw" (Bo: Finally woman) by Bo Van Spilbeeck.
From the outside, no one could guess. However, since childhood, Baudouin feels like a girl in a boy's skin. He thinks that "it will pass". He married, had two children, and became one of the most famous reporters in Belgium.
At 58, after years of questioning and struggling, he decided to become a woman, Bo. His coming out made headlines around the world.
In this testimony, Bo recounts her long years as a woman locked in a man's body, her transition, and the courage to face the fear of losing everything: her job, family, and friends. We discover the support of his colleagues and his editor, the role, and the unwavering love of his wife and children.
2019,
Belgium,
Bo Van Spilbeeck,
Dutch,
Original title: "De weg naar mezelf: Danseres, transgender én vrouw" (The Path to Myself: Dancer, Transgender and Woman) by Nora Monsecour.
Nora was born Aaron. From her childhood, she always felt that she was not born in the right body. But to find her way to herself, she had to overcome many obstacles: both in society and in herself. This is her honest and moving story.
Nora Monsecour is a professional dancer and a transgender woman from Belgium. Her inspiring journey serves as the basis for the film Girl, directed by Lukas Dhont. The movie, although not a direct biography, resonates with Nora’s experiences. It portrays Lara, a trans girl with a passion for ballet, who faces challenges related to her hormone therapy and body image. “Girl” was Belgium’s submission for the Oscars’ Best Foreign Film award and received a Golden Globe nomination. While the film has been criticized for its portrayal of trans bodies, Nora emphasizes the importance of sharing diverse trans stories and identities in the world. As a dancer, Nora’s involvement in the film ensured the authenticity of the dance scenes, reflecting her own struggles and determination. Nora Monsecour’s journey to becoming a professional dancer is a testament to her resilience and passion. She discovered her love for dance at a young age. She was drawn to the art form’s expressive nature and the freedom it offered her.
2019,
Belgium,
Dutch,
Nora Monsecour,
Original title: "Het transgender boek" (The Transgender Book) by Guy T'Sjoen, Joz Motmans and Ilse Degryse.
A complete study about what it is like to live in Flanders and the Netherlands as a trans person today for a wide audience of interested people. Very personal life stories of transgender people regularly appear in the media. Based on that, you might think that there is only one path, one kind of transition, one medical trajectory.
In "Het Transgender Boek", Guy T'Sjoen, Joz Motmans and Ilse Degryse show with a rich range of testimonials that there are so many variations on the theme and that everyone must and can decide for themselves which path they follow.
2019,
Dutch,
Guy T'Sjoen,
Ilse Degryse,
Joz Motmans,
Original title: "Kelly" by Kelly van der Veer and Andries de Jong.
Kelly van der Veer is a Dutch television personality and singer. She is regarded as one of the most prominent transsexual persons in the Netherlands who rose to fame after competing in Big Brother - The Battle, a Dutch version of the Big Brother format.
"Born in the wrong body, Kelly van der Veer was born as Ferry. As a toddler he already indicates that he does not feel well in his body: 'Mom, can't the doctor cut it off? He prefers to play with barbies and loves pink dresses, predilections that not everyone understands. Many harassments are the result. Thanks to the support of his family, he survives. After many years, examinations, and hormone treatments comes the redemptive operation: she has become a woman. A new search for the ultimate femininity begins. It is clear that it took a lot of courage for that one decision, to say goodbye to life as a man and move on as a woman."
2006,
Andries de Jong,
Dutch,
Kelly van der Veer,
Original title: "Over)leven: mijn strijd als transvrouw arts and politica" (Surviving to live: my struggle as a trans woman doctor and politician) by Petra De Sutter and Elke Lahousse.
She is one of my inspirations. And I have been fortunate to have an interview with her for my blog The Heroines of My Life. Petra De Sutter is a Belgian gynecologist and politician. On 1 October 2020, she was appointed Belgium's new Deputy Prime Minister, making her the highest-ranking transgender politician in the world.
This is what she told me when asked about whether transgender women can make a difference in politics: "In most countries they are still subject of some degree of discrimination, so they know what it is to belong to a minority. Minorities must be protected, this is a sacred duty of all politicians.
2016,
Belgium,
Dutch,
Interview,
Petra de Sutter,
"In de donkere kamer" is the Dutch language edition of Susan Faludi and Patricia Piolon's bestseller "In the Darkroom".
Let me quote the 2016 article from The New York Times: ""In the Darkroom" is Faludi's rich, arresting and ultimately generous investigation of her father, who died in 2015. It is partly an inquiry into the meaning of gender, a subject Faludi, the famous feminist, sees very differently from Stefánie, who hewed to traditional notions of masculinity and femininity both as an overbearing patriarch and as a coquettish old woman."
"But in trying to understand her inscrutable father — Jewish Holocaust survivor and Leni Riefenstahl fanatic, man and woman, a sly fantasist whose tallest tales turn out to be true — Faludi transcends feminist debate. The book, which traces the decimation of her father's prosperous, assimilated Jewish clan during World War II, his improbable survival and then reinvention in Denmark, Brazil, and America, and his gender metamorphosis at 76, becomes a complex act of forgiveness."
2016,
Dutch,
Stefánie Faludi,
Susan Faludi,
