Transgender Biographies

Ademir Corrêa - Cinema Queerité

Original title: "Cinema Queerité: Gêneros e Identidades no Documentário "Paris is Burning"" (Cinema Queerité: Genders and Identities in the Documentary "Paris is Burning") by Ademir Corrêa.

Ademir Corrêa’s Cinema Queerité: Gêneros e Identidades no Documentário “Paris is Burning” is an insightful exploration of one of the most powerful and culturally charged documentaries of the late twentieth century. Corrêa’s book takes Jennie Livingston’s 1990 documentary Paris is Burning as both a cinematic and social landmark, dissecting its layers of meaning to reveal how film can function as a living archive of marginalized lives. The documentary, filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, captures the dazzling yet precarious world of New York City’s ballroom scene, a world built and sustained by Black and Latino gay men, transgender women, and drag performers who found in it a stage for self-definition and survival. Corrêa’s analysis situates this film not merely as a record of a vanished era but as a complex commentary on gender, identity, and resistance.

Shearee K - Two Lives, One Soul

Full title: "Two Lives, One Soul: A Transgender Memoir of Identity of Gender, Loss, and Redemption" by Shearee K.

Two Lives, One Soul: A Transgender Memoir of Identity, Loss, and Redemption by Shearee K is a profoundly intimate and courageous account of what it means to live between worlds, to lose oneself, and to finally emerge whole. The memoir captures the delicate balance between despair and hope, exploring the emotional landscape of a person who has lived not one, but two lives within a single soul. Through a voice that is both poetic and unflinchingly honest, Shearee invites the reader to witness her evolution from pain to power, from invisibility to authenticity, and from loss to redemption.

The book begins by revealing the internal conflict of a person growing up in a world that often refuses to understand or accept difference. Shearee writes with a clarity that cuts through pretense, describing the experience of living a life shaped by others’ expectations while her true identity remained buried beneath fear and uncertainty. Her story moves through the formative years of self-doubt, societal rejection, and the relentless pursuit of belonging. Each chapter feels like a conversation with the soul itself, asking who we are when everything familiar is stripped away and how one learns to rebuild when the world demands conformity.

Sasha Trifunovic - Mein Leben als Transfrau

Original title: "Mein Leben als Transfrau: Eine Autobiografie" (My Life as a Trans Woman: An Autobiography) by Sasha Trifunovic and Anja Thyssen.

The autobiography Mein Leben als Transfrau: Eine Autobiografie by Sasha Trifunovic and Anja Thyssen is not just a life story but a deeply human exploration of what it means to search for authenticity in a world that often misunderstands difference. It is a story of courage, exile, and self-discovery told through the voice of a woman who has had to navigate multiple worlds, each with its own kind of judgment. Sasha’s journey begins in the home of Serbian immigrants who came to Germany searching for a better life. As a child, she already sensed she was different from the other boys around her, though she could not yet name what that difference was. Dressing up as a woman felt natural to her, even joyful, but to those around her it was dismissed as a quirk, an amusing habit that she would eventually outgrow. For a while, childhood was a safe place where curiosity could exist freely. But adolescence arrived like a storm, and with it came the cruelty of peers, the watchfulness of adults, and the first taste of rejection.

Samantha Rose - I Know Who I Am

Full title: "I Know Who I Am: The Ballad of a Transgender Woman" by Samantha Rose and Christine Matheny.

When Samantha Rose opens her book I Know Who I Am: The Ballad of a Transgender Woman, she takes the reader into the raw depths of memory, pain, and transformation. The story begins when she was fourteen, at a time when her world was suddenly fractured by tragedy. Her best friend, Amanda Carson, disappeared on April 16, 2005. Amanda was later found dead in a trash barrel behind the Galesburg mall, an image so haunting that it becomes a defining shadow in Samantha’s life. Amanda had been the first person to truly see her, to understand her difference and encourage her to be herself. The loss of that friendship marked the beginning of Samantha’s awareness of the cruelty and fragility that can exist in life. In those same dark days, she also learned that her mother had cancer, a revelation that sent her spiraling into a storm of depression and uncertainty. The combination of grief, fear, and confusion pushed her inward, where she began to grapple with questions of identity and purpose that would echo through her entire life.

