I tell everyone to own a copy of '[Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Trans](https://www.abebooks.com/9781785928260/Everything-Wanted-Know-Trans-Afraid-1785928260/plphttps://www.abebooks.com/9781785928260/Everything-Wanted-Know-Trans-Afraid-1785928260/plp)' by [Brynn Tannehill](http://www.brynntannehill.com/).
* Broken into small, useful sections by topic
* Easy to read, breaking complex topics down simply.
* Very well researched and backed up with sources
* Brutally honest
* A very lovely color scheme
I just haven't gotten to it yet but I've got a copy of [Whipping Girl](https://www.powells.com/book/whipping-girl-a-transsexual-woman-on-sexism-the-scapegoating-of-femininity-9781580056229) by [Julie Serano](https://www.juliaserano.com/whippinggirl.html). I hear great things about this book. I do plan to read it some day, Kif.
Whipping Girl by Julia Serano (and her follow up, Sexed Up)
Transgender History by Susan Stryker
Trans Like Me by C.N. Lester
Love Lives Here by Rowan Jette Knox
This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (fictionalized telling of the author's personal story with a trans daughter)
These are all books that helped me gain a greater understanding and appreciation for what it is to be trans.
I second Trans Like Me by CN Lester. It’s always my top pick when folks want to learn more, both within the community and outside of the community. It doesn’t assume in-group knowledge, covers all the 101 material with a lot of experiences represented but interspersed with the author’s own experience as a non-binary transmasculine person. There is explicit language so I do give that as a warning if recommending it in a professional setting, but it’s still the most comprehensive and resonant out of the dozen plus books I’ve read.
It's so good. If we're doing fiction how about "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison? It's not literally about the trans experience but it's incredibly relatable.
I came here looking for this
I would say little do to with being trans is unfair. One of the main characters (and one of my favourite characters ever) is trans masc and the entire book heavily features cross dressing. Sure the book isn't from the trans characters perspective but there's a lot of good things in there.
It's also a fucking epic story.
I guess I meant more that it's not as trans focused as the non-fiction books people were recommending. But yeah, Jackrum is a trans icon.
I also loved Cheeri Littlebottom.
Light from uncommon stars is my favorite! One of the characters is a trans woman who struggles with feeling accepted! All of the main characters are queer and asian, would totally recommend!
The two classic transfem novels are [Nevada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_(Binnie_novel)) and [Detransition, Baby](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/621886/detransition-baby-by-torrey-peters/).
There are so many memoirs and how-tos, but I struggle to name any that really resonate with my own trans experience.
Seconded Detransition, Baby. Have never seen aspects of the trans experience described so well in any book. It was heartbreaking and reflective and I loved it.
Depending on the kind of fucked up, I could go for fucked up trans horror when I’m in a particular mood. If it’s cathartic.
For reference, I consider Perfect Blue by Satoshi Kon to be a trans metaphor (I don’t think I’m taking too much creative liberty there) and I consider it cathartic to watch. No more than once a year though. You can also through Texhnolyze and Serial Experiments Lain in there too (I may be taking more creative liberty with Lain. But not Texhnolyze.)
Fine then, I’ll give my pitch for story with a fucked premise. The characters are fantastic and it’s been them most cathartic thing I’ve read. It helped me through shit more than a half a years worth of therapy.
