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The best books by trans and non-binary authors
#OwnVoices stories on the intersection of gender, sexuality, class, and race.
Veröffentlicht am 2. April 2024
Black Boy Out of Time: A Memoir
Hari ZiyadNon-binary author Ziyad writes about growing up as one of 19 children of a Hindu Hare Krishna mother and Black Muslim father in Cleveland, Ohio. Ziyad focuses on how their childhood experiences of being Black and queer were shaped by America’s punitive, racist culture. It’s a thought-provoking read that offers a new lexicon for the particularities of these overlooked experiences.
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More
Janet MockMock’s “Redefining Realness” shares a woman of color’s powerful story of coming into her own. Writer and producer Mock’s memoir of coming out as transgender is an urgent read right now, as the higher levels of discrimination and violence committed against trans women of color continues to make national headlines. Mock provides a path to a better tomorrow.
Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love
Jonathan Van NessGet a behind-the-scenes tour of JVN’s life before he stole the show on “Queer Eye.” Van Ness has always been “Over the Top,” but his life hasn’t always been so gorgeous because of it: While growing up gay in the Midwest, he endured ridicule and abuse. Now, of course, he’s a non-binary icon for fashion and compassion, especially toward yourself.
Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man
Thomas Page McBee“Amateur” follows the author as he trains to box in a charity match at Madison Square Garden, becoming the first transgender man to do so. But the journey goes beyond the physical and into society itself. This book is an exploration of true masculinity and what it means to the individual, regardless of how gender has been defined in the past. It’s an empowering quest for identity and truth that rejects toxic norms.
The Transgender Issue: Trans Justice Is Justice for All
Shon FayeFaye, a trans journalist in the UK, argues that solving issues faced by the trans community — like long waits for access to gender-affirming and life-saving healthcare — would lead to improvements for everyone. This distinctly isn’t a book about transgender issues as talked about in mainstream media, which drums up moral panic. “The Transgender Issue” centers large everyday problems affecting trans people’s quality of life.
I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl’s Notes from the End of the World
Kai Cheng Thom“I Hope We Choose Love,” a collection of essays on forgiveness, community, transformative justice, and so many other tough topics, is as beautiful and painfully hopeful as its title suggests. Thom raises hard questions and provides outside-the-box solutions that will be sure to alter how you view various queer issues.
Bad with Money: The Imperfect Art of Getting Your Financial Sh*t Together
Gaby DunnNeed a little levity as you learn how to deal with your finances? Popular author, podcaster, and comedian Dunn (who’s non-binary) makes taking control of your money 100% doable in this fun (and funny) guide, blending an engaging, light-hearted approach with hard-hitting facts.
Gender Queer: A Memoir Deluxe Edition: A Memoir Deluxe Edition
Maia Kobabe“Gender Queer” topped the American Library Association’s Most Challenged Books of 2021 list, as attempts at book banning grew in the early 2020s. This graphic memoir explores Kobabe’s experiences discovering that e’s nonbinary and asexual. It depicts charged moments in eirs life where e had to confront gender norms, including periods and sexual desire. Those opposed to the work say these “sexually explicit images” are the basis for their challenges.
Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters
Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters
Daniel M. LaveryIf Rochester texted Jane Eyre, would he use all caps? Daniel M. Lavery (writing under the deadname Mallory Ortberg) seeks to answer this and other crucial questions in this lighthearted book. “Texts from Jane Eyre” imagines what famous literary characters would say over their phones, including those from “Little Women,” “Hamlet,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Nancy Drew” stories, and more. Though perfect for English majors and book nerds, all readers will be amused at the hilariously awkward messages between these fictional characters.
Nevada: A Novel
Imogen BinnieBinnie’s debut novel altered the landscape for transgender stories upon its initial publication in 2013. It follows the punk rock Maria, a trans woman, as she steals her cisgender ex-girlfriend’s car and travels from New York City to Nevada. Don’t go into this expecting a typical road novel or heartwarming story of finding yourself; Binnie’s book defies expectations at every turn.
Manhunt
Gretchen Felker-MartinIn “Manhunt,” Felker-Martin creates a grotesque and brutal post-apocalyptic world where a plague is turning men into violent cannibals, and two trans women are trying to survive by any means necessary. Part suspense, part gender commentary, this modern horror masterpiece will keep you on your toes.
All the Birds in the Sky
Charlie Jane AndersA high-tech and purely magical pre-apocalyptic love story from transgender author Anders. Patricia Delfine is a budding witch while Laurence Armstead is a science nerd. Their misfit status seems to be the only thing they have in common. When the world needs saving, their methods for tackling the problem appear antagonistic, but they end up falling in love with each other. “All the Birds in the Sky” won the Nebula Award and was shortlisted for a Hugo.
