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: "My Transition Checklist: Updated 2014" by Shauna Marie O'Toole.
Shauna Marie O’Toole’s My Transition Checklist: Updated 2014 is a practical and deeply personal guide that demystifies the complex and often overwhelming process of gender transition. Unlike many transition manuals that focus solely on medical procedures or legal changes, this checklist provides a holistic approach that reflects Shauna’s own lived experience, balancing emotional, social, and physical steps. It’s a blueprint born out of necessity, frustration, and hard-won wisdom, shaped by her journey as shared in her revealing interview on The Heroines blog.
In the interview, Shauna speaks candidly about the ups and downs of her transition, from the early confusion and the painful realities of Puberty 2.0 to her years of instability and eventual emergence as a confident woman and political activist. My Transition Checklist serves as a tangible companion to this narrative, offering readers clear milestones and reminders that help keep the focus on progress rather than perfection.
What sets Shauna’s checklist apart is its emphasis on the non-linear, deeply personal nature of transition. She recognizes that every transgender person’s journey is unique, and while the checklist suggests a general order, from coming out and social changes, to hormone therapy and surgeries, to legal documentation and advocacy, it never prescribes a rigid path. Instead, it empowers readers to tailor their journey, reflecting Shauna’s own experience of trial, error, and resilience.
2014,
English,
Shauna Marie O'Toole,
Full title: "You Can't Shave in a Minimart Bathroom" by Shauna Marie O'Toole.
Shauna Marie O’Toole’s memoir bears a charmingly honest subtitle: “A more light-hearted look at what happens when you transition from your birth-sex to your true gender. And, no, you can’t shave in a minimart bathroom, the soap isn’t slippery enough!” This playful quip captures the book’s tone: candid, witty, and filled with the real-life messiness and practicality of transition.
At its heart, the memoir is a profoundly human narrative, seen through a lens of humor and empathy. It chronicles Shauna’s decision to start writing on November 1, 2003, shortly after coming out, an “accidental” moment that sparked a diary-like record of identity, family dynamics, and personal growth. Across its 256 pages, readers meet a woman grappling with shifting names, pronouns, and intimate reflections, a journey that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Shauna doesn’t shy away from the less glamorous parts of transition. She describes everything from waking up and relearning how to present in a mirror, to navigating bathrooms and social spaces, notably that infamous minimart, with refreshing honesty. Her pragmatic note that those bathrooms aren’t exactly equipped for a clean shave is a small moment with outsized symbolic weight about the discomfort and awkwardness of early transition.
While its tone is breezy, the memoir addresses many serious themes: self-acceptance and agency, resilience through upheaval, and finding chosen family.
2009,
English,
Shauna Marie O'Toole,
Full title: "Da Rules: The First One Hundred Plus Lessons I Learned in My Transition" by Shauna Marie O'Toole.
Shauna Marie O’Toole’s memoir, Da Rules: The First One Hundred Plus Lessons I Learned in My Transition, offers readers a guidebook of transformation, bullet-point style. It’s a compact yet profound tour of her journey from confusion to confident womanhood, distilled into lessons learned.
As the book’s description invites, “As you read through this book, you will see a glimpse of how this journey has changed me. I would like to think that these changes are for the better. … I started out confused … suffered through Puberty 2.0 and 22 months of couch surfing. Lastly, I emerged as a confident woman who is strong. Self‑assured. Unstoppable. Da Rules is my journey in bullet form. Come journey with me!”
Shauna begins with the messy uncertainty that often precedes self-discovery, to acknowledge confusion as the first step.
2015,
English,
Shauna Marie O'Toole,
