i hate how most trans stuff is from the perspective of people who have known they were trans all their life. i only found out in seventh grade. i was really girly before but slowly leading to coming out in seventh grade.
I think you would enjoy "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides (some people have a problem with it because it was written by a cis guy). It´s the story about an intersex person who until the age of 14 was raised as girl and thought of themselves as a girl but found out that they had XY cromossomes (and other intersex characteristics I can´t remember) and starts presenting as male. The book is very long and covers many years (it follows the gene that made person intersexual) and many topic (imagration, sex, growing up, incest, ect) but (or probably because of that) I found it wonderful and such a good book (but keeping in mind I´m cis).
man i wish there were more trans-written books like that that i knew about!! sometimes there's smaller authors who sell digitally? (reading digitally is hard for me so :-( ) it's nice when cis writers branch out and research trans things but it's never quite the same XD and +captainwendy do you know if the author was intersex? because that sounds like an interesting read and it'd be doubly interesting if he was (intersex people aren't always trans but they ARE usually forced to fit into male or female and it's... pretty terrifying)
The author isn't intersex as far as I know :/ I thought it was fitting on the subject because the main character is assigned female at birth (because they have a vagina) and presents as female until puberty, when they go to a doctor and realise they are intersex. There's a really interesting part when the doctor "test" if Callie is male or female by making a series of questions. Which is cool to show that gender is a performance. And after that, even tho the doctor says Callie is female they "decide" to start presenting as male. (Not a spoiler hahahaha they say they transitioned in the first chapter)
Leo Garcia 7th grade isn't late, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I was 20 when I realized I was trans, and even that isn't late. But I understand what you're talking about and I have a book recommendation for you: Lou Sullivan Daring to be a man among men by Brice D. Smith. Lou Sullivan was a gay trans activist in the 80s and 90s, he wasn't super masculine and he didn't figure out his gender until he was sixteen or seventeen (something like that). He did so much for trans men, everyone should know his story. (You can find some of his late interviews on RUclips, just search for his name)
Yeah really really want a book where the person is just not educated about trans stuff and never really questioned who they were until puberty and until getting into the internet
George by Alex Gino is a really great middle grade trans book! It's about a kid in 5th grade who was assigned male at birth but knows that she is a girl. It's not super heavy and it's mostly about the main character wanting to play charlotte in their school play of charlottes web and how she's not allowed because everyone sees her as a boy! It's really sweet and heartwarming and I definitely recommend it.
Yes! The only reason I didn't include it in the video (it's in the description box link) is because I haven't actually read it yet, but I just ordered it this morning so I'll finally be able to dig in!
Y'all should read symtpoms of being human it's about a genderfluid blogger and it helped me realize I was genderfluid and explain what being genderfluid means to me and it will always hold a special place in my heart
I was just about to mention this one as well. The fact that they never revealed the protagonist’s assigned gender really helped me relate to them when figuring out me own gender.
I really really like Peter Darling a lot ! It's a transboy Peter Pan story, who actually was "Wendy", but who went to Neverland to be able to live as himself, aka as Peter Pan. The story tells how he comes back to the Neverland as an adult, to flew once again from the forced "live as a woman" live he had.
That book is amazing. I was a huge fan of "Peter Pan in Scarlet" so finding out there were other takes on the original ("Peter and Wendy") was super exciting for me.
Yes! Peter Darling was lovely. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing, as I was hoping for something more complex, and yet it's such a beautiful concept and enjoyable read.
ah wow I really really needed this video, I've been looking for more books dealing with trans people. I just added like five of these to my amazon wish list and my TBR checklist!!!
Oh, it's good to know that the one who screwed up was the translator! I read this books translation to spanish and the main character is basically misgendered through all of it, but putting that aside (and I did that entirely thanks to Leo's character) the story was great and it dealt with so many things!
I think that the Magnus Bane series by Rick Riordan has awesome genderfluid representation by the character Alex. The storyline and genre itself is fantasy-ish for young adults, so if you aren't in to that the book can become boring but otherwise a lot of education, casual coming out and trans issues is smoothly written into the story. The series also except demigod adventures also describes and touches on topics as homelessness youth, islamophobia and ableism against deaf people. If you like Rick Riordan style books about norse gods in a modern setting and also trans/nonbinary topics is a very good read
EUh... it's called the Magnus Chase series, not magnus bane (that's another one) ;) But yeah, Alex is sure an awesome character. There is also a bit of transphobia in it, but it's so cool that the main character (aka Magnus) just literally doesn't care about Alex being genderfluid. But sure it's not a book about being trans. It's a book featuring a trans character.
i checked your havent-read-yet list and im a trans dude and i *hated* i am j. also one of the reviews on the back cover literally has the t-slur in it. on a more positive note, refuse by elliott deline is like. one of my very favorite books and i was so excited that you mentioned him.
"Symptoms of Being Human", "The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley", "The Gender Games", "The Rest of Is Just Live Here", "If I was Your Girl", and "Simon vs The Homosapiens Agenda" are all brilliant books with queer themes and characters. Two Boys Kissing is so beautiful too
also love him. I met him when he did a talk some years back at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival. I was an awkward mess but he was really sweet (and wrote a super inspiring note in my copy of Wide Awake)
i'm currently reading his "every day" and as a bigender human i relate a lot to a, even though they don't have a permanent body which i assume is what prevents lots of the complications with kinds of dysphoria, from what the character describes, their gender is fluid in a way, although the spectrum isn't really specified. i personally feel like it's a wonderful representation of intersex people, which i don't think i've ever seen in any other book.
i gotta say i really hated every day. the trans representation was absolutely awful and i really couldnt enjoy it despite that. plus it falls into the "alien, robot, or other non-normal-human" category of nb representation. you do you ofc!! i just didnt like it
Great books on that list. I personally loved 'Lily and Dunkin' and 'Beautiful Music.' 'Freakboy,' 'I am Jay,' and 'Jess, Chunk and the Road Trip to Infinity' are also good.
I've read two children's books about trans kids recently, George by Alex Gino and The Other Boy by M.G. Hennessey. I'd really recommend them both, they're really sweet stories but they don't shy away from the difficulties trans kids go through. It's so important for kids to have books with trans characters in them
This isn't a book but in Greek mythology, there are many trans stories. Of course, it happens through magic lol. One that stands out is Iphis and Ianthe. Iphis was born in a poor family, the mother was Egyptian but the father was Greek and they lived in Crete, which is why the story involves Egyptian as well as Greek gods. They're so dirt poor, mother's pregnant, father says it better be a boy. If the baby's a girl he'll kill her because they're high maintenance and he needs a son to help him. So the mother, when she delivers and sees it's a girl, prays to the goddess Isis who tells her to hide the child's gender. Iphis is raised as a boy but it suits him well cause he identifies as a boy anyway. Well in ancient Greece youths were courted by older men because the love of another more experienced man would teach them how to be men (according to Aristotle only men were capable of true love. yeah, VERY sexist.). Except Iphis, aside from having an innie, only liked women. He was in love with Ianthe. To summarize, after many a trial, Iphis proposes marriage and on their wedding night Hera, who presided over their wedding, deems Iphis a proper man in soul and transforms his body into a male one. Another one would be when Zeus transforms himself into his daughter Artemis to have lesbian sex with her lady in waiting, Callisto. (shivers) ew. what's to be expected of the guy married to his sister that goes around raping every man, woman, cow, and tree that he sees.