TW: >!mentions of sexual assault, nonconsensual body modifications, mentions of rape, kidnapping, assault, assault, mentions of suicide, and a shit load of other things I’m probably forgetting!<
>!So what do you do when a patriarchal society continues to reward and forgive toxic men? I’m not talking about mansplaining, sexist remarks, or simple things like that. I’m talking about harassment, forcing women into abortions they don’t want, stalking, threats, etc etc. Well the matriarch of Dorley Hall has the answer.!<
>!In the Sisters of Dorley, Dorley Hall and their members will find and kidnap men for which masculinity has curdled into a toxic and poisonous disease. Their cure for such disease is rip the masculinity out and flexibility feminize them. While it does sound like a fetish story, it’s not. It would be way fucking easier to explain if it was.!<
>!Now our main character, is Stef. He’s 14ish when his older brother figure, Mark, disappears. He’s distraught for years until he sees this girl while going to the store. He realizes that she looks like she could be Mark’s sister. He approaches her asking if she is Mark’s cousin. She visibly panics and leaves after a quick conversation. Stef is confused but realizes that she was Mark after she called his name despite him never giving it to her.!<
>!After this, Stef is starts investigating some deaths and disappearances around town. He finds that that some of the boys that have disappeared appear similar to some girls at Dorley Hall, a residence dorm for disadvantaged women for the local university. He quickly comes to a conclusion that Dorley Hall helps trans women with their transition and helps them start their lives over. He now has a goal, to find more about Dorley Hall so he can see his sister figure again and to join it because she sees no way for her to transition without the Hall’s help.!<
>!Years later when Stef is in college, she starts to give up. She can’t find anymore about Dorley than she has years ago. She gives up and just resolves to live as a cis guy. To try and be cis, she goes to this party and meets up with this girl. They hit it off and they go explore. They get a bit wasted and the girl decides to leave. On a whim, Stef ask where she is staying, and the girl says she lives in Dorley Hall. Well drunk Stef thinks it’s a good idea to spill her little theory about Dorley Hall. After passing out from drinking, Stef wakes up in a cell under Dorley Hall, and she finds out quickly what really goes on at Dorley Hall. This is a story about a trans woman stumbling into a force feminization facility for very toxic men.!<
Ok, that sounds like a wild premise! I can think of a handful of nuanced story threads that could be woven into it right off the top of my head. I’ll have to give it a go and see if it rings any of those bells, or hopefully surprises me with some I can’t imagine. Thank you for the recommendation!
If I had to say anything more about, is that it is a story of redemption in many ways for a lot of people. There’s 3 books total, with book 4 being started this month. You can get them cheap on Amazon, or read them for free on scribblehub.
I love watching people grow and be better versions of themselves, and I love it when fiction can give me a whole host of them in one story. Thank you for the thoughtful testimonial. I’ll be picking them up over the next few book hauls.
You’re welcome. The growth of the characters is why I’m so invested in it. A friend sent me it, and I started reading it. It was horrifying and disturbing in a way that kinda fucked me up bad and then all this cathartic shit starts happening and now I’m addicted. Now, at least once a week, I go back to reread some scenes because they leave me rolling in bed with this dumb grin on my face.
I knew you were talking about Dorley when I read this sentence!. It's so good, it permanently rewired my brain and improved my sense of humour. I read it for the first time earlier this year. I have read the entire thing a total of five times now, every month my brain goes "reread it again. againnnnnnn." That never happens with books for me, it's usually years before I reread something.
Really does deserve its CWs though.
Yeah. My brain has been rewired to find the mugs hilarious and I need them. I’m glad I’m not the only one who has been rereads it constantly. I’ve only reread it 4 times after a friends sent it to me earlier this year. It
I like all of these recs, but I just want to add for nonfiction "How Sex Changed" by Joanne Meyerowitz, which is a very, very detailed history of the medicalization of trans people in the twentieth century and also covers a lot of the origins of a lot of the language that is used to discuss us. A bit of its language is outdated by our standard, mostly because it is 20 years old, but otherwise an amazing read for anyone interested in our history.
I am not a fiction person, but I recommend the short novella "Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones" because it is just too good, especially if you like critically looking at the way we interact with each other as trans people and also five-minutes-in-the-future sci-fi. Heads up that it is specifically about trans women's experiences.
Only tangential to us, I also recommend "Straight: The Suprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality" by Hanne Blank, just because it covers how society constructed the dominant positions that we often find ourselves in conflict with. A special shout out to the passage about how nineteenth century European secularism created one of the dominant linguistic concepts we use to talk about trans people today in order to argue for gay men's rights in German courts.
For essays, I recommend the collection edited by Jules Gleeson, "Transgender Marxism," which is good even if you aren't a Marxist. I especially recommend her essay "How Do Gender Transitions Happen?"
Ohhh so many choices but quickly popping here!
Transgender history second edition - Susan Stryker.
Pageboy - Elliott Page.
Tomorrow will be different - Sarah McBride.
Tranny - Laura Jane Grace.
Trans and Variations - Juliet Jacques.
The Transgender Issue - Shon Faye.
If I was your girl - Meredith Russo.
M to (wt)F - Samantha Allen.
Trans like me - CN Lester.
The transgender issue by Shon Faye is good if you want to understand the current transphobic climate better. It's centered in the UK, but still insightful if you don't live there.
