VPL Picks: Trans, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit - Biographies and MemoirsLike this list

22 items

• Cactus Country

  a Boyhood Memoir

  Bossiere, Zoë, 1992-

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  "Though many of the boys and men in Bossiere's orbit were violent and troubled, the author mirrored their dress and mannerisms to gain their acceptance. Once puberty struck, Bossiere's ambiguous gender expression and impoverished circumstances began…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Crooked Teeth

  a Queer Syrian Refugee Memoir

  Ramadan, Ahmad Danny

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  "“Ramadan reminds us why memoir is so important. This is an engrossing account of one queer man’s journey through a life filled with danger, yes, but also great joy. A beautiful read that adds nuance to the stories of so many refugees.” -- Garrard…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• AntoloGaia

  Queering the Seventies, a Radical Trans Memoir

  Marcasciano, Porpora

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  ""This is a book of exploration-of gender, of one's life, of things one has dared to dream. Like the people we meet, the stories Porpora Marcasciano tells are cradled in a radical trans love, and isn't that one of the best kinds of love? As you…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• No Son of Mine

  a Memoir

  Corcoran, Jonathan

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  "Born and raised in rural West Virginia, Jonathan Corcoran was the youngest and only son of three siblings in a family balanced on the precipice of poverty. His mother, a traditional, evangelical, and insular woman who had survived abuse and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Felt the End Before It Came

  Memoirs of a Queer ex-Jehovah's Witness

  Cox, Daniel Allen

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  "Novelist Cox (Mouthquake) examines his break with his Jehovah's Witness upbringing in these elegant essays. The author probes the controlling dynamics of the Watch Tower Society and the complex repercussions of his "disassociation" from the group…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hijab Butch Blues

  a Memoir

  H, Lamya

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  "Lamya H. debuts with a thoughtful examination of her queer South Asian identity and Islamic faith. [...] The narrative is profoundly emotional, and Lamya’s determination to fight for a better world hits home: “I’m also not faithless enough to think…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Pageboy

  a Memoir

  Page, Elliot, 1987-

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  A vulnerable account of actor Elliot Page's journey to coming out as a trans man -- a nonlinear reflection on his childhood in Nova Scotia, struggles with his family, and the pressure of being a young actor in Hollywood, affecting his mental health…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Another Appalachia

  Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place

  Avashia, Neema

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  2023 Lambda Literary Award Finalist: Lesbian Memoir/ Biography. "Another Appalachia" is a reflection of experiences from a queer South Asian woman as she navigates the complexities of race, class, and culture from both her desi background and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Natural Mother of the Child

  a Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood

  Malcolm Belc, Krys

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  "This memoir and call to action centers on what it means to be a parent, when being a parent conflicts with your identity and sense of self." -- Library Journal

• Nonbinary

  a Memoir

  P-Orridge, Genesis, 1950-2020

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  "In a memoir spanning decades of artistic risk-taking, Genesis P-Orridge, the inventor of "industrial music," founder of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, and world-renowned fine artist takes us on a journey through creativity and destruction,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Crossing

  a Transgender Memoir : With a New Afterword

  McCloskey, Deirdre N.

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  "Crossing is the story of McCloskey's dramatic and poignant transformation from Donald to Dee to Deirdre. She chronicles the physical procedures and emotional evolution required and the legal and cultural roadblocks she faced in her journey to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Heart Holds Many

  My Life as the Nonbinary Millennial Child of a Polyamorous Family

  Creation, Koe

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  Discussing their multi-parent, polyamorous family and childhood, Koe Creation’s memoir This Heart Holds Many is about growing up and becoming an adult in a non-standard family situation.

• Angry Queer Somali Boy

  a Complicated Memoir

  Ali, Mohamed Abdulkarim, 1985-

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  "Writing from a homeless shelter in downtown Toronto, Mohamed "Mo" Ali chronicles how he ended up there in this powerful and often irreverent memoir of exile, addiction, and racism. [...] Interwoven with world history and sociopolitical commentary…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Year Without a Name

  Dunham, Cyrus Grace, 1992-

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  This meditative memoir by 27-year-old writer and activist Dunham, who uses they/them pronouns, provides a diaristic account of their unresolved relationship to gender and their journey to becoming Cyrus (the one boy name their parents had chosen…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Not Just a Tomboy

  a Trans Masculine Memoir

  Baldwin, Caspar J., 1989-

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  "A story of one trans man's exploration of gender identity, set against changing cultural attitudes from the 90s to the present day.... With its unflinching portrayal of the vulnerability, confusion, dysphoria, empowerment, peace and joy that are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Have Always Been Here

  a Queer Muslim Memoir

  Habib, Samra

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  "The 2019 memoir, Habib's first book, chronicles the journalist and photographer's early childhood in Pakistan, her experience with religious persecution, her arrival to Canada as a refugee and her journey of coming out as a proud queer Muslim…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• At the Broken Places

  a Mother and Trans Son Pick Up the Pieces

  Collins, Mary, 1961-

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  "A parent and a transgender son recount wrestling with their differences as Donald Collins undertook medical-treatment options to better align his body with his gender identity. .... A memoir and resource that offers a road map for families in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• One Bead at a Time

  a Memoir

  Little Thunder, Beverly

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  The oral memoir of Beverly Little Thunder, a two-spirit Lakota Elder from Standing Rock, is transcribed verbatim with her keen sense of humour and melodious tone leaping off the page. As an activist, Little Thunder has been a part of the A.I.M.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tomboy Survival Guide

  Coyote, Ivan, 1969-

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  Tomboy Survival Guide is a funny and moving memoir told in stories about how they learned how to embrace their tomboy past while carving out space for those that don't fit neatly into boxes and labels.

• Becoming Nicole

  the Transformation of An American Family

  Nutt, Amy Ellis

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  The story of Nicole is the story of a girl, her identical twin brother, and the journey of her family to understand and celebrate gender diversity. Coming together, this family confronts their own prejudices and join a community of courageous…Read moreRead more of this annotation