David Ramer was from my hometown. His story was EVERYWHERE while I was growing up and definitely informed the aggressive internalised transmisogyny that kept me from even questioning my gender until my late 20s. (See also my still very cismale RUclips presence even though I'm anything but). (Gonna split my recommendation into a new thread for ease of responses)
I just started reading Darling Days this morning! I love iO's writing so far. And picking up Rethinking Normal in a book store was one of the things that got me to start seriously questioning my transness, so that will always hold a special place in my heart. I know you put George in the description box, but speaking from the perspective of someone who's read it and works with kids in that age range on a regular basis, it does a really great job of explaining what it means to be trans. I think it should be required reading for cis kids (and their parents) looking to learn more, or for any kid questioning their gender. The Other Boy is good for the transmasculine side of things for kids.
You should definitely add When The Moon Was Ours by Anna Marie McLemore to your tbr list, it's a fantastic realism book, where one of the two main characters is a trans guy. It's a really good book and I'm currently translating it to Spanish cause it's the only fantasy book I could find with a main trans character (especially an ftm one). And btw, the author is a cis woman married to a trans man so the two main characters are kind of a representation of them, while the book also addresses other things such as race, sexuality and cultural diversity. (I should mention that the book has a few explicit sex scenes, but the tone of the language used really makes it smooth) Edit: I just checked Jackson's to read list, and the book is actually there, but I'll still leave this in case anyone else just wants a fantastic story like me.
So many great book recommendations! I'm headed to the library later so I'll probably pick one or two up! I read At the Broken Places a few weeks ago and I really liked it!
When the moon was ours is so so so so so so so good I love it so much it addresses another cultures perspective and how that impacts trans people and its not as much a trans story as a story with a trans character and how that impacts the story is done so well I love it so much
@@leojune4131 I'm currently translating it to Spanish and the author is a cis woman called Anna Marie McLemore and she's married to a trans man, so the book goes mostly from the point of view of Miel, cause Sam's chapters are all shorter, but it has really good insight cause of how close she is to a real trans guy. It's a really good book, lots of LGBT characters and a good story with lots of secrets and mystery (it's fantastic realism).
ESCAPE FROM ASYLUM IS A GREAT TRANS INCLUSIVE BOOK! Its in a series that looks like it would be a normal everyday YA series, but a lot of the people in it are all different letter of the LGBTQIA+ acronym. Escape From Asylum features an African American trans woman who was put into an asylum by her parents, but luckily she meets a lovely bi boy there and together they help each other get through anything and everything.
I totally recommend the book, 'The Art of being Normal' it is an amazing book that includes two views of both female to Male and Male to female transgender people.
i made it through the whole video without seeing "I am J" and i was super happy, but then i looked in the description and there it is, the worst book i've ever bought. the titular character promotes binding with ace bandages, is homophobic + misogynistic and sexually assaults the girl he claims to love while she's asleep, later saying "i think you wanted it"
hybridfuckingcomplex I recently read this book and I am also finding a lot of issues with it. J acts very rude to his friends and family because they aren’t mind readers. I worry that if this is the first bit of information a younger transgender kid reads he’ll get the wrong idea about literally everything. From binding with ace bandages, him running away so he doesn’t have to face coming out, and tons of other possibly dangerous things for newfound trans kids looking for information. Side note, while his best friend was a serial flirt, he didn’t have the right to make a move in her sleep and he never apologized simply claiming she wanted it. Not cool, J. Very disappointing read.
This was such a good video! I will definitely be picking up Darling Days and Whipping Girl now. I'm also wondering if anyone has any recs for books with trans lesbian characters in, to go along with the ones Jackson has recommended?
sapphictea From this Goodreads list I would especially recommend Nevada! It's a novel that follows a trans woman who basically leaves her job and girlfriend and goes on this epic road trip. It's very dominated by her internal monologue and is just so readable
AAAAAAA Alex As Well is a good book too. It's about someone born intersex but their parents sent them to an all-girls school. I can't remember anything else but I cried like a little weenie and it's just a really good book
I watched the documentary about the boy who was raised as a girl. Super interesting and also heartbreaking. Also you should start a booktube channel :p
One good, but hard to read ya book is Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher. It's definitely not a happy book, and it focus on a teenage trans girl, and I don't want to spoil anything. I wouldn't recommend it to someone just coming to term with their gender, because again, it's not a happy book, but it's well written and pretty good imo.
Jackson uploads a book video and I am here for it. The only book I've read off this list is Beautiful Music for Ugly Children. I liked it but I found it weird that all of the female characters were love interests to the mc. Like there were no platonic relationships. :( anyway, great video!
Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller is one of my favorites. It’s a ya novel. The main character is genderfluid, so I love the representation there. The love interest is bi. It doesn’t obsess over the main character’s agab, but it does show their reaction to being misgendered. There’s also a lot of action and intrigue. It’s really a fun book with great representation. I personally love it and will recommend it to anyone and everyone.
I just bought and read all of Dreadnought yesterday, and I can't recommend it enough. it's about a trans superhero and it felt like it was written specifically for me
You sold me on Whipping Girl, I'm definitely going to check it out. I've always been curious about privilege and folks' experiences with/without it after transitioning. Thanks for this list!!
Loved the video Jackson! I will definitely have to read some of those books. One trans book that I read and really enjoyed this summer was This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. It is about a mother and her trans feminine child. It goes through the journey of her struggling to best support her child and help them to find their identity. Though it is a fiction book the author has a gender nonconforming child and was inspired by her own experiences. As a cis-gender person I don't know how relatable it would be to a trans person but I really enjoyed it and the questions it raised about the best way to support trans kids.
I have only read two of the books (Two Boys Kissing and Beautiful Music For Ugly Children) in this video but now I am going to log on to my libraries website and request a bunch of the ones you recommended. I will post my own list of recommendations soon (have to grab some books off my shelf to double check the titles)
Lovely Vid!! I wrote abt None of the Above for my dissertation, so i was super excited that you had it in ur intro haha. You didnt talk about it but i know its not trans though theres some overlap so its either that or its on ur TBR list ^^ I loved it for its intersex representation and Gregorio's obvious efforts to make everything accurate -if I had any complaints it would be mostly literary as the plot gets thin sometimes and Gregorio's not amazing at in depth characterization (but its her first book so). I found a lot of the things that happened a little disappointing seeing as it was touted as the first positive happy-ending intersex novel BUT i think so long as you keep in mind these various things and the fact that Gregorio might not be as in with the queer knowledge and history, I think the reading should be fine!