At home, the situation was far from comforting. Samantha’s relationship with her father was a source of constant pain. He never accepted her differences, never tolerated her sensitivity or her refusal to conform to his expectations of masculinity. He was, in her own words, a monster wrapped in human flesh, someone who abused his wife and children with a cruelty that left lasting scars. The household was a battlefield, where survival often depended on silence and endurance. For Samantha, this experience of relentless violence became both a source of trauma and a crucible of strength. It showed her how destructive intolerance could be, but it also taught her resilience, and it planted within her a determination to live authentically, even when authenticity came with a price.

María Arboleda Muriel - Trans-formarnos

Original title: "Trans-formarnos" (Transform ourselves) by María Arboleda Muriel.

Trans-formarnos, written by María Arboleda Muriel, is a powerful and deeply moving exploration of identity, self-knowledge, and the courage to live authentically. The book transcends the boundaries of a simple personal narrative and becomes an act of resistance against ignorance and fear of difference. Through her honest and intimate storytelling, Arboleda Muriel opens a window into the inner and outer transformation that accompanies a gender and sexual transition, allowing readers to witness the emotional, spiritual, and social dimensions of such a profound journey. Her writing radiates sincerity, vulnerability, and a strong desire to build bridges between understanding and acceptance, reminding readers that the human experience is as diverse as it is beautiful.

At its core, Trans-formarnos challenges the phobia of the unknown by exposing what has long remained hidden or misunderstood. The author approaches the topic of gender identity not from a distant academic standpoint but from lived experience, making the book a heartfelt and relatable guide. She speaks of the complex relationship between body and self, showing how sometimes living in one’s own skin can feel like inhabiting an unfamiliar place. Yet, rather than portraying this as a source of despair, Arboleda Muriel transforms it into an opportunity for growth and reconciliation, both with oneself and with society. Her words reveal that identity is not a fixed concept, but a continuous process of transformation, learning, and acceptance.

Luna Carper - Becoming Luna

Full title: "Becoming Luna: A Chronicle of Shadow and Light" by Luna Carper.

In the first few pages of Becoming Luna: A Chronicle of Shadow and Light, Luna Carper describes her former name, Brian, as “a heavy coat she was expected to wear.” It is an image that lingers long after the chapter ends, the weight of that coat symbolizing all the expectations, assumptions, and constraints placed upon her before she could even begin to understand who she truly was. What begins as a simple account of childhood discomfort quickly transforms into something extraordinary: the awakening of a soul determined to live in truth, even if that truth must be forged in the fires of digital worlds, shadowed dreams, and unrelenting self-discovery.

Carper’s memoir is not a typical transition story. It is a spellbook of becoming, written at the intersection of technology, magic, and identity. Each chapter feels like an incantation, casting light on the moments when Luna’s reality began to shift. From battling a childhood allergy that hinted at something deeper to discovering freedom within the pixelated landscapes of World of Warcraft, Luna finds pieces of herself in every digital echo. In those virtual realms she meets her first loves and encounters the mentors who see beyond her glamour spell, the digital façade she wore to hide her inner truth.

Adelheid Sonnenschein - Als transidente Frau

Original title: "Als transidente Frau bin ich von Gott YAHUWAH geliebt: Ich wurde als transidente Frau geboren!" (As a transgender woman, I am loved by God YAHUWAH: I was born a transgender woman!) by Adelheid Sonnenschein.

Adelheid Sonnenschein’s book Als transidente Frau bin ich von Gott YAHUWAH geliebt: Ich wurde als transidente Frau geboren! (As a transgender woman, I am loved by God YAHUWAH: I was born a transgender woman!) is a deeply moving testimony of faith, identity, and resilience. It is not a work of fiction or detached philosophy but a living confession, a chronicle of survival and divine connection told by a woman who has faced the cruelties of ignorance yet found an unshakable belief in the love of her Creator. In her book, Adelheid invites readers into the spiritual and emotional landscape of a transgender woman who has endured violence, misunderstanding, and rejection, but has never lost her sense of being loved by God.

She begins by confronting one of the most persistent misconceptions in society, namely the belief that transgender people are somehow “not right in the head.” To her, such prejudice only proves that many people have never truly engaged with the topic. Too often, society’s judgment blinds it to the suffering that trans people carry in silence, a suffering that can lead to depression and even suicide. Transphobia, she writes, adds another layer of pain, breaking not just spirits but bodies, and in her case, the violence was literal. She recalls being beaten so severely that she was left close to hospitalization, an experience that captures the brutality that far too many trans women endure.

