Trans books for Trans Rights Readathon!
Mar. 20th, 2025 07:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wyrmloreI personally don't like readathons or participate in them, but for the occasion I figured I'd share some recommendations for the Trans Rights Readathon, which lasts from March 21 to March 31 this year in support of Trans Day of Visibility on March 31. Trans rights are human rights and there is no LGB without the T, so I wanted to do this small thing to support trans folks. I've read all of these and I tried to prioritize trans, nonbinary, and gender queer authors in this list. I hope you'll find something to your liking.
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Contemporary fiction. Shows how life can be messy, with characters who are outside of social norms. The main characters are a trans woman, her ex who used to be a trans woman but detransitioned, and the ex's new girlfriend who gets pregnant.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Historical fantasy. Takes place in China and follows the monk Zhu as she assumes her dead brother's identity and does everything in her power to become the emperor. The other POV-character is the Mongol general Ouyang, a eunuch. The characters are very morally grey, which makes them interesting to follow, even if Zhu can get a little annoying at times with her expectation for things to just work out perfectly. There is also a sequel that I enjoyed, but I felt the first book was much better.
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Middle grade, fantasy. Jam grew up in a city where there are no monsters, supposedly. But when a creature named Pet steps out of her mother's painting to hunt a monster, Jam needs to figure out if there are still monsters after all. A surreal but still powerful story! It's for a young audience, but still a very good read and deals with some darker themes.
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Fantasy. Biggest middle finger to the HP franchise I've come across. It follows five women in a secret governmental coven of witches in modern times. There's a prophecy that spells disaster that the adult main characters have to battle. It's by no means a perfect book, the feminist and social justice message is very on the nose and feels almost forced, but still a fun twist on what you'd associate with a secret magical society hidden from normal people during modern times. One POV character is very transphobic, though, so be warned.
The Otherwoods by Justine Pucella Winans
Middle grade, fantasy. Main character River is born with the ability to see monsters and travel to the spirit world called The Otherwoods. No one believes River, so they believe it's better to ignore the monsters and The Otherwoods. Until their friend and crush Avery is kidnapped, that is. To save Avery, River faces their fears and travels to The Otherwoods with only their cat for company.
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
This one defies genres, but has both fantasy and scifi elements. Shizuka made a deal with the devil and to escape damnation, she needs to sacrifice seven other souls. When she meets transgender runaway Katrina, who is a talented violin prodigy, she things she found her seventh target. In a donut shop she meets Lan, an interstellar refugee, and when she gets to know both Lan and Katrina better, she begins to question whether she can go through with it.
To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda
Manga (1 volume) and short story collection. Only the titular story qualifies, but it's still a very good story. It's about a trans man who exploits his own feminine body for social media views while he skins and butchers animals. He's conflicted between being himself and being a good 'daughter' to his ailing father.
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Memoir, graphic novel. Maia explores eir asexual and nonbinary identity.
Transgender History by Susan Stryker
Nonfiction. It's a bit dry, but gives a good overview of trans history.
The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye
Nonfiction. Essential reading if you want to understand what trans people face on a daily basis.
Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas
Young adult, fantasy. Very cute romance and ghost story interwoven with latino culture. Yadriel wants to prove himself to his family, but ends up summoning the ghost of Julian, the resident bad boy of high school. The two spend a lot of time together and you can predict where this is going, but it's a fun read all the same.
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
Science fiction. Follows Aster as she lives on the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space ship that ferries the last of humanity to a new planet and is structured like the antebellum south. Hopefully. This is not an easy book to read, but well worth it.
A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White
Science fiction. Doesn't have trans characters but the author is trans. It's a very fast-paced romp about a crew of smugglers who stumble upon a conspiracy and have to save the universe. The characters start out really unlikable, but they grew on me overtime. This book is the first in a trilogy.
Boys Run the Riot by Keito Gaku
Manga, 4 volumes. It gives a good idea about what it's like to be a trans high school student in Japan. It explores expressing yourself through street fashion in a society that values conformity.
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
Contemporary fiction. Shows how life can be messy, with characters who are outside of social norms. The main characters are a trans woman, her ex who used to be a trans woman but detransitioned, and the ex's new girlfriend who gets pregnant.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Historical fantasy. Takes place in China and follows the monk Zhu as she assumes her dead brother's identity and does everything in her power to become the emperor. The other POV-character is the Mongol general Ouyang, a eunuch. The characters are very morally grey, which makes them interesting to follow, even if Zhu can get a little annoying at times with her expectation for things to just work out perfectly. There is also a sequel that I enjoyed, but I felt the first book was much better.
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Middle grade, fantasy. Jam grew up in a city where there are no monsters, supposedly. But when a creature named Pet steps out of her mother's painting to hunt a monster, Jam needs to figure out if there are still monsters after all. A surreal but still powerful story! It's for a young audience, but still a very good read and deals with some darker themes.
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Fantasy. Biggest middle finger to the HP franchise I've come across. It follows five women in a secret governmental coven of witches in modern times. There's a prophecy that spells disaster that the adult main characters have to battle. It's by no means a perfect book, the feminist and social justice message is very on the nose and feels almost forced, but still a fun twist on what you'd associate with a secret magical society hidden from normal people during modern times. One POV character is very transphobic, though, so be warned.
The Otherwoods by Justine Pucella Winans
Middle grade, fantasy. Main character River is born with the ability to see monsters and travel to the spirit world called The Otherwoods. No one believes River, so they believe it's better to ignore the monsters and The Otherwoods. Until their friend and crush Avery is kidnapped, that is. To save Avery, River faces their fears and travels to The Otherwoods with only their cat for company.
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
This one defies genres, but has both fantasy and scifi elements. Shizuka made a deal with the devil and to escape damnation, she needs to sacrifice seven other souls. When she meets transgender runaway Katrina, who is a talented violin prodigy, she things she found her seventh target. In a donut shop she meets Lan, an interstellar refugee, and when she gets to know both Lan and Katrina better, she begins to question whether she can go through with it.
To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda
Manga (1 volume) and short story collection. Only the titular story qualifies, but it's still a very good story. It's about a trans man who exploits his own feminine body for social media views while he skins and butchers animals. He's conflicted between being himself and being a good 'daughter' to his ailing father.
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Memoir, graphic novel. Maia explores eir asexual and nonbinary identity.
Transgender History by Susan Stryker
Nonfiction. It's a bit dry, but gives a good overview of trans history.
The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye
Nonfiction. Essential reading if you want to understand what trans people face on a daily basis.
Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas
Young adult, fantasy. Very cute romance and ghost story interwoven with latino culture. Yadriel wants to prove himself to his family, but ends up summoning the ghost of Julian, the resident bad boy of high school. The two spend a lot of time together and you can predict where this is going, but it's a fun read all the same.
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
Science fiction. Follows Aster as she lives on the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space ship that ferries the last of humanity to a new planet and is structured like the antebellum south. Hopefully. This is not an easy book to read, but well worth it.
A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White
Science fiction. Doesn't have trans characters but the author is trans. It's a very fast-paced romp about a crew of smugglers who stumble upon a conspiracy and have to save the universe. The characters start out really unlikable, but they grew on me overtime. This book is the first in a trilogy.
Boys Run the Riot by Keito Gaku
Manga, 4 volumes. It gives a good idea about what it's like to be a trans high school student in Japan. It explores expressing yourself through street fashion in a society that values conformity.
