Read on Twitter
Are you looking for books by trans and non-binary people, to learn more about their experiences and to celebrate their achievements & creativity? Well here's a 
of books from my TBR pile. (Sadly haven't had the energy to do as much reviewing this year as I'd hoped.)
of books from my TBR pile. (Sadly haven't had the energy to do as much reviewing this year as I'd hoped.)
Let's start with a couple that I have actually reviewed, so you've got something longer to read while I'm pulling the rest of this thread together. Here's "Trans in Britain: Our Journey From the Shadows", a non-fiction anthology edited by Christine Burns. https://mixedupinclassics.wordpress.com/2020/11/20/trans-britain-burns/
And here's a review of Janet Mock's first autobiography, "Redefining Realness", in which she talks about her childhood, her transition and the importance of considering intersections of race and class as part of trans experiences: https://mixedupinclassics.wordpress.com/2020/11/13/redefining-realness-mock/
"Non-binary lives: An anthology of intersecting identities", edited by Jos Twist, Ben Vincent, Meg-John Barker and Kat Gupta, is similar to "Trans in Britain" (above) but focusing just on NB identities. With 30 chapters, it showcases a wide range of very different experiences.
In their book "Unicorn: The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen", Amrou Al-Kadhi - also known as Glamrou - talks about their identity as a queer non-binary Iraqi growing up in the UK (including their education at Eton), their drag career, and their changing relationship to Islam.
Juliet Jacques' 2015 book, simply entitled "Trans: A Memoir", emphasises the music, books and movies which helped her to understand her gender identity, and what it means to be a trans woman in the public eye as a journalist; the book arose in part from a Guardian column.
Shout-out at this point to the Cambridge LGBTQ+ book-club which I've attended virtually a few times, and which brought Juliet Jacques' book onto my radar - these spaces are vital! Here are some reflections from the discussion that they had about her book: https://cambridgelgbtbookclub.com/our-books/december-2020?rq=Jacques
Another memoir: "Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out and Finding My Place", by Jackson Bird. Jackson already had a reputation as a prominent YouTuber when he came out as a trans man; his book combines an honest account of his experiences with explanations of key trans rights issues.
I know folk don't always have the capacity for long-form non-academic reading, and Jackson's YouTube channel is a great alternative format for learning about what it means to be a trans man. Plus you get to hear and see his joy on-screen!
I think this is the final non-fiction book in my TBR: "Trans Like Me: A Journey for All of Us" by CN Lester. This book includes personal experiences, but primarily explores and unpacks common attacks on trans people, such as conversion therapy, bathroom bills & radical feminism.
On to fiction then. I read "An Unkindness of Ghosts" by Rivers Solomon before I started by review blog (will re-read and review at some point), so I can tell you that it is AMAZING but also painful. It's a sci-fi book set on a spaceship modelled on the antebellum South.
"Cemetery Boys" by Aiden Thomas is a queer YA fantasy novel about a trans teen in LA who tries to prove to his family that he's a man by finding the ghost of his murdered cousin before the Día de Muertos - but accidentally summons the ghost of a classmate instead.
In "Queen of the Conquered", a secondary-world fantasy (the first in a series) heavily influenced by the Caribbean islands, Kacen Callender offers the story of Sigourney Rose, last survivor of a noble family who seeks revenge against the colonisers & enslavers who killed them.
"If I Was Your Girl", by Meredith Russo, is a YA book about Amanda, a young trans girl negotiating life at a new school, and exploring teenage romance, while worrying about how her new friends will react when they find out that she's trans.
"Freshwater", by non-binary Igbo & Tamil author Akwaeke Emezi, follows the story of an ogbanje (an Igbo spirit, often malevolent, born into a human body); it explores how the spirit complicates and upsets the life of the human host Ada when she moves to the USA.
Canadian author Jia Qing Wilson-Yang's debut novel, "Small Beauty", won the 2017 Lamba Literary Award for Transgender Fiction; it's about Mei, a trans woman dealing with grief after the death of her cousin, navigating racism and transphobia, and exploring queer family history.
Finally, "Jonny Appleseed" by Oji-Cree author Joshua Whitehead [NB: not trans; see next tweet], is about a Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer "glitter princess" and sex worker living in the big city who is preparing to return to the rez for his stepfather's funeral.
![Finally, "Jonny Appleseed" by Oji-Cree author Joshua Whitehead [NB: not trans; see next tweet], is about a Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer "glitter princess" and sex worker living in the big city who is preparing to return to the rez for his stepfather's funeral.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E0LhS1_XsAIYSGF.jpg "Finally, \"Jonny Appleseed\" by Oji-Cree author Joshua Whitehead [NB: not trans; see next tweet], is about a Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer \"glitter princess\" and sex worker living in the big city who is preparing to return to the rez for his stepfather's funeral.")
Joshua Whitehead is Two-Spirit, an identity which is often falsely considered equivalent to "Western" concepts of being trans or non-binary. Whitehead is *not* trans (see below), but included here as a reminder to look beyond colonial gender binaries. https://www.tiahouse.ca/joshua-whitehead-why-im-withdrawing-from-my-lambda-literary-award-nomination/
I'll end with a plug for some independent bookshops in the UK that you can support if you'd like to buy some of these books. I've made purchases from websites of the following queer bookshops: @TypeLeeds @CategoryIsBooks @gaystheword @PortalBookshop @Lighthousebks @QueerLitUK
It's only a small thing, but I hope this thread has given you ideas to add to your own shelves. As a cis gay man, I believe that the fight for trans rights is the most pressing LGBT+ issue in the UK, and I want to stand with and support trans people in academia & beyond. 