Ariyanna Lampley - Fly on the Wall

Full title: "Fly on the Wall: The Story of a Courageous Trans Woman – From Prison to Post" by Ariyanna Lampley and Samari The Goddess.

“If you could be a fly on the wall and see what I see…” begins the haunting and defiant premise of Fly on the Wall: The Story of a Courageous Trans Woman – From Prison to Post by Ariyanna Lampley and Samari The Goddess. There is very little information available about the book, and beyond its brief description on Amazon, it seems to exist as one of those hidden gems waiting to be discovered. What we do know is that it tells the story of Samari the Goddess, a transgender woman who has survived the brutality of the prison system and emerged with her dignity, her artistry, and her voice intact.

The book’s title alone captures something both poetic and unsettling. To be a fly on the wall is to witness without being seen, to observe the unspoken truth of things. In Samari’s case, that truth is the reality of being a transgender woman behind bars, a world of fear, violence, and survival. Incarcerated transgender women often live in a space that denies their very identity. Many are placed in men’s prisons, where they face harassment and sexual assault. Basic medical care, including access to hormones or gender-affirming treatment, is often withheld. Even something as simple as being called by one’s chosen name can become a daily battle.

Valerie Wilms - Meine zwei Leben

Original title: "Meine zwei Leben: Als Junge geboren – als Frau im Bundestag" (My two lives: Born a boy – as a woman in the Bundestag) by Valerie Wilms.

Valerie Wilms’ book Meine zwei Leben: Als Junge geboren – als Frau im Bundestag (My Two Lives: Born a Boy – as a Woman in the Bundestag) is both a personal memoir and a political statement that challenges the direction of modern gender politics in Germany. Written with striking candor, it is the first time that Wilms, a former member of the Bundestag, publicly shares her life story and her experience as a transgender woman in politics. More than a simple autobiography, the book raises difficult questions about identity, authenticity, and the balance between personal freedom and social responsibility.

Born in 1954 in Hannover as Volker Wilms, Valerie Wilms built a distinguished career long before entering politics. She studied mechanical engineering at the University of Hannover and earned her doctorate in engineering from the University of the Bundeswehr in Hamburg. Her professional path was firmly rooted in technical expertise rather than activism. She worked in design engineering and later as a technical inspector for the railway industry before becoming a lecturer at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences. This solid technical background formed the foundation of her political career, which began when she joined the Green Party in 2005.

Dee Grachek - Love, Me

Full title: "Love, Me: Letters I Wrote When I Wanted to Disappear" by Dee Grachek.

Dee Grachek’s Love, Me: Letters I Wrote When I Wanted to Disappear is a hauntingly beautiful memoir that refuses to fit into neat literary categories. It is part confession, part prayer, and part poetry, written in the form of letters that bare the author’s soul with startling vulnerability. Through these letters, Dee Grachek opens the door to her interior world, inviting readers into the quiet spaces where shame and hope coexist, where faith and fear wrestle, and where a woman learns to love herself into being after years of silence.

Each letter feels like a breath held too long finally being released. Dee writes to God, to hope, to her younger self, to the Church that turned its back on her, to the body that has been both home and battleground, to the father whose love she yearned for, and even to the songs she can no longer sing but still remembers. These letters are not simply addressed to others, they reach inward and outward at once, touching every reader who has ever felt unseen or unworthy. The addressees are sometimes literal and sometimes symbolic, but each one reveals another layer of Dee’s life as a transgender woman learning to exist unapologetically in a world that often tells her she should not.

Janis Sahraoui - Révéler mes visages

Original title: "Révéler mes visages" (Revealing My Faces) by Janis Sahraoui and Tal Madesta.

The book Révéler mes visages (Revealing My Faces) by Janis Sahraoui and Tal Madesta is a luminous and painful voyage into the heart of identity, art, and self-creation. It tells the story of a person who once called herself Sliimy, a bright pop phenomenon from Saint-Étienne whose sugary melodies and flamboyant aesthetic hid the shadows of a childhood scarred by violence and grief. This work is far more than a celebrity memoir; it is an act of reclamation, the slow and tender unveiling of a truth that had been silenced behind glitter and smiles. Through the writing of journalist and author Tal Madesta, Janis Sahraoui revisits her journey with remarkable honesty, transforming her life into a reflection on gender, survival, and the masks that both protect and imprison us.

