Making sure your TBR pile reflects society and you're reading a diverse range of authors in 2024 is surely a must. If reading is about finding new worlds and understanding different points of view, then in many ways it's never been more important to read outside your echo chamber.
So, to make things a little bit more simple, we've put together a list of 14 refreshing reads from trans and nonbinary authors we've been loving. From beautifully illustrated collections of poetry, compelling fiction novels, and scholarly historical accounts, this list has something any reader at any level can enjoy. We've included names of staple pioneering trans authors, as well as some fresh faces we hope to introduce you to.
Whether you are a quintessential part of the LGBTQ+ community, a loyal ally, or someone looking to live through the lenses of these well-written authors, we are confident each book on this list will leave you feeling more enriched than before.
Beyond the Gender Binary
Gender nonconforming and transfeminine artist, activist, and writer Alok Vaid-Menon invites readers to see gender in full colour in their book, Beyond the Gender Binary [2]. In an effort to challenge the world's widely accepted view of seeing gender as black and white, Vaid-Menon draws from their own experiences to give a deeply personal account of why they believe gender is an extension of creative expression.
She of the Mountains
All-encompassing creative Vivek Shraya delivers a complex, lyrical love story between a person and their body in her stunning illustrated novel, She of the Mountains [3]. Blending together impassioned, contemporary love with elements of reimagined Hindu mythology, Shraya investigates the negative effects policing gender has on the soul.
A Safe Girl to Love
Canadian author Casey Plett delivers eleven compelling short stories featuring young trans women journeying through love, loss, and the everyday struggles of growing up as a trans girl in her book, A Safe Girl to Love [4]. Through deeply emotional and poetic storytelling, readers live through the lens of these brave women, experiencing intimate moments of embarrassment, frustration, sadness, happiness, and everything in between. This Lambda Literary Award-winning body of work is perfect for the short-story lovers.
What Makes You Beautiful
In Bridget Liang's beautifully written YA fiction novel, What Makes You Beautiful [5], readers follow the lighthearted story of Logan Osborne, a high schooler who begins to experiment and question their gender identity. In a true coming-of-age tale, Osborne finds themself around a wider range of genders and orientations, which lead to them beginning to present themself as more feminine. After realising they do not identify as a gay boy any longer, but a transgender girl, Logan changes their name to Veronica. Things become complicated with Veronica's love life after now identifying as a girl.
Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity
In an enlightening, deeply educational, and eye-opening historical account, scholar C. Riley Snorton identifies the cross-sectionality between transness and blackness in his book, Black on Both Sides: A Radical History of Trans Identity [6]. Carried by an extensive archive of materials such as fugitive slave narratives, sensationalist journalism, and Afro-modernist literature, Snorton gives insight into the importance of black history in relation to of transgender topics. Snorton illuminates how the foundations for "understanding gender as mutable" derive from the horrifics of slavery. Snorton's research proves to be an outstanding and well-needed addition to the conversation of black and trans communities.
Seasonal Velocities
A tangible trophy to Ryka Aoki's commitment and promise to trans visibility, her book Seasonal Velocities [7] is a captivating expedition into self-discovery. Through a collection of poems and essays curated thematically by the seasons, Aoki guides readers through harsh Winters, flourishing Springs, and her relentless journey of hope, healing, and finding herself. Seasonal Velocities is an extraordinary indicator of Aoki's own creative prowess and a must-read for those in love with artistic expression.
How to Be You: Stop Trying to Be Someone Else and Start Living Your Life
Jeffrey Marsh's How to Be You: Stop Trying to Be Someone Else and Start Living Your Life [8] takes the hands of readers, bringing them on an interactive, completely immersive journey into self-care. Using activities such as chart colouring and self-reflection questions to their advantage, Marsh aims to help readers discover the patterns that are holding them back from living their best lives.
I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl’s Notes from the End of the World
In an eloquent collection of personal essays and poems, Kai Cheng Thom explores the furthest depths of contemporary society and social movements in her book, I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World [9]. Diving deep into heart-wrenching topics of violence, family, and healing, Thom calls upon readers and advocates alike to invite hope into their lives.
Tonguebreaker
Tonguebreaker [10] is the fourth collection of poetry from award-winning poet Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarsinha. In this, Piepzna-Samarsinha beautifully illustrates what they describe as "surviving the unsurvivable." Through the topics of hate crimes, suicide, falling in love, and living life as a "working-class queer brown femme," they shine a light on what daily life is like for those in the trans community.
My Life Is No Accident
After a car accident left singer soul singer Teddy Pendergrass paralysed from the waist down in 1982, media coverage surrounding his "mysterious" passenger Tenika Watson blew up. Although Watson was just a passenger, mainstream coverage, in a disgusting violation of her privacy, put a magnifying glass to her life. Rumours and conspiracies spread of alleged involvement, even going as far as to blame her for the incident. Watson tells her account in her book co-written by Jennifer Daelyn, My Life Is No Accident [11].
Disintegrate/Dissociate
Indigenous trans writer Arielle Twist in her powerful debut collection of poetry,
Disintegrate/Dissociate [12], shares the complexities of love and relationships after death. Inspired by the process of metamorphosis, breaking and rebuilding, and the duality of emotions, Twist takes readers on a transcendent path of grief, trauma, and identity.
Becoming a Visible Man
One of the original leading trans rights activists, Jamison Green tells all in his candid autobiography, Becoming a Visible Man [12]. Greens opens up about the female-to-male community, as well as the harsh realities of strained family relationships.
I’ve Got a Time Bomb
Sybil Lamb's I've Got a Time Bomb [13] immerses readers into the year 286, set in the city of Morteville. The protagonist, Sybil, is on her way home from a wedding when she is jumped and left for dead. After waking up in a hospital with serious head injuries, Sybil quickly realises her version of reality will never be the same. In a compelling journey of grief, love, and discovery, Sybil embarks on an astonishing journey looking for love in every corner of Amerika.
Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Science Fiction and Fantasy From Transgender Writers
The last on our list has to go to Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Science Fiction and Fantasy From Transgender Writers [14]. This book is a collection of 25 short stories from authors like Cat Fitzpatrick, Casey Plett, Imogen Binnie, RJ Edwards, and more. Similar to a video game, readers get to choose their own path "from twenty-five preset post-realities."