Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion
2016 Read Harder Challenge
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Task 12: Read a Book By or About a Person Who Identifies as Transgender
My pick for this one will be Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More. I have completed this task. I enjoyed this book. 3/24 tasks completed.
I'm reading Becoming Nicole: the Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt for this task.
LGBTQ+ Book Recommendations by Jen Campbell is also a really good place to find some suggestions for this task :)
I'm thinking about reading All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders for this challenge task. She's the editor of a blog I really like that has great book recommendations, and her new book sounds like a really interesting mix of scifi and fantasy.
I had She's Not There recommended to me, and it seems like it will be a worthwhile read, so that's what I've got written down.
Dom wrote: "George"I am also going to go with George as it was recommended in a few of the other threads.
Would the underground girls of Kabul by Jenny nordberg count for this task? I'm not sure how many of them are doing it for freedom or because they're transgender. If anyone knows that would be a great help as I really want to read it anyway
Rainey wrote: "My pick for this one will be Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More"Mine too. I'm reading it for a book club selection, so it's perfect.
Would Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides qualify for this category? Please forgive my ignorance- thank you!
Betsy wrote: "Would Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides qualify for this category? Please forgive my ignorance- thank you!"Absolutely, it was the first book I thought of.
I hadn't realized until yesterday that The Drowning Girl would qualify in this category, and I've been wanting to read it for quite a while now. I'm torn between continuing with my plan to read She's Not There (a book outside of my "usual") and switching to The Drowning Girl (more firmly within my literary wheelhouse). The spirit of the challenge would suggest I go for She's Not There, but it's so tempting to use the challenge as an excuse to read something I already wanted to.
Shortlist: Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family
George
Being Emily
Stone Butch Blues
Sean wrote: "I hadn't realized until yesterday that The Drowning Girl would qualify in this category, and I've been wanting to read it for quite a while now. I'm torn between continuing with my ..."
The Drowning Girl sounds like it would also qualify for the "mental illness" category, so maybe you can have your codex and read it. :)
The Drowning Girl sounds like it would also qualify for the "mental illness" category, so maybe you can have your codex and read it. :)
Betsy wrote: "Would Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides qualify for this category? Please forgive my ignorance- thank you!"That is about an intersex person, not a trans person (it's an excellent book!)
I've selected Hedwig and the Angry Inch by John Cameron Mitchell. I'm also interested in reading I Am My Own Wife: The True Story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, but I'm not aware of whether the author identified as transgender.
I found this one: Kill Me Loudly: A Memoir of Gender Dysphoria, Music, and AddictionLaura Jane Grace is the singer for the punk band Against Me.
Don't know if it only applies in the UK but Verso have got 90% off all ebooks at the moment, including Trans: a Memoirhttp://www.versobooks.com/books/1975-...
Cheryl wrote: "I am going to read
."This is one I am thinking about reading as well. Either that or
.
Dom wrote: "Sean wrote: "I hadn't realized until yesterday that The Drowning Girl would qualify in this category, and I've been wanting to read it for quite a while now. I'm torn between contin..."How does it fit into the category? Book sounds interesting --
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More - by Janet MockNevada - by Imogen Binnie
She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders - by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman- by Leslie Feinberg
I think I'm going to read The Danish Girl and check off this box as well as the book/movie category! Has anyone else read it?
is this category strictly adhering to the notion of transition within the binary or are people who do not identify with gender, such as S. Bear Bergman, included?
Andrea wrote: "I think I'm going to read The Danish Girl and check off this box as well as the book/movie category! Has anyone else read it?"I'm planning to read that one, as my list on Goodreads shows I own it , and I even remember buying it, but so far I haven't been able to track it down in my shelves and stacks of unread books!
Jaleenajo wrote: "I'm thinking about reading All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders for this challenge task. She's the editor of a blog I really like that has great book rec..."Thanks for that suggestion. I think that is the one I am going to go with. Sounds really interesting.
I'm wondering if Annabel would fit here. The main character is intersex, raised as a boy, but "as Wayne grows into adulthood within the hyper-masculine hunting society of his father, his shadow-self, a girl he thinks of as "Annabel," is never entirely extinguished" (from the book description).
Possibilities: Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition
I'm looking at one of these threeNevada - Imogin Binnie
A Safe Girl to Love - Casey Platt
Trans - A Memoir - Juliet Jacques
Of course, if Laverne Cox's book comes out this year it goes to the absolute top of my list... ;)
I've been interested in Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, mentioned in one of the BR posts linked above, for quite a while! Has anyone read this one?
Books mentioned in this topic
Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity (other topics)The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan (other topics)
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family (other topics)
Parrotfish (other topics)
If I Was Your Girl (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Tanwi Nandini Islam (other topics)Seanan McGuire (other topics)
Michael R. Underwood (other topics)
Banana Yoshimoto (other topics)
Alex Gino (other topics)
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A few resources to get you started:
http://bookriot.com/2015/02/01/trans-...
http://bookriot.com/2015/01/07/3-ya-t...
http://bookriot.com/2014/07/17/lgbtq-...