Be it the big screen, television, or the pages of a memoir, the transgender community is taking center stage. And their stories are worthy of a standing ovation. On the cusp of back-to-back banner years, the arts are providing the trans population with a platform on which to share their experiences. And though no two are alike, all of these memoirs are inspiring, impressive, and encouraging.
Related: 10 Must-Read LGBT Books
Doll Parts
Famed for being a former Club Kid and a muse for photographer David LaChapelle, Amanda Lepore is a model, performance artist, singer, and a trans icon. In her 2017 memoir, she strips down to show the world the woman behind the glamour.
I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted
The best-selling author of She's Not There shares the ghost story that is her childhood in this memoir that explores what it truly means to be haunted. When as a child in 70s Pennsylvania, Boyle spent a lot of time with ghosts: ghosts that went bump in the night, the ghost of her future self, and the ghosts of the family members she once knew. Weaving truth into the supernatural, Boyle crafts an emotional journey that is at once haunting and beautiful.
Redefining Realness
Today we know Janet Mock as a big-time magazine editor and MSNBC talk show host who puts pop culture under the feminist microscope. But there was a time when Mock was still finding her voice. In Redefining Realness, the multi-hyphenate icon shares her journey to womanhood, and it results in an inspiring, award-winning read that solidifies Mock’s influential voice in a diverse community.
Man Alive: A True Story of Violence, Forgiveness, and Becoming a Man
This isn’t a tell-all. Rather it’s McBee’s journey to self-realization driven by the abuse he received at the hands of two men: his father, and a mugger who tried to kill him. Eschewing the traditional memoir, McBee writes a poetic tale that asks the question: What does it mean to be a man?
Related: 10 Mental Health Memoirs From Writers Who Have Been There
Trans
Jacques covered the events leading up to her gender reassignment procedure in her column in The Guardian, and it was the first time anyone wrote openly about the topic in a major British publication. Trans, her memoir, follows her life post-transition. Self-deprecating and insightful, Trans is a moving memoir about self-actualization.
Where's the Mother?
Trevor MacDonald has done something few men ever have: given birth. His account of what it’s like to be pregnant as an out transgender man is all at once honest, graceful and humorous, and an incredible look at what it’s like to be living as a man in such female-coded experiences.
Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen
Growing up is hard to do. It’s even harder when you’re trapped in the wrong body. No one knows that better than Arin Andrews, a teen who undergoes gender reassignment as a high school junior. Here, he candidly dishes on his decision to make the switch, and the hope, humility, and heartbreak that follows. At once humorous and painful, his coming-of-age story is one for the books.
