Transgender Lives, Transgender Voices

The gentle rasp in author Paula Stone Williams's voice speaks of how much she has used it as a minister, church leader, counselor, and singer. Her vocal control, specifically her alterations in pacing, intonation, and emphasis, reveals her remarkable intellectual curiosity and allegiance to honesty as she shares skillful observations of social relations in American culture. At... Read More

Dr. Barres's autobiography is a straightforward account of the life of one of the leading neuroscientists of our time who happened to be transgender. The audiobook has three themes: the discovery of the importance of a distinct type of brain cell and the promise it holds for understanding a wide range of debilitating conditions, gender discrimination within the scientific... Read More

Abby Stein narrates her engrossing memoir of growing up in the insular Ultra-Orthodox Hassidic Jewish community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Stein’s Yiddish accent connects listeners more deeply with her upbringing in a large family strongly bound by rabbinic traditions. The author’s openhearted account of struggling with heightened expectations to perform as a male while coming... Read More

Read by the author, this compelling story of a twin boy who from the age of 3 consistently asserted that he was a girl offers insight into the emotions and challenges of transgender youth and their families. Nutt, a science writer for the WASHINGTON POST, has compiled a chronicle of the family's journey, paying attention to the feelings and evolution of both parents and the... Read More

Author and narrator Dr. Kit Heyam's incisive global history of transgender, intersex, and queer experiences, both lived and fictional, encourages listeners to reexamine the past with fresh eyes. Their companionable narration creates space for thoughtful engagement with the cultural, linguistic, and social factors that permeate our contemporary understanding of historical people... Read More

In 2015, the picture book I AM JAZZ, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, about a transgender girl, was No. 3 on the American Library Association’s Top Ten Banned Books. Now Jazz Jennings gives voice to her story in a new way by narrating what she calls her memoir on growing up transgender. Jennings’s youthful enthusiasm and her acute memories of the difficulties posed by... Read More

The theme of self-discovery drives this realistic audiobook featuring Dean, a high school thespian who has recently realized he is transgender. Playing Romeo in a nontraditional school production of ROMEO AND JULIET inspires Dean to recognize that masculinity isn't just a role for him--it's what he is. So he begins the complicated and ever-continuing process of coming out as... Read More

Author-narrator Jodie Patterson, who is a social activist and entrepreneur, shares her relatable struggle to find a harmonious balance of self, family life, and career. Her conversational style engages listeners with her account of her formative New York City childhood and undergraduate years at Spelman College. Patterson's love and respect for her family are at the heart of... Read More

With sensitivity, courage, and easy humor, transgender advocate and playwright Shakina Nayfack takes listeners on a tour of Thailand's Chonburi International Hotel. There, a fascinating group of transgender women, portrayed by a capable ensemble that includes nine transgender actors, have gathered to recuperate after gender confirmation surgery, sometimes known as gender... Read More

The reissue of Jan Morris's 1973 autobiography translates well to the audiobook medium. A well-known travel writer, Morris was one of the first people in public life to discuss her experiences as a transgender person. Roy McMillan's narration includes authentic accents for characters of different cultures and changes in pacing that enhance the peaks and valleys of unfolding... Read More

Dani Martineck's quiet narration, full of longing and anger, sometimes wry and sometimes earnest, is as richly layered as this remarkable novel. Sol is a trans vampire who is trying to survive by living in the basement archive where he works. When he falls in love with the widow of a famous lesbian TV writer, he's finally inspired to confront his future. Martineck smoothly... Read More

This is perhaps Igbo and Tamil writer Akwaeke Emezi's most vulnerable--and groundbreaking--book. In a series of letters to the people in their life, Emezi explores their experience as an embodied spirit, a nonhuman living in human flesh. Their writing is bold and absolutely unapologetic. So is their narration. Even while describing the most painful moments, their narration... Read More

In a voice sporting a perfect balance of brash courage and vulnerability, transgender writer and narrator MW Cartozian Wilson playfully captures the life of a dog walker extraordinaire. Penfield R. Henderson is a young trans man who is trying to make his way in a surreal world of designer hormones, B-list celebrity hookups, social-media obsession, and unfulfilled societal and... Read More

When Gendered Intelligence, the UK charity that supports trans kids, sought a writer to interview and compile interviews with youth who self-identify as trans, the choice of Juno Roche, founder of the Trans Teachers Network, proved to be perfect. Trans narrator CN Lester channels both the author and the spirit of the project to produce excellent listening results. Their clear,... Read More

Vivek Shraya warmly narrates her tenth-anniversary edition of connected short stories inspired by her own childhood. Shraya's youthful tone reflects a curious boy's innocence as he navigates coming of age with Hindu parents unwilling to discuss bodies, sex, and queerness. This book was originally published before the author began to identify as transgender. Shraya's emotional... Read More

YouTube lifestyle vlogger Gigi Gorgeous's vivacious personality and candor illuminate her narration. Before launching into her memoir, Gigi shares a glossary of "Gigi-isms" for listeners unfamiliar with the words that pepper her speech, which include "everything," "hundo P," and "eek-a-deek." Growing up in Toronto, Gigi struggled with gender identity and sexuality, coming out... Read More

Excellent storytelling by Playdon, the cofounder of the UK's Parliamentary Forum on Gender Identity, and transgender narrator Rebecca Root quickly pulls listeners into a life story that created a gap in British social justice law. Ewan Forbes (1912-1991) lived his life as male from early childhood, supported in his identity by his family and peers. Although he won a 1965 court... Read More