Yeah, I ended up cutting it from the final cut for time since my review of it included a whole education on what intersex means. Could've been its own video! I love the book though. I've had the pleasure of meeting Ilene Gregorio a few times and her passion for being a responsible ally is very refreshing.
Jackson Bird Maybe the next vid could be on intersex texts ^^ My entire senior year was spent on studying them, particularly those that were fictional BUT didnt involve fantasy environments, so I have a list of books that could be helpful
Awesome video, Jackson! "Beautiful Music for Ugly Children" was on my reading list before, but is definitely now at the top of my list. I actually put a book on hold that's on the Nonbinary reading list that I plan on picking up tomorrow called "Lizard Radio". I haven't had much time to read with summer classes, but I'm really looking forward to reading these! Hope you have a great day :D
A great book that really changed my life in more ways than one is “The 57 Bus,” As a trans guy in middle school, it was absolutely amazing for my teacher to talk to the entire class about the book in the beginning of the year, causing many of my friends to read it and become educated, completely changing their outlook on things ❤️
It is also my FAVORITE book! For numerous reasons, not just because it contains a non binary main character. It really is just overall a great experience
I read parrotfish in a school book club before I even realized I was trans, it was the first depiction of a trans masculine person that I had ever seen and I remember identifying so hard with the main character but being too scared to tell anyone about my feelings. I pushed all the thoughts of how I felt this way to the back of my head and it wasn't until two years later that I finally came out and began my transition. In all actuality, I think this book is what made me able to come out at age 17 in very unaccepting area, or at least what kick started my gender queeries as I call them. Gotta say that it really is worth the read even though the author is not herself a trans masculine person, in my time being out I've definitely read better but still worth checking out if you can. Might give it a reread myself now that I think about it
Gender Failure by Rae Spoon and Ivan Coyote is a co written book of essays by two masculine presenting individuals that follows their journeys of being a gender non conforming country singer and the ups and downs of top surgery. So good!
beautiful music for ugly children is one of my all time favourite books! i relate to gabe so so much (esp the mess of 'coming out' not being one simple event but is instead a long process) thanks for making this video, im defo gonna check tons of these out!
Some more good YA books: The Art Of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson, If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo, Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer and Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky for younger readers
One of my favourites is When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore. It’s sort of like magical realism and it’s based off of a Mexican folk story or something and one of the main characters is a trans guy and he’s really well represented. I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman is about fandoms and fame. one of the two main characters is trans but the story doesn’t focus on it. Gracefully Grayson is another good one for younger people about a trans girl who gets the lead in her school play.
The Nemesis Series by April Daniels and Not your Sidekick by C.B. Lee are some of my favourite middle grade/teen books and both have trans characters that appear often. Although Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor is probably my favourite because I was already in love with the universe and Rick Riordan decided to add a badass gender fluid character which made it even better. Can't wait to check out some of these books
I LOVE "In one person" by John Irving, Stone Butch Blues and Drag King Dreams by Leslie Fineberg, Ray Spoons writing and S. Bear Bergman(although I haven't read too much from Bergman) they also wrote a book together (I think it's called gender outlaws) wich I really enjoyed:)
Symptoms of being human is an incredible book about a nonbinary person. One of my favorite things about it is they never actually specify whether or not they're dfab or dmab. It's wonderful.
I had to discipline myself to finish watching your video before commenting.....I absolutely loved Julia Serano's book, "Whipping Girl", for all the reasons that you mentioned. It made a huge impact on how I view the world, since my own transgender discovery. I've also read Kate Bornstein, Eddie Izzard, and Janet Mock. All are great reads and good recommendations. I've also read several transwomen bio's: "Tranny" by Laura Jane Grace; "Becoming Nicole" by Amy Ellis Nutt; and "In the Darkroom" by Susan Faludi. Of course there are many many on-line transwomen bio's.....two of my favorites are Lynn Conway and Melanie Phillips. I am always looking for new reads, thanks for the recommendations.
Stone Butch Blues is free on Leslie Feinberg's website as a PDF! Ze released it to the public before hir death so you can just get it for free instead of paying $30-60 on amazon for a physical copy.
Really enjoyed this video, and now I just want to go out and buy all the books you mentioned plus the ones in the description. I have been wanting to read Whipping Girl for literally forever, and I have read Rethinking Normal. I really liked it, but I was sort of surprised when Katie used terms like "transgenders", and then there was a part where she goes to. an LGBT conference and gets called out (and it's rather harsh) about some problematic stuff she says, and it doesn't seem like anyone ever really gives her a good explanation about what happened. Did that bother anyone else? I'm cis myself, but I want to keep learning about gender and trans folks as much as I can, and those two things in her book confused me. I have Two Boys Kissing, and I STILL need to read it. I actually got to meet David Levithan at a book festival I went to, and HE WAS SO NICE AND GAVE ME A HUG. I still kinda can't believe that happened. It was amazing. Also, I LOVE EDDIE IZZARD SO MUCH. I didn't know he wrote a book, and now I can't wait to read it! Thank you so much for this video!
YES! Whipping Girl is the BEST!! I need to read it again! So many great recommendations to add to MY TBR list! I’d like to recommend to you If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo. It’s a YA novel about a trans girl living as cis in a small town. Extra cool tidbit: the model used for the cover is also trans.
A really good fantasy book I was reading has two trans character who are part of the main cast of the book and the book does focus heavily on the struggles of a trans boy. It also has some themes of Hispanic and Pakistanic heritage. The book is called "When the Moon was ours" by Anna-Marie McLemore
This video came in super handy! Because I’ve been looking for books, especially for my Masters research and the library is zero. If anyone sees this and knows of any books in relation to trans masculinity and fashion, (any relation at all) that would be class.
I'm reading A Queer History of America, which is exactly what it sounds like. It is extremely well researched and easy to read, and I love it and would recommend it to anyone who wants to know more abt queer history (in America).
If I was Your Girl by Meredith Russo was awesome! I also liked a Finnish book about FTM guy (Poika by Marja Björk) I'm not sure if it's translated but if you guys know Finnish, I recommend you to read it!
I'm getting my bachelor degree in Library Science soon and I swear I will make it my life's mission to have all of these (and more) at whatever library I end up working at. (and hopefully many more libraries in my country)
I read This Is How It Always Is by Lauri Frankel this summer and I really liked it. It's a fiction novel about a very young trans girl and her family, definitely worth the read!