The story begins in the quiet pain of a child misunderstood. Assigned male at birth, Janis grew up feeling like a stranger in her own body, constantly policed for her gentleness and sensitivity. Only her mother, Fatima, saw and accepted her for who she truly was, nurturing the creativity that would one day become her salvation. When Fatima passed away, violence entered the household, and the young Janis, then known as a little boy, found herself the target of cruelty both at home and at school. The taunts of being called “a failed girl” echoed through her days, shaping a feeling of exile from herself. Music became a refuge. Behind the glow of a computer screen and the anonymity of Myspace, she began composing songs under the name Sliimy, inventing a character of radiant color and charm that could exist freely in the digital world even as her real life was constrained by fear and shame.

Charles Tyler JR. - Barbra Amesbury

Full title: "Barbra Amesbury: Voice of Courage: A Journey Through Music, Identity, and Advocacy" by Charles Tyler JR.

In a world that so often insists on sameness, on fitting neatly into prescribed boxes of identity, appearance, and belief, what does it mean to live authentically? Charles Tyler Jr.’s Barbra Amesbury: Voice of Courage: A Journey Through Music, Identity, and Advocacy answers this question not through theory, but through the life of a woman who defied every expectation placed before her. This sweeping biography of Barbra Amesbury traces the evolution of a Canadian cultural icon who transformed herself and her art with breathtaking honesty, becoming a symbol of resilience, integrity, and creative defiance. Tyler’s portrait of Amesbury is not simply a chronicle of one artist’s career, but a meditation on the human right to live as one truly is, no matter the cost.

Jovanna Cardoso - Bajubá odara

Original title: "Bajubá odara" by Jovanna Baby Cardoso da Silva.

“Bajubá odara”, published in 2021 by Jovanna Baby Cardoso da Silva, stands as one of the most important literary and historical works documenting the trajectory of the trans and travesti movement in Brazil. More than a simple linguistic study, it is a living archive of voices that have long been silenced and marginalized. In this book, Jovanna Baby, founder of the Movimento Trans do Brasil and a pioneer of trans activism in Latin America, revisits and expands her earlier work “Diálogo das Bonecas”, published in 1992. That earlier publication was the first dictionary of bajubá, the secret language created and used by Brazilian travestis to communicate in a world that criminalized and excluded them. The new edition, Bajubá odara, not only preserves this invaluable cultural code but also adds a rich historical and autobiographical dimension, exploring the evolution of the travesti movement from the early twentieth century to the early 1990s.

Paola Elena Flores - My Treasure Chest

Full title: "My Treasure Chest: A Journey to Find the Key to My Happiness" by Paola Elena Flores. The book was originally published in Spanish under the title "Mi Cofre del Tesoro: Un viaje para encontrar la llave de mi felicidad".

In her deeply moving memoir My Treasure Chest: A Journey to Find the Key to My Happiness, Paola Elena Flores invites readers into an intimate exploration of identity, faith, and self-discovery. Originally published in Spanish under the title Mi Cofre del Tesoro: Un viaje para encontrar la llave de mi felicidad, the book opens with a simple but profound metaphor. Each of us, Flores explains, arrives in this world with a treasure chest brimming with joy, hope, and happiness. Inside are the things that make life meaningful: love, connection, creativity, and purpose. Yet this chest is locked, and to access its riches, we need the right key.

In her narrative, Flores examines the ways we often inherit keys from others. Parents, teachers, pastors, and relatives, acting out of love and good intentions, hand us their versions of happiness. They tell us that their faith, traditions, and lifestyles will unlock our own chests. We believe them, because we trust them, and we try to make their keys fit. Sometimes they open a small corner of the lid, revealing a glimpse of what lies within, but more often they do not work at all. Flores captures the heartbreak of realizing that the tools given to us by others cannot always open the lock meant for us.

Ariane Keudel - ULTRAVIOLETT

Original title: "ULTRAVIOLETT: Ein wenig außerhalb des sichtbaren Bereichs" (ULTRAVIOLET: A little outside the visible range) by Ariane Keudel. The book was published in English too.

"ULTRAVIOLETT: Ein wenig außerhalb des sichtbaren Bereichs" by Ariane Keudel, published also in English as "ULTRAVIOLET: A little outside the visible range," is a profoundly moving and extraordinary biography that immerses readers in the turbulent life of Andreas Keudel.

