Nonfiction titles exploring what it means to be transgender. Spanning topics from memoirs and history, to parenting a transgender child.


Decolonizing Trans/Gender 101

B. Binaohan
Adult Non-Fiction - 306.768 Bin

This book provides a short, accessible disruption of the hegemonic and imperial aspirations of white trans/gender theory. It seeks to remedy the reductive (and, thus, violent erasure) that nature of trans/gender 101s that seek to explicate (but really construct) a white trans/gender discourse assumed to have universal legitimacy. A legitimacy that has widespread implications and consequences far beyond the borders of whiteness.


Gender Failure

Rae Spoon
Adult Non-Fiction - 306.768 Spo

Ivan E. Coyote and Rae Spoon are accomplished, award-winning writers, musicians, and performers; they are also both admitted "gender failures." In their first collaborative book, a poignant collection of autobiographical essays, lyrics, and images, Ivan and Rae explore and expose their failed attempts at fitting into the gender binary, and how ultimately, our expectations and assumptions around traditional gender roles fail us all.


In the Darkroom

Susan Faludi
Adult Non-Fiction - 800.92 Faludi Fal

"In the summer of 2004, I set out to investigate someone I scarcely knew: my father." When the feminist writer learned that her 76-year-old father–long estranged and living in Hungary–had undergone sex reassignment surgery, the investigation turned personal and urgent. Faludi's struggle to come to grips with her father's reinvented self takes her across borders–historical, political, religious, and sexual–to bring her face-to-face with the question of the age–is identity something you "choose," or is it the very thing you can't escape?


I’m Afraid of Men

Vivek Shraya
Adult Non-Fiction - 921 Shraya Shr

A powerful meditation on the damaging effects of masculinity from a trans girl–a writer with celebrated indie roots and a knack for dismantling assumptions and challenging the status quo. Toxic masculinity takes many insidious forms, from misogyny and sexual harassment to homophobia, transphobia, and bullying. Vivek Shraya has firsthand experience with nearly all of them. This book is a culmination of the years Vivek spent observing men and creating her own version of manhood. Through deeply personal reflection, she offers a rare and multifaceted perspective on gender and a hopeful reimagining of masculinity at a time when it's needed more than ever.


Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More

Janet Mock
Adult Non-Fiction - 921 Mock Moc

In this landmark book, an extraordinary young woman recounts her coming-of-age story as a transgender teen–a deeply personal and empowering portrait of self-revelation, adversity, and heroism. In 2011, Marie Claire published a profile of Janet Mock in which she publicly stepped forward for the first time as a trans woman. Redefining Realness offers a bold new perspective on being young, multiracial, economically challenged, and transgender in America. 


Stuck in the Middle With You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders

Jennifer Finney Boylan
Adult Non-Fiction - 800.92 Boylan Boy

A father for six years, a mother for 10, and for a time in between, neither, or both, Jennifer Finney Boylan has seen parenthood from both sides of the gender divide. When her two children were young, Boylan came out as transgender, and as Jenny transitioned from a man to a woman and from a father to a mother, her family faced unique challenges and questions. In this thoughtful, tear-jerking, and hilarious memoir, Jenny asks what it means to be a father, or a mother, and to what extent gender shades our experiences as parents. 


Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians

Austen Hartke
277.3083 Har

This book provides access into an underrepresented and misunderstood community and aims to change the way readers think about transgender people, faith, and the future of Christianity. By introducing transgender issues and language, and providing stories of both biblical characters and real-life narratives from transgender Christians living today, Hartke helps readers visualize a more inclusive Christianity, equipping them with the confidence and tools to change both the church and the world.


Transgender Children and Youth: Cultivating Pride and Joy with Families in Transition

Elijah Nealy
Adult Non-Fiction - 306.768 Nea

Elijah C. Nealy, a therapist and former deputy executive director of New York City’s LGBTQ Community Center, and himself a trans man, has written the first-ever comprehensive guide to understanding, supporting, and welcoming trans kids. Covering everything from family life to school and mental health issues, as well as the physical, social, and emotional aspects of transition, this book is full of best practices to support trans kids.


Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity

Julia Serano
Adult Non-Fiction - 306.768 Ser

Julia Serano, a transsexual woman whose supremely intelligent writing reflects her diverse background as a lesbian transgender activist and professional biologist, shares her powerful experiences and observations–both pre- and post-transition–to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women, as well as gender and sexuality as a whole. In addition to debunking popular misconceptions about transsexuality, Serano makes the case that today's feminists and transgender activists must work to embrace and empower femininity–in all of its wondrous forms.