What David Reimer went through is a fascinating case. I'm actually getting the chance to write a short thesis on Dr Money and the David Reimer case, and it's such a complicated topic. Dr Money is such a complicated person and he did contribute to our current understanding of gender and sex, nor is he the first psychiatrist to do terrible things to patients who have concerns over gender or sex. When the case study of David was actually occurring, he was considered to be a forward-thinking psychiatrist, and it's our modern understanding of gender that has changed our view of Money.
Another good book is Sacred Country by Rose Tremain. It follows the life and transition of a trans man living in England (and Tennessee for a bit) in the 50s/60s. It was the first book with a trans character that I read and it's really amazing
tr*nny by laura jane grace, who is the lead singer of against me, is absolutely amazing. it's a memoir about her entire life, but it really focuses on gender. i read it in a day, and i highly recommend it
I haven't read many trans books but I found The Art of Being Normal beautiful which is a YA book, and I'm currently reading Finding Masculinity which is a bunch of stories by trans people about their experiences
In the classroom where I have religion class in school some other class(I guess german class about 5th-7th grade) had to do book reports and everyone had to make a poster for their chosen book. I read through them before my class and one of the books was about a trans female character and her journey and I don't know who presented that book but they're my hero :D (especially because most of the books were like 5th-7th grade level :D)
Agree with you so hard about Whipping Girl. That book should be required reading for every human. Thanks for this video. Looking forward to reading several of these.
Luna was one of my FAVOURITE books that I've ever read. It reads easy and it just resonated with my soul, even though I'm a trans guy and not a trans girl. It's so emotional and it's not written from the perspective of the trans girl, it's told by her sister, and it's just so emotional to see how they're both going through this at the same time and it's beautiful.
I also really love Annie on My Mind, it's a wonderful story and it really latches on to your emotions and makes you feel what the characters are feeling. It's also quite a descriptive book, a lot of the imagery in it is absolutely to die for
There's a book series and the first book is called lady midnight and second book has a casual trans character and it's just very good trans representation Because the whole story doesn't focus on the fact that the character is trans it I'd just a part of a story. I 100% recommend it! 😃
Other good ones that I personally love are Nevada (heavier, i would reccomend only for trans people), Cemetery boys (personal favorite, good for younger people), and felix ever after.
I really really recommend Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin. It's about a gender fluid teen trying to figure outside what they are. The author never talks about the main characters born gender and it's just so amazing. There's also a lot more representation of other gender identities in the book. I highly recommend it! It really helped me figure out my identity when I was questioning.
I also recommend The Girl in the Green Dress by Cath Staincliffe. It's about an 18 year old girl who is murdered for being trans. It also touches on misogyny, toxic masculinity, racism (TW: the n word is used a couple of times), loyalty and family.
Realised it is from 6 yrs ago from the Eddie Izzard book, but still great recs on here and ones i have boy come across - so thanks from 6yrs ago 💜📚🏳️⚧️
One really cute book about being trans is George, it's a short (about 100 pages) children's book about a transgirl and it's really cute and pure and I appreciate it a lot
Beautiful Music For Ugly Children? Is my favorite book of all time. I have read it 16 times. And I was absolutely hoping you would recommend it and then you did 😭
I haven't read a lot of the comments so I don't know if this had been suggested yet, but I recently read Miles Away from You by A. B. Rutledge and I really enjoyed it. The main character's girlfriend is trans, and even though her being trans isn't the main focus of the book I thought it did a pretty good job with representation. Just thought I would add to this list I also just got this account and this is my first comment hooray
Kai Cheng Thom’s Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir (which is a Fiction novel) is an amazing book for a look at Trans women and the violence surrounding them. But Kai is a hilarious writer and brings something to such a hard topic.
I Am J is a very good book, and I totally recommend. It's about a guy who was born a female, who likes a girl. Except he never feels like he's gay, and he doesn't feel comfortable with female pronouns and such. It's about his journey through finding out who he is, transitioning and loving his true self. :) 10/10 would reccomend
At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun Hutchinson is an awesome LGBT+ book. The main characters are gay and the main's best friend is gender non-conforming (it doesn't specify exactly how the character identifies). This is also just an amazing book and story and it's written super well.
One In Every Crowd by Ivan E Coyote is incredible. It's a series of memoirs written by a gender nonconforming/nonbinary lesbian story teller. It's really enjoyable. Even if you aren't LGBT I'd still recommend it because it's so nice. Also, Ivan is Canadian so it's all based in Canada pretty much. Yo to all my Canadian peeps!
Some assembly required is my favorite trans themed book. I won it in a raffle along with Katie hill's book and Arin also helped my boyfriend ask me to prom! It was like the best day of my life. I related to him and his story so much and I've read it upwards of 6 times.
Parrotfish was one of the first books about trans people I ever read. And it is what introduced me to the spectrum of gender rather than the binary. The football field of masculinity to femininity metaphor changed my life
i hate how most trans stuff is from the perspective of people who have known they were trans all their life. i only found out in seventh grade. i was really girly before but slowly leading to coming out in seventh grade.
I think you would enjoy "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides (some people have a problem with it because it was written by a cis guy).
It´s the story about an intersex person who until the age of 14 was raised as girl and thought of themselves as a girl but found out that they had XY cromossomes (and other intersex characteristics I can´t remember) and starts presenting as male.
The book is very long and covers many years (it follows the gene that made person intersexual) and many topic (imagration, sex, growing up, incest, ect) but (or probably because of that) I found it wonderful and such a good book (but keeping in mind I´m cis).
man i wish there were more trans-written books like that that i knew about!! sometimes there's smaller authors who sell digitally? (reading digitally is hard for me so :-( )
it's nice when cis writers branch out and research trans things but it's never quite the same XD
and +captainwendy do you know if the author was intersex? because that sounds like an interesting read and it'd be doubly interesting if he was (intersex people aren't always trans but they ARE usually forced to fit into male or female and it's... pretty terrifying)
The author isn't intersex as far as I know :/
I thought it was fitting on the subject because the main character is assigned female at birth (because they have a vagina) and presents as female until puberty, when they go to a doctor and realise they are intersex.
There's a really interesting part when the doctor "test" if Callie is male or female by making a series of questions. Which is cool to show that gender is a performance. And after that, even tho the doctor says Callie is female they "decide" to start presenting as male.
(Not a spoiler hahahaha they say they transitioned in the first chapter)
Leo Garcia 7th grade isn't late, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I was 20 when I realized I was trans, and even that isn't late.
But I understand what you're talking about and I have a book recommendation for you: Lou Sullivan Daring to be a man among men by Brice D. Smith.
Lou Sullivan was a gay trans activist in the 80s and 90s, he wasn't super masculine and he didn't figure out his gender until he was sixteen or seventeen (something like that). He did so much for trans men, everyone should know his story.