Tell Me I'm Worthless
Alison Rumfitt“Tell Me I’m Worthless” is a horror novel that pulls no punches and makes it clear the enemy is fascism. Alice and Ila have their friendship torn apart by a haunted house by the name of Albion, and their lives start to go in opposite directions (Alice, who is trans, becomes a sex worker, while Ila becomes a prominent TERF). This book will appeal to fans of Carmen Maria Machado.
Light From Uncommon Stars
Ryka AokiAoki’s latest novel gives you everything you didn’t know you needed: an alien donut shop run by an interstellar refugee, a wildly gifted transgender violinist, and a cursed violin teacher desperately caught up in a Faustian bargain. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and unflinchingly honest when it comes to the lived experiences of trans women, “Light From Uncommon Stars'' explores the power of identity and found families.
A Dream of a Woman
Casey PlettThe realities of transgender women are at the forefront of these interrelated short stories. Plett isn’t afraid of showing the harsher realities of life as a trans woman, but there’s a tenderness to her ensemble cast and their messy explorations of love that shines through.
it was never going to be okay
Jaye Simpson“dissociation & i / became sweethearts in grade eight,” jaye simpson, a Two-Spirit non-binary trans woman, writes in the powerful poem “her (i.).” In this short, stylistic collection of poems, simpson shares their experiences with the foster care system, indigenous culture, their sexual and gender identity, and more.
Summer Fun
Jeanne ThorntonThornton, a multi-Lambda Award finalist, won 2022’s Lambda Award for trans fiction with her creative storytelling and rich characterization in “Summer Fun.” Told entirely in letters, the novel follows Gala, a trans woman living in New Mexico who writes to the lead singer of her favorite band, the Get Happies. Hippie vibes and ‘60s rock ’n roll make the novel atmospheric, with a touch of magic adding even more vibrance to this passionate tale of trans identity.
Sorrowland: A Novel
Rivers SolomonFleeing from a fundamentalist cult and abusive husband, a pregnant Vern takes refuge in the temporary safety of the forest. But as she raises her twin boys in exile, a monster hunts her small family and Vern must fight back with escalating supernatural strength and violence against a past that won’t let her go. This novel from the Lambda Award-winning Solomon is at once disturbing and hopeful.
The Boy with a Bird in His Chest: A Novel
Emme LundOwen is a boy with a bird in his chest. It’s always been there, but no one can know. Drawing upon her experience growing up queer in the early 2000s, Lund provides a new take on the coming-of-age novel in the story of Owen, a character you’ll want to hug throughout the entire book.
Felix Ever After
Kacen CallenderBlack, queer, and trans, 17-year-old artist Felix Love is having a complicated summer. Targeted by an anonymous transphobic bully, Felix catfishes his suspected tormentor, but his plan for revenge sends him on an adventure of love and self-discovery. With a fantastic (and diverse) cast, this feel-good novel is wonderfully messy, warm, and full of friendship and love.
Cemetery Boys
Aiden Thomas“Cemetery Boys” is a queer love story between a gay trans boy and a ghost. Yadriel is determined to prove his gender identity to his Latinx family by exhibiting powers of a brujo rather than a bruja. Yadriel means to summon the ghost of his recently deceased cousin, but instead ends up with the spirit of his school’s bad boy, Julian Diaz. A stunning #OwnVoices story that is breaking down several barriers.
The Thirty Names of Night: A Novel
Zeyn JoukhadarThe prose surpasses the beauty of this Lambda Literary Award winner’s majestic title at every turn as it travels back and forth through time and delves into trans and immigrant experiences. Joukhadar’s novel follows a closeted trans boy who’s mourning the loss of his ornithologist mother and trying his best to provide for his grandma. As he looks for a new name, closure, and stability, he’s trying to confirm the existence of a rare bird that his mom and an artist in the past, Laila Z., told of.
How to Excavate a Heart
Jake Maia ArlowInstead of a meet cute, Arlow’s sapphic, Jewish romance starts with a near-miss car accident. After Shani nearly runs May over during a snowstorm, the two aren’t exactly in love. But being snowed in together might change that — if Shani can work through her recent breakup.
We Deserve Monuments
Jas HammondsQueer and biracial high schooler Avery Anderson must relocate from D.C. to Georgia so her mother can care for her ailing grandmother, Mama Letty. Though facing tensions inside the home and out, Avery manages to build friendships and a budding romance — both of which are threatened by dark family secrets and the town’s racist history. Hammonds’ YA debut blends romance, mystery, and historical fiction to reveal the impact of generational trauma.
Disintegrate/Dissociate
Arielle TwistTwist, an indigenous sex educator and Two-Spirit, transgender woman, cuts to the core of colonialism’s power and threat over trans, indigenous bodies in this biting debut collection of poetry. With visceral, blunt language, Twist explores living with gender dysphoria.