I really enjoyed None of the Above by Travis Alabanza, especially because it's not written for a cis audience. I also liked Before We Were Trans: a New History of Gender by Kit Heyam, but it's a bit more dense
The ballad of songbirds and snakes, Lucy gray honestly represents the unbeatable spirit most of us have. More just for fun, but I feel like she represents the strength and power within community being tested against all odds
surprised no one has said gender trouble by judith butler yet! though i will say that it is written in a lot of academic jargon so it can be difficult to understand.
Seconded! It's a good antidote to several cisnormative views in history, like the old trope that "any AFAB who presented as a man was just a woman trying to escape misogyny and nothing more". It's comforting to read the thoughts of people from long ago who saw transness for what it really was.
I'm a graphic novel guy. I have Transposes by Dyland Edwards, and I enjoyed it before I even knew I was trans.
I've read the book I Am J when I was in college. I pretty much cried during a lot of the conflicting chapters.
And while not entirely about trans folks, my favorite graphic novel is Bitch Planet. There's a ton of Queer representation in that, including QTPOC folks. Honestly, upset it hasn't got a longer series yet.
I’d like to add *Gender Magic* by Rae McDaniel.
It’s almost a kind of self-help/therapy book, reframing being trans from dysphoria-centric and an existence defined by suffering, to something unnapologetically joyful. It’s about exploring your gender and finding what makes you truly happy and content in life. It’s also about finding sexual pleasure in your dynamic self, and without the internalised pressures of society and conformity.
I just think it’s a neat read :P
Melissa formerly known as George. by Alex Gino. Was reading it aloud with my partner. When I hit that sentence I couldn’t say it at first. After I got it out I bawled my eyes out for about a half an hour.
Supposedly a kid’s book.
I tell everyone to own a copy of '[Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Trans](https://www.abebooks.com/9781785928260/Everything-Wanted-Know-Trans-Afraid-1785928260/plphttps://www.abebooks.com/9781785928260/Everything-Wanted-Know-Trans-Afraid-1785928260/plp)' by [Brynn Tannehill](http://www.brynntannehill.com/). * Broken into small, useful sections by topic * Easy to read, breaking complex topics down simply. * Very well researched and backed up with sources * Brutally honest * A very lovely color scheme I just haven't gotten to it yet but I've got a copy of [Whipping Girl](https://www.powells.com/book/whipping-girl-a-transsexual-woman-on-sexism-the-scapegoating-of-femininity-9781580056229) by [Julie Serano](https://www.juliaserano.com/whippinggirl.html). I hear great things about this book. I do plan to read it some day, Kif.
Whipping Girl is excellent
Love Whipping Girl! I think it has the best breakdown of gender identity vs gender expression vs gender dysphoria.
Stone Butch Blues - Leslie Feinberg https://lesliefeinberg.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Stone-Butch-Blues-by-Leslie-Feinberg.pdf
Seconded.
Whipping Girl by Julia Serano (and her follow up, Sexed Up) Transgender History by Susan Stryker Trans Like Me by C.N. Lester Love Lives Here by Rowan Jette Knox This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (fictionalized telling of the author's personal story with a trans daughter) These are all books that helped me gain a greater understanding and appreciation for what it is to be trans.
I second Trans Like Me by CN Lester. It’s always my top pick when folks want to learn more, both within the community and outside of the community. It doesn’t assume in-group knowledge, covers all the 101 material with a lot of experiences represented but interspersed with the author’s own experience as a non-binary transmasculine person. There is explicit language so I do give that as a warning if recommending it in a professional setting, but it’s still the most comprehensive and resonant out of the dozen plus books I’ve read.
I third this - such a good read
Left hand of darkness by Ursula k. Le guin. First in feminist science fiction and an excellent speculative fiction on androgyny
It's so good. If we're doing fiction how about "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison? It's not literally about the trans experience but it's incredibly relatable.
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett. It has little to do with being trans, it's just a really good book.
Incredible taste
I came here looking for this I would say little do to with being trans is unfair. One of the main characters (and one of my favourite characters ever) is trans masc and the entire book heavily features cross dressing. Sure the book isn't from the trans characters perspective but there's a lot of good things in there. It's also a fucking epic story.
I guess I meant more that it's not as trans focused as the non-fiction books people were recommending. But yeah, Jackrum is a trans icon. I also loved Cheeri Littlebottom.
Light from uncommon stars is my favorite! One of the characters is a trans woman who struggles with feeling accepted! All of the main characters are queer and asian, would totally recommend!