(You can find some of his late interviews on RUclips, just search for his name)
Yeah really really want a book where the person is just not educated about trans stuff and never really questioned who they were until puberty and until getting into the internet
1) I love that you took the time to make this
2) I love how you say the word 'memoir'
3) So many of these books (that I've read) are so incredible
George by Alex Gino is a really great middle grade trans book! It's about a kid in 5th grade who was assigned male at birth but knows that she is a girl. It's not super heavy and it's mostly about the main character wanting to play charlotte in their school play of charlottes web and how she's not allowed because everyone sees her as a boy! It's really sweet and heartwarming and I definitely recommend it.
It's on the Oregon Battle Of The Books list for 3rd-5th? grade. There are a lot of angry Christian parents here.
I was gonna recommend this book!!! Melissa is adorable in "George" imo
For 101 on sexuality and gender, Ash's book The ABC's of LGBT is great.
Yes! The only reason I didn't include it in the video (it's in the description box link) is because I haven't actually read it yet, but I just ordered it this morning so I'll finally be able to dig in!
Yes! It's good to have as a general guide, and to pick up looking for opinions on specific questions.
I think it's great that there are gender guides out there. Can't wait to pick mine!!!!!!!!!!!!
Y'all should read symtpoms of being human it's about a genderfluid blogger and it helped me realize I was genderfluid and explain what being genderfluid means to me and it will always hold a special place in my heart
that is my favorite book. I love that Riley doesn't have any pronouns. that must have been so hard but really cool for someone to do that
yes that was my favorite part!! becausethey never actually addressed Rileys pronouns or gendered at all rrally
(It's by Jeff Garvin)
lonely and blasphemous I WAS GONNA MENTION THIS ONE TOO
I was just about to mention this one as well. The fact that they never revealed the protagonist’s assigned gender really helped me relate to them when figuring out me own gender.
I really really like Peter Darling a lot !
It's a transboy Peter Pan story, who actually was "Wendy", but who went to Neverland to be able to live as himself, aka as Peter Pan. The story tells how he comes back to the Neverland as an adult, to flew once again from the forced "live as a woman" live he had.
That book is amazing. I was a huge fan of "Peter Pan in Scarlet" so finding out there were other takes on the original ("Peter and Wendy") was super exciting for me.
Yes! Peter Darling was lovely. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing, as I was hoping for something more complex, and yet it's such a beautiful concept and enjoyable read.
ah wow I really really needed this video, I've been looking for more books dealing with trans people. I just added like five of these to my amazon wish list and my TBR checklist!!!
The Art of Being Normal is absolutely amazing! Highly recommend.
...I haven't seen the link yet tho so I am not sure if it is that list.
Oh I just finished reading that!! I started to cry when they were talking about what happened in the woods it's such an awesome book
Martin Kvinge this is true, it is an incredible book, definitely one of my favourites.
Martin Kvinge you know I was just about to comment that book to..literally helped me so much
Oh my god that book is SO GOOD. It's become my absolute favorite, no exaggeration.
Oh, it's good to know that the one who screwed up was the translator! I read this books translation to spanish and the main character is basically misgendered through all of it, but putting that aside (and I did that entirely thanks to Leo's character) the story was great and it dealt with so many things!
I think that the Magnus Bane series by Rick Riordan has awesome genderfluid representation by the character Alex. The storyline and genre itself is fantasy-ish for young adults, so if you aren't in to that the book can become boring but otherwise a lot of education, casual coming out and trans issues is smoothly written into the story. The series also except demigod adventures also describes and touches on topics as homelessness youth, islamophobia and ableism against deaf people. If you like Rick Riordan style books about norse gods in a modern setting and also trans/nonbinary topics is a very good read
EUh... it's called the Magnus Chase series, not magnus bane (that's another one) ;) But yeah, Alex is sure an awesome character. There is also a bit of transphobia in it, but it's so cool that the main character (aka Magnus) just literally doesn't care about Alex being genderfluid. But sure it's not a book about being trans. It's a book featuring a trans character.
Ooops yeah meant magnus chase and you are right it's main topic ain't being trans hahh
i checked your havent-read-yet list and im a trans dude and i *hated* i am j. also one of the reviews on the back cover literally has the t-slur in it.
on a more positive note, refuse by elliott deline is like. one of my very favorite books and i was so excited that you mentioned him.
"Symptoms of Being Human", "The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley", "The Gender Games", "The Rest of Is Just Live Here", "If I was Your Girl", and "Simon vs The Homosapiens Agenda" are all brilliant books with queer themes and characters. Two Boys Kissing is so beautiful too
OMG I love David Levithan!
He's the best!
also love him. I met him when he did a talk some years back at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival. I was an awkward mess but he was really sweet (and wrote a super inspiring note in my copy of Wide Awake)
i'm currently reading his "every day" and as a bigender human i relate a lot to a, even though they don't have a permanent body which i assume is what prevents lots of the complications with kinds of dysphoria, from what the character describes, their gender is fluid in a way, although the spectrum isn't really specified. i personally feel like it's a wonderful representation of intersex people, which i don't think i've ever seen in any other book.
i gotta say i really hated every day. the trans representation was absolutely awful and i really couldnt enjoy it despite that. plus it falls into the "alien, robot, or other non-normal-human" category of nb representation. you do you ofc!! i just didnt like it
Great books on that list. I personally loved 'Lily and Dunkin' and 'Beautiful Music.' 'Freakboy,' 'I am Jay,' and 'Jess, Chunk and the Road Trip to Infinity' are also good.
The Boy in the Dress was also made into a really good TV film a couple of years ago!
I CHECKED TWO BOYS KISSING OUT FROM MY SCHOOL LIBRARY YESTERDAY AGSHSAAHDD (I saw that in the thumb nail)
I've read two children's books about trans kids recently, George by Alex Gino and The Other Boy by M.G. Hennessey. I'd really recommend them both, they're really sweet stories but they don't shy away from the difficulties trans kids go through. It's so important for kids to have books with trans characters in them
This isn't a book but in Greek mythology, there are many trans stories. Of course, it happens through magic lol. One that stands out is Iphis and Ianthe. Iphis was born in a poor family, the mother was Egyptian but the father was Greek and they lived in Crete, which is why the story involves Egyptian as well as Greek gods. They're so dirt poor, mother's pregnant, father says it better be a boy. If the baby's a girl he'll kill her because they're high maintenance and he needs a son to help him. So the mother, when she delivers and sees it's a girl, prays to the goddess Isis who tells her to hide the child's gender. Iphis is raised as a boy but it suits him well cause he identifies as a boy anyway. Well in ancient Greece youths were courted by older men because the love of another more experienced man would teach them how to be men (according to Aristotle only men were capable of true love. yeah, VERY sexist.). Except Iphis, aside from having an innie, only liked women. He was in love with Ianthe. To summarize, after many a trial, Iphis proposes marriage and on their wedding night Hera, who presided over their wedding, deems Iphis a proper man in soul and transforms his body into a male one.
