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.
Full title: "Sandbox to Sandbox: A Walk in Confidence".
Some lives unfold quietly, tucked away in the margins of history. Paula Coffer’s life is not one of them. Her story is carved into war zones, carried across continents, and written on the battleground between fear and authenticity.
Sandbox to Sandbox: A Walk in Confidence is Paula’s memoir, and it refuses to play it safe.
The title itself is a map of her life: from the sandy shores of Vietnam, where she served three tours as a teenage sailor, to the deserts of Afghanistan, where decades later she returned in civilian service with the Department of Defense and the Department of State. Two sandboxes. Two wars. Two lives, in some ways. One as the dutiful officer and public servant, the other as a woman who fought to exist on her own terms.
For years, Paula wore her military uniforms with precision, but beneath the ribbons and the rank was a secret she dared not speak. There was no “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in her day; there was only silence. If the truth of who she was ever slipped out, it could mean the end of her career, her honor, and the life she had built. So she carried that hidden war with her while managing payrolls, serving overseas, and saluting flags.
2016,
English,
Paula Coffer,
Full title: Walk In Confidence: The Paula Coffer Story by Paula Coffer. It is is a re-edition of Sandbox to Sandbox, a book published in 2016.
Some life stories refuse to fit neatly into a single chapter. They span oceans, wars, heartbreak, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of authenticity. Walk in Confidence: The Paula Coffer Story is one such life story. Paula Coffer, a retired U.S. Army Finance Officer and Navy veteran, has lived a life defined by service, resilience, and courage. From her tours in Vietnam, Germany, Korea, and Afghanistan to her years of public service with the Department of Defense and the Department of State, Paula’s professional achievements are extraordinary.
Yet beneath the uniform was a far more personal battle: the struggle to live openly as herself.
Paula enlisted in the U.S. Navy at just 17, stepping into a world that would take her to Vietnam for three tours of duty. Later, she accepted a commission as an Army Finance Officer, serving 24 years in uniform. During those decades, there was no policy like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to shield her. The risk of being discovered was real and could have ended her career. Paula carried this secret alongside the responsibilities of her military and family life, balancing duty with the identity she could not yet express openly.
In 1994, Paula retired and made one of the most courageous decisions of her life: to pursue gender reassignment surgery, even at the cost of family relationships. This step marked the beginning of her true freedom.
2017,
English,
Paula Coffer,
