Recommended reading material?

[Samuel William]

Hi all,

 

It’s only been fairly recently that I’ve allowed myself to hang the ‘trans’ label around my own neck (such a relief to finally acknowledge it!), and in many ways I’m still processing what it means for me. Being a classical bookish introvert, the first thing I always turn to when feeling my way into something new is the hunt for reading material which will help me understand. 
 

I’ve read a couple of trans memoirs (Redefining Realness and This One Looks Like A Boy), and ordered several trans books online (You and Your Gender Identity, How to Understand Your Gender, and Trans Power). My question is: does anyone have any other recommendations for books about the trans experience, particularly (though certainly not exclusively) the FtM side of things? I’m open to pretty much anything - memoirs, biographies, history, novels, self-help, etc - that will help me understand more about the trans community and individual trans experiences. 
 

Thank you!!

 

Harry

[Kelly2509]

whipping girl (memoir, not FtM but good regardless)

gender euphoria (compilation, a little of both directions)

uncomfortable labels (memoir)

 

I really want to recommend Detransition Baby (novel) since it had me thinking about things long after I finished reading it, but there were parts in it that were so triggering and upset me so much that I just can't recommend it unless you have a high tolerance for stuff like that.  It's a great book and an interesting story, don't get me wrong, it just really upset me a couple times.

[Guest]

The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhader is an excellent novel with a FTM main character. 
 

I should want that you’ll come across Shrier’s Irreversible Damage. It IS NOT a trans friendly book.

 

I have a blog on this site where I have a list of my favorite audiobooks of the past year. Many of the titles I listen too are trans themed. 
 

I buy most of my titles through Audible or use use my local library to check out audiobooks online.

 

Youtube is a great resource for finding folks with similar stories. The well of good videos there never seems to run dry.

 

I wish you peace and happiness on your journey.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Kelly2509 said:

whipping girl (memoir, not FtM but good regardless)

gender euphoria (compilation, a little of both directions)

uncomfortable labels (memoir)

 

I really want to recommend Detransition Baby (novel) since it had me thinking about things long after I finished reading it, but there were parts in it that were so triggering and upset me so much that I just can't recommend it unless you have a high tolerance for stuff like that.  It's a great book and an interesting story, don't get me wrong, it just really upset me a couple times.

I agree that Detransition, Baby can be triggering. I’ve listened to it twice now and, of all the novels I’ve listened to, it really sticks with you. 
 

Fiction has a way of telling a truth in a way that can really resonate. I learned a lot from that book. 

[Kelly2509]

@Erica GabrielOMG yes, I wish I could talk about the ending without giving spoilers because I was thinking about it for weeks after I had finished reading it.  I read it last summer when I was about 6 months into GAHT so everything was still super fresh (not that things aren't still fresh, it's just there is a difference between 6 months and 13 months, you know?), most of the story I found extremely relatable, but there were those couple scenes that just terrified me to my core and almost convinced me to turn back.  So glad I didn't but wow did some of it hit me hard.

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, Kelly2509 said:

@Erica GabrielOMG yes, I wish I could talk about the ending without giving spoilers because I was thinking about it for weeks after I had finished reading it.  I read it last summer when I was about 6 months into GAHT so everything was still super fresh (not that things aren't still fresh, it's just there is a difference between 6 months and 13 months, you know?), most of the story I found extremely relatable, but there were those couple scenes that just terrified me to my core and almost convinced me to turn back.  So glad I didn't but wow did some of it hit me hard.

I had read that they were going to make it into a television series. 

[Vidanjali]

I just got "Gender Failure" by Rae Spoon and Ivan Coyote, but haven't started it yet. The authors are afab nonbinary. 

[Davie]

This is a simply put but articulate explanation of nonbinary gender identity.

"Everything you need to know about nonbinary gender identities" by Anita Louise McCormick. A book I found at the library. 

Thanks,

Davie

 

[Vidanjali]

Just got "Handsome, Stories of an Awkward Girl, Boy, Human" by Holly Lorka & am excited to read it. (In the title of the book, the words "girl" and "boy" are struck through.)

 

https://bookclubchat.com/chat/qa-with-holly-lorka-author-of-handsome-stories-of-an-awkward-girl-boy-human/

[Davie]

Oh, thanks, @Vidanjali. This book looks interesting—I'll read it.

— Davie

[Samuel William]

Thanks, everyone! I’ve got books on order from my local library and books on order from Amazon, and can’t wait to get started on that reading pile. 
 

I’m currently about halfway through ‘How to Understand Your Gender’ by Alex Iantaffi and Meg-John Barker, and I’m finding it fascinating so far (not to mention a source of lots of other recommendations for titles to add to my list). There’s an exercise in there which asks you to imagine your gender journey as a river, with each bend being a major event which had some impact on your experience of gender, and I’m finding that hugely thought-provoking. I think this is going to be one of those books that I re-read repeatedly as I try to figure out where I’m headed and what I want to do next. 

[Astrid]

@HarryT -- How to Understand Your Gender was the book that helped prepare me to write my coming out letter to my spouse.  I found it extremely helpful.  The exercises were invaluable. I later sat down with my wife and we covered some of the material in more detail, so she could better understand where I was coming from.

 

I continue to recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about gender.  

 

Hugs,

 

Astrid