Another one would be when Zeus transforms himself into his daughter Artemis to have lesbian sex with her lady in waiting, Callisto. (shivers) ew. what's to be expected of the guy married to his sister that goes around raping every man, woman, cow, and tree that he sees.
Very interesting, Thanks for Sharing ☺️
David Ramer was from my hometown. His story was EVERYWHERE while I was growing up and definitely informed the aggressive internalised transmisogyny that kept me from even questioning my gender until my late 20s. (See also my still very cismale RUclips presence even though I'm anything but). (Gonna split my recommendation into a new thread for ease of responses)
I just started reading Darling Days this morning! I love iO's writing so far. And picking up Rethinking Normal in a book store was one of the things that got me to start seriously questioning my transness, so that will always hold a special place in my heart. I know you put George in the description box, but speaking from the perspective of someone who's read it and works with kids in that age range on a regular basis, it does a really great job of explaining what it means to be trans. I think it should be required reading for cis kids (and their parents) looking to learn more, or for any kid questioning their gender. The Other Boy is good for the transmasculine side of things for kids.
You should definitely add When The Moon Was Ours by Anna Marie McLemore to your tbr list, it's a fantastic realism book, where one of the two main characters is a trans guy. It's a really good book and I'm currently translating it to Spanish cause it's the only fantasy book I could find with a main trans character (especially an ftm one). And btw, the author is a cis woman married to a trans man so the two main characters are kind of a representation of them, while the book also addresses other things such as race, sexuality and cultural diversity. (I should mention that the book has a few explicit sex scenes, but the tone of the language used really makes it smooth)
Edit: I just checked Jackson's to read list, and the book is actually there, but I'll still leave this in case anyone else just wants a fantastic story like me.
So many great book recommendations! I'm headed to the library later so I'll probably pick one or two up! I read At the Broken Places a few weeks ago and I really liked it!
When the moon was ours is so so so so so so so good I love it so much it addresses another cultures perspective and how that impacts trans people and its not as much a trans story as a story with a trans character and how that impacts the story is done so well I love it so much
ugh yesss, my teacher (who is trans) gave me a copy because his classmate from high school wrote it!
Who's it by?
@@leojune4131 I'm currently translating it to Spanish and the author is a cis woman called Anna Marie McLemore and she's married to a trans man, so the book goes mostly from the point of view of Miel, cause Sam's chapters are all shorter, but it has really good insight cause of how close she is to a real trans guy. It's a really good book, lots of LGBT characters and a good story with lots of secrets and mystery (it's fantastic realism).
ESCAPE FROM ASYLUM IS A GREAT TRANS INCLUSIVE BOOK! Its in a series that looks like it would be a normal everyday YA series, but a lot of the people in it are all different letter of the LGBTQIA+ acronym. Escape From Asylum features an African American trans woman who was put into an asylum by her parents, but luckily she meets a lovely bi boy there and together they help each other get through anything and everything.
I totally recommend the book, 'The Art of being Normal' it is an amazing book that includes two views of both female to Male and Male to female transgender people.
i made it through the whole video without seeing "I am J" and i was super happy, but then i looked in the description and there it is, the worst book i've ever bought. the titular character promotes binding with ace bandages, is homophobic + misogynistic and sexually assaults the girl he claims to love while she's asleep, later saying "i think you wanted it"
hybridfuckingcomplex I recently read this book and I am also finding a lot of issues with it. J acts very rude to his friends and family because they aren’t mind readers. I worry that if this is the first bit of information a younger transgender kid reads he’ll get the wrong idea about literally everything. From binding with ace bandages, him running away so he doesn’t have to face coming out, and tons of other possibly dangerous things for newfound trans kids looking for information. Side note, while his best friend was a serial flirt, he didn’t have the right to make a move in her sleep and he never apologized simply claiming she wanted it. Not cool, J. Very disappointing read.
@@puddlesthecube I've read it and really didn't like it either.
This was such a good video! I will definitely be picking up Darling Days and Whipping Girl now. I'm also wondering if anyone has any recs for books with trans lesbian characters in, to go along with the ones Jackson has recommended?
The goodreads community has your back: www.goodreads.com/list/show/30049.Trans_Lesbian_Books
sapphictea From this Goodreads list I would especially recommend Nevada! It's a novel that follows a trans woman who basically leaves her job and girlfriend and goes on this epic road trip. It's very dominated by her internal monologue and is just so readable
Dreadnought is about a fifteen year old gay trans girl.... who also happens to be a superhero... soooooooooooo
A Safe Girl to Love is a series of short stories with primarily lesbian protagonists. It can be pretty emotional though.
Wandering Son is a manga/anime with a one as a main character
AAAAAAA Alex As Well is a good book too. It's about someone born intersex but their parents sent them to an all-girls school. I can't remember anything else but I cried like a little weenie and it's just a really good book
You seem like a super chill guy, thanks for the lovely recommendations. Hope you are having a nice day👍💛
I watched the documentary about the boy who was raised as a girl. Super interesting and also heartbreaking.
Also you should start a booktube channel :p
One good, but hard to read ya book is Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher. It's definitely not a happy book, and it focus on a teenage trans girl, and I don't want to spoil anything. I wouldn't recommend it to someone just coming to term with their gender, because again, it's not a happy book, but it's well written and pretty good imo.
Jackson uploads a book video and I am here for it. The only book I've read off this list is Beautiful Music for Ugly Children. I liked it but I found it weird that all of the female characters were love interests to the mc. Like there were no platonic relationships. :( anyway, great video!
Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller is one of my favorites. It’s a ya novel. The main character is genderfluid, so I love the representation there. The love interest is bi. It doesn’t obsess over the main character’s agab, but it does show their reaction to being misgendered. There’s also a lot of action and intrigue. It’s really a fun book with great representation. I personally love it and will recommend it to anyone and everyone.
Paused the video multiple times to switch to my library app and put some of these books on hold
I just bought and read all of Dreadnought yesterday, and I can't recommend it enough.
it's about a trans superhero and it felt like it was written specifically for me
You sold me on Whipping Girl, I'm definitely going to check it out. I've always been curious about privilege and folks' experiences with/without it after transitioning. Thanks for this list!!
Loved the video Jackson! I will definitely have to read some of those books. One trans book that I read and really enjoyed this summer was This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. It is about a mother and her trans feminine child. It goes through the journey of her struggling to best support her child and help them to find their identity. Though it is a fiction book the author has a gender nonconforming child and was inspired by her own experiences. As a cis-gender person I don't know how relatable it would be to a trans person but I really enjoyed it and the questions it raised about the best way to support trans kids.
I have only read two of the books (Two Boys Kissing and Beautiful Music For Ugly Children) in this video but now I am going to log on to my libraries website and request a bunch of the ones you recommended.
I will post my own list of recommendations soon (have to grab some books off my shelf to double check the titles)
The Danish Girl is an *excellent* read! Absolutely adore it.