The narrative is a vivid exploration of family, loss, and the relentless quest for identity, chronicling a journey that moves from a toxic childhood to the surprising revelation of gender dysphoria, a discovery that reshapes the course of his life. From the very beginning, Andreas faces immense challenges, growing up with an alcoholic mother and a violent father, before being placed into the care of a nurturing foster family where he experiences a more stable and loving childhood. Yet, despite this refuge, the young Andreas is marked by a sense of being different, feeling like an invisible third within the family dynamic, constantly navigating rivalry, seeking love and recognition, and wrestling with a persistent inner question of who he truly is. Ariane Keudel’s writing captures the essence of this complex journey with remarkable clarity and vividness.

Alessia Burst - The Bitch in the Mirror

Full title: "The Bitch in the Mirror: Silence, Survival, and Liberation" by Alessia Burst.

Alessia Burst’s The Bitch in the Mirror: Silence, Survival, and Liberation is not the kind of memoir that tiptoes around discomfort or softens its truths for polite company. It is a punch in the gut and a hand reaching out all at once. From the first page, Burst makes it clear that her story will not whisper. It will scream, laugh, bleed, and dance its way through the wreckage of addiction, silence, and shame until only survival remains. Written with a mix of dark humor, sarcasm, and naked vulnerability, this memoir captures the paradox of being a trans woman in a world that prefers quiet compliance. Instead, Burst chooses noise.

Growing up queer in Montana, Alessia Burst learned early that silence was both a weapon and a survival tool. Her upbringing was steeped in unspoken rules about gender, family, and sin. When she married, it was not love that guided her but the crushing weight of expectation. Her descent into alcoholism was not a sudden fall but a slow, methodical erasure of self. The bottle became both her armor and her escape, until her body finally rebelled and she was told she had five years left to live. For many, that would have been an epitaph. For Burst, it became a deadline for rebirth.

Eliana Mejias Silva - La Vida de una transgenero

Original title: "La Vida de una transgenero: Sin Censura" (The Life of a Transgender: Uncensored) by Eliana Mejias Silva.

Eliana Mejías Silva’s La Vida de una Transgénero: Sin Censura is more than just a continuation of her earlier work; it is a declaration of love, survival, and self-discovery. Following the publication of La Vida de una Transgénero: Mis Luchas Personales Sin Censura in 2023, this new volume delves even deeper into the heart and soul of a woman who has learned to embrace every facet of her identity. It is a book written from within, born from both scars and healing, where every chapter feels like a conversation between the author and the little girl she once was, the one who always lived inside her and longed to be seen, loved, and protected.

Eliana invites readers to step into her shoes and walk beside her through the winding road of her life. She speaks to the child who, though seen by others as a boy, always recognized her reflection as that of a shy brown-skinned girl with delicate features, a gentle smile, and eyes filled with dreams. That little girl wore roses in her hair and shiny shoes that sparkled like stars under the full moon, a symbol of her hope and her unbreakable will to shine despite the darkness surrounding her. Through Eliana’s storytelling, the reader encounters not just a personal testimony, but a shared human experience about resilience, love, and transformation.

Heather Kirby & Chrissy Boylan - Trans Anthology Project

Full title: "Trans Anthology Project: Reflections of Self-Discovery and Acceptance" by Heather H Kirby and Chrissy Boylan.

The Trans Anthology Project: Reflections of Self-Discovery and Acceptance, edited by Heather H. Kirby and Chrissy Boylan, is a remarkable book that brings together over two hundred firsthand accounts from transgender and nonbinary youth, as well as from parents striving to understand and support them. The book serves as both an anthology and a guide, blending deeply personal reflections with educational insight. It stands as a compassionate, courageous, and illuminating collection that not only documents diverse experiences of gender but also nurtures understanding and empathy in a world that continues to struggle with acceptance and inclusion.

The power of this anthology lies in its honesty. Each story, written in the authentic voice of its author, invites the reader into the deeply personal terrain of self-discovery. Some contributors speak of early childhood awareness, others of the long and winding path toward self-acceptance. The voices of parents reveal their own parallel journeys, often beginning in confusion or fear and evolving toward unconditional love and advocacy. These accounts remind readers that the process of understanding gender diversity is not a single moment of revelation but an ongoing dialogue between the self, family, and society.

Sarah Jessica Zucca - Finalmente io

Original title: "Finalmente io" (Finally me) by Sarah Jessica Zucca.