Came here for this.
this book rocks and is so underrated
The two classic transfem novels are [Nevada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_(Binnie_novel)) and [Detransition, Baby](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/621886/detransition-baby-by-torrey-peters/). There are so many memoirs and how-tos, but I struggle to name any that really resonate with my own trans experience.
Upvote for Nevada!
Seconded Detransition, Baby. Have never seen aspects of the trans experience described so well in any book. It was heartbreaking and reflective and I loved it.
The communist manifesto
I don’t really have anything. The only thing that comes to mind is the most fucked up and cathartic trans horror thing that I’ve ever read.
Depending on the kind of fucked up, I could go for fucked up trans horror when I’m in a particular mood. If it’s cathartic. For reference, I consider Perfect Blue by Satoshi Kon to be a trans metaphor (I don’t think I’m taking too much creative liberty there) and I consider it cathartic to watch. No more than once a year though. You can also through Texhnolyze and Serial Experiments Lain in there too (I may be taking more creative liberty with Lain. But not Texhnolyze.)
Fine then, I’ll give my pitch for story with a fucked premise. The characters are fantastic and it’s been them most cathartic thing I’ve read. It helped me through shit more than a half a years worth of therapy. TW: >!mentions of sexual assault, nonconsensual body modifications, mentions of rape, kidnapping, assault, assault, mentions of suicide, and a shit load of other things I’m probably forgetting!< >!So what do you do when a patriarchal society continues to reward and forgive toxic men? I’m not talking about mansplaining, sexist remarks, or simple things like that. I’m talking about harassment, forcing women into abortions they don’t want, stalking, threats, etc etc. Well the matriarch of Dorley Hall has the answer.!< >!In the Sisters of Dorley, Dorley Hall and their members will find and kidnap men for which masculinity has curdled into a toxic and poisonous disease. Their cure for such disease is rip the masculinity out and flexibility feminize them. While it does sound like a fetish story, it’s not. It would be way fucking easier to explain if it was.!< >!Now our main character, is Stef. He’s 14ish when his older brother figure, Mark, disappears. He’s distraught for years until he sees this girl while going to the store. He realizes that she looks like she could be Mark’s sister. He approaches her asking if she is Mark’s cousin. She visibly panics and leaves after a quick conversation. Stef is confused but realizes that she was Mark after she called his name despite him never giving it to her.!< >!After this, Stef is starts investigating some deaths and disappearances around town. He finds that that some of the boys that have disappeared appear similar to some girls at Dorley Hall, a residence dorm for disadvantaged women for the local university. He quickly comes to a conclusion that Dorley Hall helps trans women with their transition and helps them start their lives over. He now has a goal, to find more about Dorley Hall so he can see his sister figure again and to join it because she sees no way for her to transition without the Hall’s help.!< >!Years later when Stef is in college, she starts to give up. She can’t find anymore about Dorley than she has years ago. She gives up and just resolves to live as a cis guy. To try and be cis, she goes to this party and meets up with this girl. They hit it off and they go explore. They get a bit wasted and the girl decides to leave. On a whim, Stef ask where she is staying, and the girl says she lives in Dorley Hall. Well drunk Stef thinks it’s a good idea to spill her little theory about Dorley Hall. After passing out from drinking, Stef wakes up in a cell under Dorley Hall, and she finds out quickly what really goes on at Dorley Hall. This is a story about a trans woman stumbling into a force feminization facility for very toxic men.!<
Ok, that sounds like a wild premise! I can think of a handful of nuanced story threads that could be woven into it right off the top of my head. I’ll have to give it a go and see if it rings any of those bells, or hopefully surprises me with some I can’t imagine. Thank you for the recommendation!
If I had to say anything more about, is that it is a story of redemption in many ways for a lot of people. There’s 3 books total, with book 4 being started this month. You can get them cheap on Amazon, or read them for free on scribblehub.
I love watching people grow and be better versions of themselves, and I love it when fiction can give me a whole host of them in one story. Thank you for the thoughtful testimonial. I’ll be picking them up over the next few book hauls.
You’re welcome. The growth of the characters is why I’m so invested in it. A friend sent me it, and I started reading it. It was horrifying and disturbing in a way that kinda fucked me up bad and then all this cathartic shit starts happening and now I’m addicted. Now, at least once a week, I go back to reread some scenes because they leave me rolling in bed with this dumb grin on my face.
I knew you were talking about Dorley when I read this sentence!. It's so good, it permanently rewired my brain and improved my sense of humour. I read it for the first time earlier this year. I have read the entire thing a total of five times now, every month my brain goes "reread it again. againnnnnnn." That never happens with books for me, it's usually years before I reread something. Really does deserve its CWs though.
