For transcending the traditional binary mindset, here is a list of recommended fiction written by and/or about transgender or nonbinary people. This list was made as an addition to the Transgender Authors and Fiction list.


The Boy With a Bird in His Chest: A Novel

Emme Lund
Adult Fiction - Lund

Owen was born with a hole in his chest and since he was five days old, and Gail the talking java sparrow has lived there ever since. Owen must keep himself and Gail hidden, until friendships, love, and growing up change Owen’s world in this moving coming-of-age story.


Dead Collections

Isaac Fellman
Adult Fiction - Fellman

Sol Katz—trans man, archivist, vampire, and fanfiction writer—meets Elsie, widow of the author of the cult TV show that just happens to be the subject of Sol’s writing. Readers will be pulled into a whirlwind romance in this offbeat and lyrical novel.


Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir

Kai Cheng Thom
Adult Fiction - Thom

In this surrealist coming-of-age novel, an Asian trans girl runs away from her abusive home in Gloom and meets a group of trans femmes in the City of Smoke and Lights. When one of their own is murdered, these women form a vigilante gang to take revenge and protect their sisters.


Just Like Home

Sarah Gailey
Adult Fiction - Gailey

After 12 years away, Vera Crowder returns to the home her serial killer father built to take care of her dying mother. It turns out the house isn’t done revealing its secrets in this menacing, bleak horror story.


Manhunt

Gretchen Felker-Martin
Adult Fiction - Felkerm

In a post-apocalyptic world where a virus targets humans with testosterone in their bodies, two trans women and a trans man band together to navigate this violent world. Get ready for this action-packed, disturbing horror novel.


Nevada

Imogen Binnie
Adult Fiction - Binnie

Maria, a 29-year-old trans woman, is struggling to get her life together. After breaking up with her girlfriend and losing her job, she embarks on a trip out West, eventually meeting the struggling young James, who she attempts to mentor. This groundbreaking novel, which has recently been reissued, is a complex and introspective look into a transgender narrative.


The Seep

Chana Porter
Science Fiction & Fantasy - SF Porter

A peaceful alien invasion transforms Earth into a utopia, but 50-year-old trans woman Trina Goldberg-Oneka cannot accept this new reality. As she pushes against her transformed world and its supporters, Trina must take a haunting look at the world, and who she is, to escape the Seep.


She Who Became the Sun

Shelley Parker-Chan
Science Fiction & Fantasy - SF Parkerc

When her brother dies, a second daughter steals his identity. In doing so, she decides she’s destined for power. This complex and epic high fantasy will leave its reader excited for the sequel.


Slug: and Other Stories

Megan Milks
Adult Fiction - Milks

This gruesome, thought-provoking collection of short stories whimsically queers gender, physical bodies, desire, and identity.


Summer Fun

Jeanne Thornton
Adult Fiction - Thornto

Immerse yourself in one woman’s experience of fandom, small town living, relationships, creativity, and transgender identity in this witty, Lambda Literary Award winner. This novel is written as a series of letters to a 1960s rock band leader.


Tripping Arcadia: A Novel

Kit Mayquist
Adult Fiction - Mayquis

When Lena takes a job as a doctor’s assistant to a wealthy and mysterious family, her disgust at what the job actually entails leads her to use her knowledge and position to teach the family a lesson. This compelling Gothic novel will have readers in suspense waiting for the outcome of each twist.


Wrath Goddess Sing

Maya Deane
Adult Fiction - Deane

In this dramatic and suspenseful version of The Iliad, we meet Achilles as she is transitioning into her true female form. What follows is a web of plots, magic, battles, and a compelling personal journey.