Finalmente io by Sarah Jessica Zucca is a deeply personal and moving work that brings to light the complex and often misunderstood subject of gender dysphoria. Through her own story, Sarah J invites readers to enter a world where identity and biology do not coincide, where the soul and the body speak two different languages, and where the journey toward alignment becomes both an act of courage and self-love. The author’s intention is not only to narrate her transformation but also to educate, to clear away the misconceptions that surround what she rightly describes as a medical condition present from birth.

Gender dysphoria, as Sarah explains, is not a whim or a phase. It is a condition in which a person finds themselves imprisoned in a body that does not reflect their true essence. A child may appear outwardly healthy, but within them lives a soul that does not correspond to the gender assigned at birth. For many, this incongruity is evident from the earliest years, expressed through gestures, preferences, and an unshakeable sense that something essential does not match. Although these cases are relatively rare, they carry profound implications for those who experience them.

Arlina A - A Letter to Pawtone

Full title: "A Letter to Pawtone: From Barrio to Transgender Pioneer" by Arlina A. The book was published in two parts.

A Letter to Pawtone: From Barrio to Transgender Pioneer by Arlina A. is an intimate, heartfelt autobiography that captures one woman’s extraordinary journey of self-discovery, courage, and transformation. Through diary entries that begin when she was just seven years old, Arlina chronicles a lifetime of experiences shaped by culture, faith, and the quiet but unshakable desire to live authentically. Born in 1934 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Mexican immigrant parents, she began life as Arnold, a child growing up in the Golden Gate Barrio. Her early years were marked by the warmth of a large family and the richness of cultural traditions that offered comfort amid the struggles of poverty and prejudice. The barrio was alive with music, laughter, and the sounds of a community that held together through love and faith. For young Arnold, those years were also a time of quiet confusion, as he sensed a profound difference between how the world saw him and who he knew himself to be.

The book captures this duality beautifully, drawing readers into the vivid world of postwar America through references to the movies, television shows, and music that filled Arlina’s youth. Popular culture became both an escape and an expression of hope, something she shared with her siblings and friends. Yet beneath the surface of everyday joys lay a deeper longing that no amount of playacting or pretense could suppress. Arlina describes how she preferred the company of girls and found solace in imagination, where she could explore her true self without fear or judgment. These reflections offer a window into the emotional complexity of growing up transgender in a time when such words were barely whispered.

"Degenerado" (Degenerate) is the Spanish language version of "Mauvais genre" (Wrong Gender) by Chloé Cruchaudet.

Degenerado, the Spanish edition of Mauvais genre by Chloé Cruchaudet, stands as one of the most audacious and haunting graphic novels of the last decade. Based on true events, the book reconstructs the tragic and extraordinary story of Paul Grappe and Louise Landy, a working-class couple from Paris whose love, passion, and despair unfolded in the turbulent years surrounding the First World War. The novel begins as a love story: Paul and Louise meet, fall in love, and marry with youthful optimism. Yet when war breaks out, the brutal reality of the trenches shatters their lives. Paul, desperate to escape the nightmare of violence and filth, deserts the army and returns to Paris to reunite with Louise. Their reunion is tender but shadowed by danger. As a deserter, Paul must hide, and the couple’s life becomes one of claustrophobic secrecy, confined to a small hotel room where fear and monotony threaten to destroy their bond.

From this claustrophobic setting emerges the novel’s central transformation. One evening, Paul, longing for freedom and a taste of normal life, puts on one of Louise’s dresses to go out for wine. What begins as a disguise soon becomes a revelation. In his new identity as Suzanne, Paul discovers not only safety but also a strange liberation. Louise, initially amused and supportive, helps him refine his appearance and mannerisms. What starts as play becomes a way of life. Suzanne soon ventures into the world, finding work alongside Louise in a textile factory, where she becomes a source of curiosity and fascination. Cruchaudet portrays these scenes with delicate irony, capturing the humor and tenderness of a couple learning to navigate a reality that defies every social expectation. Through Suzanne’s eyes, Paul experiences the world anew, noticing how women move, talk, and endure constant scrutiny. The reader senses both his fascination and discomfort, as his performance of femininity blurs into genuine identification.

K. K. - Brave: Story of a Trans Woman

Full title: "Brave: Story of a Trans Woman" by K. K.

In an era when the voices of transgender people are finally beginning to take their rightful place in mainstream literature, memoirs have become vital windows into the lived experiences of communities too often misrepresented or silenced. Among these narratives, Brave: Story of a Trans Woman by K. K. stands out as a striking testament to the power of truth-telling, resilience, and unapologetic authenticity.

