Marie-Luisa Quolke’s book Es ist nie zu spät: Transition (It’s Never Too Late: Transition) is more than a memoir. It is a declaration of courage, truth, and hard-won freedom. Born in Berlin in 1960, Marie-Luisa entered the world as a boy, though deep inside she knew from an early age that something was profoundly out of place. Her story is not one of sudden realization, but of decades spent in silence, misunderstanding, and quiet endurance. For nearly fifty years, she lived in a body that did not reflect her soul, following the path expected of her, while suppressing the woman within. It took her a lifetime to claim her identity, and in doing so, she proved that authenticity has no expiration date.
The book offers an intimate account of what it means to live with this deep internal dissonance, and how society’s unpreparedness can compound that pain. Growing up in a time when being transgender was barely understood, Marie-Luisa had no words to describe what she was feeling. Like many of her generation, she carried her secret into adulthood, shaping her life around the expectations of others rather than the truth of her own heart. Her writing captures this tension vividly, allowing readers to feel the weight of those lost years. Yet the book is not a lament. It is a triumphal act of self-expression, a testimony that it is never too late to step into one’s true self, no matter how long the journey has been.
