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: "Schlauchgelüste: Liebesbrief an eine verlorene Männlichkeit" (Hose Cravings: Love Letter to a Lost Manhood) by Jacob Winter (Johanna Kamermans).
In Schlauchgelüste: Liebesbrief an eine verlorene Männlichkeit (Desires in a Tube: A Love Letter to a Lost Masculinity), author Jacob Winter, better known by her stage and pen name Johanna Kamermans, offers readers an unflinching, ironic, and deeply honest look at life beyond gender norms.
This autobiographical novel is not just a personal journey; it’s a piece of living history from the smoky, neon-lit cabarets of postwar Europe.
Kamermans describes her book as a vivid portrayal of a time when being "not quite man, not quite woman, but always both" was not just a personal identity but a political and artistic act. A celebrated striptease dancer in the 1960s and 70s, Johanna lit up the stages with a daring blend of femininity and masculine physicality. She was "a woman on top, a man below," never surgically transitioned, but "glued," as she cheekily puts it.
Her decision not to undergo gender-affirming surgery was deeply connected to her sexuality and her refusal to compromise her physical pleasure. This was not a lack of authenticity, but rather a declaration of selfhood in a world that demanded conformity. Schlauchgelüste is peppered with provocative scenes, yet told in a polished, ironic voice, a literary striptease of sorts, revealing the tension, humor, and drama of a gender outlaw's life on stage and off.
2012,
German,
Interview,
Jacob Winter,
Johanna Kamermans,
Original title: "Erregungen - Champagner für die Transfrau: Ein Tatsachenroman" (EXCITEMENT: Champagne for the Trans Woman - A Factual Novel) by Johanna Kamermans.
Johanna Kamermans’ Erregungen – Champagner für die Transfrau (Excitations – Champagne for the Trans Woman) is not just a novel, it’s a dazzling performance on paper. Described as a “Tatsachenroman,” or factual novel, it blends autobiographical truth with the glitter of cabaret, offering a rare glimpse into one transgender woman's courageous journey through transition during the legendary, and often wild, 1970s.
This is no dry memoir or didactic political treatise. Kamermans offers readers a theatrical experience that is never dull, never ugly, and never preachy. Delivered with a wink and generous doses of humor, her storytelling becomes a kind of literary cabaret, joyfully incorrect, irresistibly engaging, and filled with affection both given and received.
What makes this book so refreshing is its tone: it tackles the topic of being transgender not as a burden, but as something almost delightfully ordinary, just another path to self-discovery, albeit one paved with challenges, surprises, and, yes, even champagne. Kamermans’ narrative exudes the flair of someone who lived boldly and beautifully, transforming personal struggle into a celebration of life and identity.
2016,
German,
Johanna Kamermans,