I absolutely love your booktube-ish videos, Jackson, I love how you talk about books! I hope you do more of them!
Lovely Vid!! I wrote abt None of the Above for my dissertation, so i was super excited that you had it in ur intro haha. You didnt talk about it but i know its not trans though theres some overlap so its either that or its on ur TBR list ^^ I loved it for its intersex representation and Gregorio's obvious efforts to make everything accurate -if I had any complaints it would be mostly literary as the plot gets thin sometimes and Gregorio's not amazing at in depth characterization (but its her first book so). I found a lot of the things that happened a little disappointing seeing as it was touted as the first positive happy-ending intersex novel BUT i think so long as you keep in mind these various things and the fact that Gregorio might not be as in with the queer knowledge and history, I think the reading should be fine!
Yeah, I ended up cutting it from the final cut for time since my review of it included a whole education on what intersex means. Could've been its own video! I love the book though. I've had the pleasure of meeting Ilene Gregorio a few times and her passion for being a responsible ally is very refreshing.
Jackson Bird Maybe the next vid could be on intersex texts ^^ My entire senior year was spent on studying them, particularly those that were fictional BUT didnt involve fantasy environments, so I have a list of books that could be helpful
Awesome video, Jackson! "Beautiful Music for Ugly Children" was on my reading list before, but is definitely now at the top of my list. I actually put a book on hold that's on the Nonbinary reading list that I plan on picking up tomorrow called "Lizard Radio". I haven't had much time to read with summer classes, but I'm really looking forward to reading these! Hope you have a great day :D
A great book that really changed my life in more ways than one is “The 57 Bus,”
As a trans guy in middle school, it was absolutely amazing for my teacher to talk to the entire class about the book in the beginning of the year, causing many of my friends to read it and become educated, completely changing their outlook on things ❤️
It is also my FAVORITE book! For numerous reasons, not just because it contains a non binary main character. It really is just overall a great experience
I read parrotfish in a school book club before I even realized I was trans, it was the first depiction of a trans masculine person that I had ever seen and I remember identifying so hard with the main character but being too scared to tell anyone about my feelings. I pushed all the thoughts of how I felt this way to the back of my head and it wasn't until two years later that I finally came out and began my transition. In all actuality, I think this book is what made me able to come out at age 17 in very unaccepting area, or at least what kick started my gender queeries as I call them. Gotta say that it really is worth the read even though the author is not herself a trans masculine person, in my time being out I've definitely read better but still worth checking out if you can. Might give it a reread myself now that I think about it
This will help me find some books for upcoming essays this year! Thank you! I may even let my mom read one or two, to try and understand!
Trans book as well as asexual book that is so good. Every heart a door way
Thank you. Great suggestions I will be passing on to my book club for our next meet up!
Gender Failure by Rae Spoon and Ivan Coyote is a co written book of essays by two masculine presenting individuals that follows their journeys of being a gender non conforming country singer and the ups and downs of top surgery. So good!
beautiful music for ugly children is one of my all time favourite books! i relate to gabe so so much (esp the mess of 'coming out' not being one simple event but is instead a long process)
thanks for making this video, im defo gonna check tons of these out!
Some more good YA books: The Art Of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson,
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo, Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer and Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky for younger readers
One of my favourites is When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore. It’s sort of like magical realism and it’s based off of a Mexican folk story or something and one of the main characters is a trans guy and he’s really well represented.
I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman is about fandoms and fame. one of the two main characters is trans but the story doesn’t focus on it. Gracefully Grayson is another good one for younger people about a trans girl who gets the lead in her school play.
The Nemesis Series by April Daniels and Not your Sidekick by C.B. Lee are some of my favourite middle grade/teen books and both have trans characters that appear often. Although Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor is probably my favourite because I was already in love with the universe and Rick Riordan decided to add a badass gender fluid character which made it even better. Can't wait to check out some of these books
I LOVE "In one person" by John Irving, Stone Butch Blues and Drag King Dreams by Leslie Fineberg, Ray Spoons writing and S. Bear Bergman(although I haven't read too much from Bergman) they also wrote a book together (I think it's called gender outlaws) wich I really enjoyed:)
Symptoms of being human is an incredible book about a nonbinary person. One of my favorite things about it is they never actually specify whether or not they're dfab or dmab. It's wonderful.
I had to discipline myself to finish watching your video before commenting.....I absolutely loved Julia Serano's book, "Whipping Girl", for all the reasons that you mentioned. It made a huge impact on how I view the world, since my own transgender discovery. I've also read Kate Bornstein, Eddie Izzard, and Janet Mock. All are great reads and good recommendations. I've also read several transwomen bio's: "Tranny" by Laura Jane Grace; "Becoming Nicole" by Amy Ellis Nutt; and "In the Darkroom" by Susan Faludi. Of course there are many many on-line transwomen bio's.....two of my favorites are Lynn Conway and Melanie Phillips. I am always looking for new reads, thanks for the recommendations.
middlesex is a great book with an intersex main character! i would definitely recommend it
Stone Butch Blues is free on Leslie Feinberg's website as a PDF! Ze released it to the public before hir death so you can just get it for free instead of paying $30-60 on amazon for a physical copy.
Really enjoyed this video, and now I just want to go out and buy all the books you mentioned plus the ones in the description. I have been wanting to read Whipping Girl for literally forever, and I have read Rethinking Normal. I really liked it, but I was sort of surprised when Katie used terms like "transgenders", and then there was a part where she goes to. an LGBT conference and gets called out (and it's rather harsh) about some problematic stuff she says, and it doesn't seem like anyone ever really gives her a good explanation about what happened. Did that bother anyone else? I'm cis myself, but I want to keep learning about gender and trans folks as much as I can, and those two things in her book confused me. I have Two Boys Kissing, and I STILL need to read it. I actually got to meet David Levithan at a book festival I went to, and HE WAS SO NICE AND GAVE ME A HUG. I still kinda can't believe that happened. It was amazing. Also, I LOVE EDDIE IZZARD SO MUCH. I didn't know he wrote a book, and now I can't wait to read it! Thank you so much for this video!
YES! Whipping Girl is the BEST!! I need to read it again!
So many great recommendations to add to MY TBR list!
I’d like to recommend to you If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo. It’s a YA novel about a trans girl living as cis in a small town. Extra cool tidbit: the model used for the cover is also trans.
A really good fantasy book I was reading has two trans character who are part of the main cast of the book and the book does focus heavily on the struggles of a trans boy. It also has some themes of Hispanic and Pakistanic heritage. The book is called "When the Moon was ours" by Anna-Marie McLemore
This video came in super handy! Because I’ve been looking for books, especially for my Masters research and the library is zero. If anyone sees this and knows of any books in relation to trans masculinity and fashion, (any relation at all) that would be class.
I'm reading A Queer History of America, which is exactly what it sounds like. It is extremely well researched and easy to read, and I love it and would recommend it to anyone who wants to know more abt queer history (in America).
