Short Trans Books to Read In One Sitting
You can finish these before the end of the Trans Rights Readathon!
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The Trans Rights Readathon ends tomorrow, so I thought I’d give you some recommendations of trans books you can start and finish by then! From novellas to graphic novels to poetry, there are lots of options for squeezing in a few more books before the readathon comes to a close. Don’t forget to boost other creators’ content and donate as well, if you can!
Trans Books To Read In One Sitting
A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities by Mady G. & Jules Zuckerberg
This is a great primer to queer and trans identities, with cartoons to explain the concepts. Whether you’re looking to familiarize yourself with experiences outside of your own or to explore your own identity, this is a great choice — and it’s under 100 pages!
Beyond the Gender Binary (Pocket Change Collective) by Alok Vaid-Menon
The Pocket Change Collective is a series of tiny books on big topics. This one is just 64 pages, and it’s from the point of view of a gender nonconforming artist who shows that gender is a whole colorful spectrum of possibilities. Like A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities, this is also an unintimidating intro to the topic: it makes a great gift! (Or you can just leave it out on the coffee table when relatives visit…)
Disintegrate/Dissociate by Arielle Twist
Another great option when you want to read a book that packs a punch in a few pages is to pick up some poetry. In this award-winning collection, Twist writes about being an Indigenous trans woman.
Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition by Julia Kaye
I had to include some comics, of course. Super Late Bloomer was originally a webcomic that documents Julia Kaye’s early days of transition.
The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught
This is a short and sweet YA cozy fantasy graphic novel about two friends, one of whom is nonbinary. Together, they set off to find rare mushrooms for a bakery order and end up stumbling into an adventure — while falling for each other.
I'm Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya
In this 96-page nonfiction work, Shraya discusses being seen as too feminine when she was perceived as a boy — and seen as not feminine enough when she came out as a trans woman. She documents the damage she’s endured from misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia — and argues our view of gender has to change.
Coffee Boy by Austin Chant
Admittedly, this one might be pushing the definition of a “one sitting” read, but it is only 162 pages. This romance follows two men — one cis, one trans — working as political campaign organizers. They initially butt heads, but the more time they spend together, the more those feelings change.
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Queer Bookish Goodies
Show off your trans lit collection with this trans reads sign! $25
That's it for me! Until next time, you can find me at my sapphic book blog the Lesbrary. You can hear me on All the Books, and you can also read my Book Riot posts and subscribe to my other Book Riot newsletter, Read Harder.
Happy reading!
Danika