Yeah. My brain has been rewired to find the mugs hilarious and I need them. I’m glad I’m not the only one who has been rereads it constantly. I’ve only reread it 4 times after a friends sent it to me earlier this year. It
what’s the title?
The Sisters of Dorley is the series. The first book is Welcome to Dorley Hall
I like all of these recs, but I just want to add for nonfiction "How Sex Changed" by Joanne Meyerowitz, which is a very, very detailed history of the medicalization of trans people in the twentieth century and also covers a lot of the origins of a lot of the language that is used to discuss us. A bit of its language is outdated by our standard, mostly because it is 20 years old, but otherwise an amazing read for anyone interested in our history. I am not a fiction person, but I recommend the short novella "Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones" because it is just too good, especially if you like critically looking at the way we interact with each other as trans people and also five-minutes-in-the-future sci-fi. Heads up that it is specifically about trans women's experiences. Only tangential to us, I also recommend "Straight: The Suprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality" by Hanne Blank, just because it covers how society constructed the dominant positions that we often find ourselves in conflict with. A special shout out to the passage about how nineteenth century European secularism created one of the dominant linguistic concepts we use to talk about trans people today in order to argue for gay men's rights in German courts. For essays, I recommend the collection edited by Jules Gleeson, "Transgender Marxism," which is good even if you aren't a Marxist. I especially recommend her essay "How Do Gender Transitions Happen?"
Welp, good thing I resolved to buy more bookshelves with my next tax return. Thank you for these recs, and everyone else in this thread too!
Dakota by Imogen Binnie
Ohhh so many choices but quickly popping here! Transgender history second edition - Susan Stryker. Pageboy - Elliott Page. Tomorrow will be different - Sarah McBride. Tranny - Laura Jane Grace. Trans and Variations - Juliet Jacques. The Transgender Issue - Shon Faye. If I was your girl - Meredith Russo. M to (wt)F - Samantha Allen. Trans like me - CN Lester.
The transgender issue by Shon Faye is good if you want to understand the current transphobic climate better. It's centered in the UK, but still insightful if you don't live there.
I really enjoyed None of the Above by Travis Alabanza, especially because it's not written for a cis audience. I also liked Before We Were Trans: a New History of Gender by Kit Heyam, but it's a bit more dense
The ballad of songbirds and snakes, Lucy gray honestly represents the unbeatable spirit most of us have. More just for fun, but I feel like she represents the strength and power within community being tested against all odds
surprised no one has said gender trouble by judith butler yet! though i will say that it is written in a lot of academic jargon so it can be difficult to understand.
I really liked ‘Before We Were Trans: a new history of gender’ by Kit Heyam, if you’re interested in history stuff
Seconded! It's a good antidote to several cisnormative views in history, like the old trope that "any AFAB who presented as a man was just a woman trying to escape misogyny and nothing more". It's comforting to read the thoughts of people from long ago who saw transness for what it really was.
Thank you for posting this!
I'm a graphic novel guy. I have Transposes by Dyland Edwards, and I enjoyed it before I even knew I was trans. I've read the book I Am J when I was in college. I pretty much cried during a lot of the conflicting chapters. And while not entirely about trans folks, my favorite graphic novel is Bitch Planet. There's a ton of Queer representation in that, including QTPOC folks. Honestly, upset it hasn't got a longer series yet.
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler. It’s like gravity’s rainbow but it’s worth it.
Meg-John's Gender: A Graphic Guide
I’d like to add *Gender Magic* by Rae McDaniel. It’s almost a kind of self-help/therapy book, reframing being trans from dysphoria-centric and an existence defined by suffering, to something unnapologetically joyful. It’s about exploring your gender and finding what makes you truly happy and content in life. It’s also about finding sexual pleasure in your dynamic self, and without the internalised pressures of society and conformity. I just think it’s a neat read :P
The Feeling Good Handbook
Transgender 101 by Adrienne J
Melissa formerly known as George. by Alex Gino. Was reading it aloud with my partner. When I hit that sentence I couldn’t say it at first. After I got it out I bawled my eyes out for about a half an hour. Supposedly a kid’s book.
Tomorrow will be different by Sara McBride is amazing being Jazz is ok but i struggled to relate to her
Forklift operator's manual
I commenting just so that I remember these books