At its core, Brave is more than a memoir; it is a declaration of selfhood. It captures the tumultuous, often painful journey of a transgender woman who grew up with the weight of misalignment between body and identity, endured the scars of a dysfunctional and abusive childhood, and nonetheless found a way to step into her fullness with dignity and joy. Through her words, readers are invited into both the struggles and the radiant triumphs that shape the trans experience. The book opens with the raw emotional reality of living in a gender that does not align with one’s inner truth. K. does not shy away from describing the loneliness, shame, and confusion of her early years. Her childhood, marked by instability and emotional harm, becomes the backdrop against which her resilience shines even brighter. While the pain of being unseen and misunderstood echoes through these pages, the memoir never settles into despair. Instead, it moves steadily toward a narrative of transformation, showing that even in the darkest environments, the spark of authenticity can never be extinguished.

Valentina Petrillo - Più veloce del tempo

Original title: "Più veloce del tempo. Il viaggio della prima atleta transgender verso la felicità" (Faster than time. The first transgender athlete's journey to happiness) by Valentina Petrillo.

Valentina Petrillo’s book Più veloce del tempo. Il viaggio della prima atleta transgender verso la felicità is not just the autobiography of an athlete, but a chronicle of resilience, courage, and the pursuit of authenticity. Written with journalists Claudio Arrigoni and Ilaria Leccardi, the volume takes the reader on a journey through the triumphs and obstacles of a woman who challenged both disability and prejudice to make history in the world of sport. Valentina’s voice carries the energy of the track, where each race has been a metaphor for survival, redemption, and freedom. She reminds us that running was never simply about speed. For her, athletics represented a way out, a chance to breathe, and a path to rediscover herself. On the track she found meaning, motivation, and answers when life’s difficulties seemed overwhelming. It was her revenge against the injustices of fate and her claim to a life lived on her own terms.

Born in Naples in 1973, Valentina grew up with a passion for running, inspired by the legendary Italian sprinter Pietro Mennea. Yet at the age of fourteen her life was transformed by Stargardt disease, a degenerative eye condition that gradually compromised her vision. What might have seemed like the end of a sporting dream became instead the beginning of another path. She turned to five-a-side football for the visually impaired, earning a place on the Italian national team. But deep inside, her first love remained athletics, and in 2014 she returned to the track, winning multiple national titles in the men’s category. Even then, her real race had yet to begin.

Full title: "Gender Explorers: Our Stories of Growing Up Trans and Changing The World" by Juno Roche.

Juno Roche’s Gender Explorers: Our Stories of Growing Up Trans and Changing the World is one of those rare books that feels like both a mirror and a window. It is a mirror for young trans people who have rarely seen themselves represented with such honesty, joy, and hope, and it is a window for everyone else to see what is possible when children are supported in their gender journeys instead of being stifled by fear or prejudice. The book opens with a striking belief that sets the tone for everything that follows: children who are questioning and exploring their gender are the gender bosses we so desperately need, they are our future. In this spirit, Juno offers a collection of interviews that let trans children and young people speak in their own words, not as case studies or statistics, but as whole human beings with dreams, fears, humor, and a vision of their lives.

The structure of the book is deceptively simple. Juno sits down with trans children, teenagers, and their families, and together they talk about the things that matter most to them: what it feels like to come out, what kinds of support have been essential, what makes them hopeful, and what worries they carry with them. The voices of parents and carers are included as well, showing the way love and acceptance from family can transform what might otherwise be a hostile world into a place where flourishing is possible. The result is a moving chorus of voices, each one unique, but together painting a picture of resilience and joy. These are not tragic tales of suffering that dominate so much of mainstream media when it comes to trans lives. Instead, they are affirmations of existence, proof that with love, recognition, and space to explore, trans children live fully and dream boldly.

Eva Carieri - Travaglio

Original title: "Travaglio. Genesi di una donna transgender" (Travaglio: The Genesis of a Transgender Woman) by Eva Carieri.

Eva Carieri’s new book Travaglio. Genesi di una donna transgender (Travaglio: The Genesis of a Transgender Woman) is a raw and unfiltered account of intolerance, drugs, sex, and violence in an Italy that has rarely been spoken about with such honesty. It is a narrative that does not shy away from the darker corners of life but instead confronts them, showing how the search for love can persist even when everything seems hostile and unforgiving. Beyond fear and beyond prejudice, Carieri writes about survival, self-discovery, and the fragile yet resilient pursuit of dignity.