Model and activist Geena Rocero shares her story in this poignant and powerful memoir. Her narration is full of life--sometimes buoyantly joyous, sometimes breathless with tension, sometimes playful and tinged with laughter. She recounts her teen years as a pageant queen in the Philippines, her immigration to the U.S., the years she spent closeted while working as a model, and... Read More

Memoirs are often best when they're read by the author, and Lucy Sante's intimate and poignant account of her journey from assigned-male-at-birth to female-presenting is sometimes raw, sometimes soft, and altogether genuine. Her own voice delivering vignettes from her life resonates with authenticity. Sante's lifelong success as a writer comes through in her near-poetic... Read More

Everyone else thinks she’s a boy named George, but 10-year-old Melissa knows she’s a girl. When her fourth-grade class puts on a play of CHARLOTTE’S WEB, what Melissa wants more than anything is to play Charlotte. Narrator Jamie Clayton's voice is distinctive, though not necessarily young, but she infuses her delivery with a childlike enthusiasm that fits this middle-grade... Read More

Selenis Leyva, known for her role as inmate Gloria Mendoza in "Orange Is the New Black," and her younger sister, Marizol Leyva, share their affecting memoir of family and gender identity with listeners. They frame their memoir in three parts, emphasizing the importance of honoring the identities of transgender individuals while recounting Marizol's story as a transgender woman... Read More

Author and educator Krys Malcolm Belc's ruminations on parenting, relationships, and gender identity are the foundation of this thoughtful production. Belc's writing is both intimate and accessible, with his steady narration directed toward his wife and children. The author candidly discusses his connection with his pregnant body while carrying his son before transitioning as a... Read More

Actor Elliot Page, who starred in the movie JUNO, gives an emotional, intimate performance of his gorgeous memoir. In a nonlinear structure that reflects the way that queer and trans lives often unfold, he shares moments of joy and heartbreak throughout his life--growing up in Nova Scotia, coming out as gay and then trans, falling in and out of love, and the toll of being... Read More

A veteran storyteller and performer as well as a writer, Ivan Coyote is in full control of this audiobook. Coyote, who is trans, writes about their experience in a world in which a mundane activity like using a public bathroom is not only political, but also potentially dangerous. The personal stories and essays in this collection are wonderfully varied but united by Coyote’s... Read More

Shakina Nayfack's warm, potent tones highlight the deeply personal and humane side of Porter's profound, ethereal alien-invasion story. The Seep has overhauled the world, allowing expanded consciousness and endless new experiences. Trina Fasthorse Goldberg-Oneka, a 50-year-old trans artist, cannot embrace this reality as others have, and when her wife leaves to become a child... Read More

Boylan employs her unique literary voice to tell the story of her transition as an adult to become the female she always thought she should be. The audiobook provides insight into transexualism, and hearing it directly from Boylan will augment the experience. Her narration has an air of authenticity that compensates, at least in part, for its flaws. She has a dramatic flair... Read More

Jackson Bird, a YouTube nano celebrity and professional Harry Potter fan, engages listeners as he recounts his personal journey as a bisexual trans man in the U.S. This memoir’s title plays on the fictional Hogwarts Academy’s sorting process for new students, an experience that mirrors Bird’s own process of self-realization and self-acceptance. Originally released as a zine for... Read More

Award-winning trans actor and LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist Alexandra Billings exuberantly narrates her life story. With high energy and a commanding presence, Billings lays it all on the line, candidly sharing her painful and resilient journey through sexual assault, attempted suicide, the AIDS epidemic, and extraordinary barriers to living as her authentic self. The structure... Read More

Narrator Jax Jackson quickly convinces listeners of Bug's determination to acquire a sense of self before middle school. There are several reasons for this: his beloved Uncle Roddy's death, a ghostly presence that haunts his dreams, and viewpoints he holds that don't jibe with friends' interests. Jackson's delivery also conveys the deeper uncertainty this 11-year-old is facing.... Read More

With a distinctive voice that is both light and deep, C.N. Lester delivers a broad yet personal, challenging but affirming, thoughtful and compelling introduction to many of the common questions surrounding the transgender experience. The complexity comes from the subject matter--human experience--which is both singular and shared. Lester makes the case for greater awareness of... Read More

Daniela Acitelli delivers an honest and straightforward performance in this introductory audio guide for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming youth. This audiobook serves to provide and clarify the language we use when we talk about gender identity and being trans by using inclusive language that considers each person's unique journey toward discovering their true... Read More

Narrator Mia Juul is in perfect step with model/activist Munroe Bergdorf while delivering her story and perspectives on gender, race, sex, media, politics, and transitions. The audiobook provides a candid, emotional, and, at times, painful view of Bergdorf's life as a woman who was assigned male at birth. Born to a Jamaican father and an English mother, Bergdorf draws from her... Read More

This audio anthology of short stories centers on trans and nonbinary characters in a magical setting. An ensemble cast of narrators--Nicky Endres, Avi Roque, Vico Ortiz, and Qamar Yochanan--deliver tales about students in magical schools, people whose magic doesn't fit binary and gender expectations, monstrous revenge, broomstick customization, and caring for dragon eggs.... Read More

Trans, queer witch Wyatt Croft--portrayed by narrator Dani Martineck-- escaped the fae kingdom where he was raised to find freedom in the human world. After years without the pressure of fae expectations, Wyatt is taken by surprise when his betrothed--a fae prince named Emyr--shows up to bring him home. Unperturbed by Wyatt's transgender identity and insisting they fulfill... Read More