If I was Your Girl by Meredith Russo was awesome! I also liked a Finnish book about FTM guy (Poika by Marja Björk) I'm not sure if it's translated but if you guys know Finnish, I recommend you to read it!
Gracefully Grayson. Possibly my favorite book. If you are a theatre nerd or part of the communtiy, you have to read it.
I'm getting my bachelor degree in Library Science soon and I swear I will make it my life's mission to have all of these (and more) at whatever library I end up working at. (and hopefully many more libraries in my country)
I read This Is How It Always Is by Lauri Frankel this summer and I really liked it. It's a fiction novel about a very young trans girl and her family, definitely worth the read!
Y'all, also, and of the Magnus Chase books by Rick Riordan includes a trans feminine genderfluid character. And it's also a great YA fiction read.
What David Reimer went through is a fascinating case. I'm actually getting the chance to write a short thesis on Dr Money and the David Reimer case, and it's such a complicated topic. Dr Money is such a complicated person and he did contribute to our current understanding of gender and sex, nor is he the first psychiatrist to do terrible things to patients who have concerns over gender or sex. When the case study of David was actually occurring, he was considered to be a forward-thinking psychiatrist, and it's our modern understanding of gender that has changed our view of Money.
Another good book is Sacred Country by Rose Tremain. It follows the life and transition of a trans man living in England (and Tennessee for a bit) in the 50s/60s. It was the first book with a trans character that I read and it's really amazing
The boy in the dress is also a tv moive !! It's good people should watch it
tr*nny by laura jane grace, who is the lead singer of against me, is absolutely amazing. it's a memoir about her entire life, but it really focuses on gender. i read it in a day, and i highly recommend it
I am really enjoying the book: Sorted by Jackson Bird.
I haven't read many trans books but I found The Art of Being Normal beautiful which is a YA book, and I'm currently reading Finding Masculinity which is a bunch of stories by trans people about their experiences
In the classroom where I have religion class in school some other class(I guess german class about 5th-7th grade) had to do book reports and everyone had to make a poster for their chosen book. I read through them before my class and one of the books was about a trans female character and her journey and I don't know who presented that book but they're my hero :D (especially because most of the books were like 5th-7th grade level :D)
Agree with you so hard about Whipping Girl. That book should be required reading for every human.
Thanks for this video. Looking forward to reading several of these.
Have you read The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater? It’s very interesting, and cool, and just a nice agender true story to dig into. I recommend it.
A Boy Like Me and Symptoms of Being Human are 2 of my favorite trans book!
Luna was one of my FAVOURITE books that I've ever read. It reads easy and it just resonated with my soul, even though I'm a trans guy and not a trans girl. It's so emotional and it's not written from the perspective of the trans girl, it's told by her sister, and it's just so emotional to see how they're both going through this at the same time and it's beautiful.
I also really love Annie on My Mind, it's a wonderful story and it really latches on to your emotions and makes you feel what the characters are feeling. It's also quite a descriptive book, a lot of the imagery in it is absolutely to die for
Luna was one of the best books I have ever read!
There is a Law & Order SVU that was based off of As Nature Made Him (or it's similar to that)
There's a book series and the first book is called lady midnight and second book has a casual trans character and it's just very good trans representation Because the whole story doesn't focus on the fact that the character is trans it I'd just a part of a story. I 100% recommend it! 😃
Other good ones that I personally love are Nevada (heavier, i would reccomend only for trans people), Cemetery boys (personal favorite, good for younger people), and felix ever after.
I really really recommend Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin. It's about a gender fluid teen trying to figure outside what they are. The author never talks about the main characters born gender and it's just so amazing. There's also a lot more representation of other gender identities in the book. I highly recommend it! It really helped me figure out my identity when I was questioning.
There is one part in the book where the characters father refers to them as his "daughter" but I'm pretty sure that's the only mention
I also recommend The Girl in the Green Dress by Cath Staincliffe. It's about an 18 year old girl who is murdered for being trans. It also touches on misogyny, toxic masculinity, racism (TW: the n word is used a couple of times), loyalty and family.
I know this was from like a year ago but a book that I found last year that I really liked was Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Realised it is from 6 yrs ago from the Eddie Izzard book, but still great recs on here and ones i have boy come across - so thanks from 6yrs ago 💜📚🏳️⚧️
any novels? storyline?
One really cute book about being trans is George, it's a short (about 100 pages) children's book about a transgirl and it's really cute and pure and I appreciate it a lot
Beautiful Music For Ugly Children? Is my favorite book of all time. I have read it 16 times. And I was absolutely hoping you would recommend it and then you did 😭
I haven't read a lot of the comments so I don't know if this had been suggested yet, but I recently read Miles Away from You by A. B. Rutledge and I really enjoyed it. The main character's girlfriend is trans, and even though her being trans isn't the main focus of the book I thought it did a pretty good job with representation. Just thought I would add to this list
I also just got this account and this is my first comment hooray
Kai Cheng Thom’s Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir (which is a Fiction novel) is an amazing book for a look at Trans women and the violence surrounding them. But Kai is a hilarious writer and brings something to such a hard topic.
The other boy (about a 12 year old trans boy) and the symtoms of being human which is so amazing and one of my favorite books
Thanks for the great recommendations! I'm looking forward to reading Whipping Girl 😄😍
I Am J is a very good book, and I totally recommend. It's about a guy who was born a female, who likes a girl. Except he never feels like he's gay, and he doesn't feel comfortable with female pronouns and such. It's about his journey through finding out who he is, transitioning and loving his true self. :) 10/10 would reccomend
At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun Hutchinson is an awesome LGBT+ book. The main characters are gay and the main's best friend is gender non-conforming (it doesn't specify exactly how the character identifies). This is also just an amazing book and story and it's written super well.
Oh, I love iO! I have to get a copy of their book!
One In Every Crowd by Ivan E Coyote is incredible. It's a series of memoirs written by a gender nonconforming/nonbinary lesbian story teller. It's really enjoyable. Even if you aren't LGBT I'd still recommend it because it's so nice. Also, Ivan is Canadian so it's all based in Canada pretty much. Yo to all my Canadian peeps!
YESSSSSS REVOLUTIONARY!! I was going to recommend it to you if you hadn't heard about it. I really loved that book from cover to cover
Some assembly required is my favorite trans themed book. I won it in a raffle along with Katie hill's book and Arin also helped my boyfriend ask me to prom! It was like the best day of my life. I related to him and his story so much and I've read it upwards of 6 times.
Love the Velvet Underground record in the floor to the left. Great music!
Parrotfish was one of the first books about trans people I ever read. And it is what introduced me to the spectrum of gender rather than the binary. The football field of masculinity to femininity metaphor changed my life
one of my favorites is freakboy. it tells the story of two trans people and it’s in a kind of poem format and it’s really cool