This book comes after her 2022 autobiography Eva. Il prezzo dell’ambizione. La ricerca dell’amore nonostante tutto, oltre il pregiudizio (Eva. The Price of Ambition. The search for love despite everything, beyond prejudice). In that first work, she chronicled her personal journey, balancing ambition with the costs of being true to herself. The new book can be read as a continuation and deepening of that story, taking readers further into the formative experiences and struggles that shaped her into the woman she is today.

Lakshmi Ajoy - From 'Ka' To 'Ki'

Full title: "From 'Ka' To 'Ki' - Biography Of A Transgender Woman: A 'Transformation Through Strength And Resilience" by Lakshmi Ajoy.

Dr. Lakshmi Ajoy’s book From “Ka” To “Ki” – Biography of a Transgender Woman: A “Transformation Through Strength and Resilience is not merely a biography; it is a mirror reflecting both the cruelty and the hope of our world. At the heart of this work lies the extraordinary life of Deepika Naiduu, a woman who endured unimaginable pain yet rose to claim her identity with courage and grace. Her life is one of survival against betrayal, abuse, and relentless social rejection, but it is also one of rebirth, love, and resilience.

Deepika was born into a world that could not accept her truth. She grew up carrying the weight of rejection, enduring physical and emotional abuse that would have broken many spirits. The shadows of cruelty followed her, yet amidst the bleakness she found small islands of compassion. A handful of people, who saw her not as an outcast but as a human being worthy of love and respect, gave her the strength to keep moving forward. Their belief in her became the scaffolding on which she built her new life. Through them, she learned to embrace her true identity, ultimately transitioning and stepping into the fullness of who she had always been.

Laura Rodrigues Rocha - Terapia

Original title: "Terapia. A Outra Face do Amor. Relatos de Uma Paciente Transexual" (Therapy. The Other Face of Love. Reports of a Transgender Patient) by Laura Rodrigues Rocha.

The book Terapia. A Outra Face do Amor. Relatos de Uma Paciente Transexual by Laura Rodrigues Rocha is an unusual and thought-provoking work that sits at the intersection of autobiography, testimony, and personal discovery. On the surface, it tells the intimate story of a transgender woman, presenting her reflections, struggles, and healing process through the metaphor of therapy and the broader theme of love. Yet behind its pages lies a structure that mirrors the author’s approach to another long and patient project she carried out over nearly a decade: the creation of a series of self-taught music manuals.

Laura’s book does not rely on traditional scholarly references, academic frameworks, or the guiding voice of a teacher. Instead, it is written with the same philosophy that guided her manuals on musical instruments, which she conceived as complete works born of personal experience and self-study. In those manuals, dedicated to guitar, bass, and music theory, she laid out methods that connected one book to the other, forming a cohesive system built entirely on her own discoveries and organized around chord notation. What emerges is not only a technical guide but also a map of the author’s personal learning journey. In the same way, Terapia. A Outra Face do Amor can be understood as an extension of this methodology: an exploration of identity and self-acceptance that is written not from the perspective of authority but from the vulnerability of a learner sharing her progress with others who may face the same obstacles.

Ellen Krug - Being Ellen: A Second Chance at Life

Full title: "Being Ellen: A Second Chance at Life" by Ellen Krug.

How often does anyone get a second chance at life? For most people, life is a continuous journey with only one opportunity to become the person they are meant to be. Ellen Krug, known to friends and readers as Ellie, experienced that rare and extraordinary gift. After living fifty-two years presenting as a man who often prioritized career and societal expectations over personal authenticity, she embraced her true self and transitioned into the woman she had always known herself to be. Being Ellen: A Second Chance at Life is a deeply intimate and inspiring account of that transformation, detailing the challenges, triumphs, and profound lessons Ellie encountered along the way.

In Being Ellen, Ellie reflects on her journey with honesty, humor, and courage. She chronicles the moments of uncertainty and fear, as well as the joy of finally inhabiting her authentic self. Transitioning later in life brought unique challenges, from learning the subtleties of womanhood to navigating relationships that had been formed under her former identity. Ellie emphasizes the importance of chosen family, particularly her enduring friendship with Thap, a bond formed in eighth grade that remained a source of unwavering support throughout her life. Through these relationships, she discovered that love and allyship often appear in unexpected forms and that the people who truly matter will walk with you even when everything else changes.

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