With Trans Day of Visibility just around the corner (March 31), I decided to make this week’s recommendations books with trans and genderqueer characters. All these books feature genderqueer characters and are written by trans authors, with the exception of the Left Hand of Darkness (written by a cis woman but I couldn’t not include the classic, quintessential nonbinary book, could I?). This list is longer than usual since, as a trans reader, I have a wealth of recommendations in this area (I actually had to restrain myself not to add far more to this list), enjoy!

• The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White: This book stars a magic-wielding, autistic, transgender man during the 1800s. In a world where select people can see beyond the veil into the spirit world, women are not allowed to practice this magic. Our main character is one of these seers but, as he is biologically female, he is forbidden from using his abilities. As an autistic person living before the word existed, Silas has been lonely all his life for his odd behaviors—his flapping hands, tapping feet, unladylike interests, and his fascination with the innards of human bodies. Surrounded by a society that shuns his identity and abilities, Silas decides to go stealth, disguising himself as a cis man in an attempt to become a proper magic wielder and, hopefully, a surgeon—his dream profession. After he is caught in the act, his parents try to be rid of him by marrying him off to a nobleman. We follow Silas in his harrowing journey through a kafkaesque finishing school meant to turn him into a proper wife. This book is unapologetically gory and angry and seething—there are scenes that still haunt me. This story manages to be both accurate to the time (with the inclusion of magic) while also featuring a diverse cast of characters in terms of background and identity. This book provides a deeply personal analysis of the autistic experience and how it intersects with trans identity. Be warned, however—this book is not for the faint of heart.
• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas: Yadriel is in a community of brujo and bruja (wizards and witches), at age 15, the members of this community undergo a special quinces to unlock their powers, which they then use to assist the dead. Despite being born female, Yadriel knows he’s meant to be a brujo, not a bruja, the problem is that his family insists he either have a bruja’s quinces or no quinces at all, meaning no powers. Yadriel completes his brujo’s quinces in secret and unlocks his powers. Since his cousin Miguel has recently gone missing, Yadriel sets out on a mission to find his cousin, dead or alive, and prove himself as a real brujo—in an attempt to summon Miguel, Yadriel accidentally summons the ghost of Julian, the resident bad boy; at first Yadriel is upset at the added complication to his plan but he soon discovers that maybe he doesn’t want Julian to leave. Yadriel navigates Miguel’s disappearance, the mystery surrounding Julian’s death, and his family’s struggle to accept his identity; he also finds himself drawn to Julian in unexpected ways. This book analyzes the ways in which Yadriel’s trans identity intersects with his cultural heritage and his family’s traditions—particularly through Yadriel’s experience as a transgender Latino American in a Hispanic community, living in East Los Angeles. Thomas balances humor with themes of family—both the one we’re born into and the one we choose for ourselves. Yadriel’s story is full of twists and lovable characters, making it certainly worth a read.
• The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor: Sam Sylvester is a nonbinary autistic person with a special interest in ‘half-lived lives’—young lives cut unnaturally short. After a hate crime nearly takes their own life, Sam is forced to move from Montana to Oregon. They must navigate their identity and autism at a new high school for their final year. Their new house, however coincidentally, turns out to be the old home of one of the ‘half-lived lives’ Sam has studied, Billy Clement, who died back in the ‘80s. Sam looks further into Billy’s death and finds the circumstances surrounding it suspicious. With the help of their new friends, Sam sets out to uncover the truth behind Billy’s death. Chaos ensues when someone in Sam’s new town begins sending threats to Sam and sabotaging their efforts from the shadows. It seems that there’s someone who really doesn’t want the truth behind Billy’s death to come to light. Sam is filled with a newfound determination to uncover the truth of Billy’s untimely end—hopefully without meeting their own. This book offers a thoughtful analysis of the intersection between the autistic and trans experiences. It also delves into the effects of near-death experiences on the body and mind. With themes of found family, mystery, trauma, and healing, this book is entertaining, relatable, human, and somehow just as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming.
• The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin: Like I said in the intro, this book is the classic, quintessential nonbinary book. Written in 1969, this book is a prime example of Le Guin’s incredibly progressive and nuanced fiction, especially considering the time. In this book, we follow Genly Ai, a human male from a planet much like earth. This planet, and many others that hold intelligent life, have an alliance and space-travel between one another. When a new planet, Gethen, is discovered, Genly is sent as an envoy to make a good impression and hopefully bring them into the alliance. The problem is, the people of Gethen are very different from the people of any other planet known to Genly or the alliance, Gethenians are genderless and sexless. This book turns gender on its head for a complex analysis of what it truly means to be one sex or another; in our own society, it often those who do not conform physically or mentally to a singular sex who are ridiculed, in Gethen society, it is those who conform exclusively to one sex who are ridiculed, meaning that Genly really is an outsider to these people. This book is equal parts entertaining and harrowing, Le Guin does not hold back. I knew I had to add this book to the list as it’s one of the earliest published books with a complex discussion of gender and sexuality in fiction that exists in American literature.
• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters: This book follows Ames/Amy, Reese, and Katrina. Reese and Amy, two trans women, have a perfect relationship. The only thing that Reese wants that she doesn’t yet have is a baby. Reese has always dreamed of being a mother—but at least she has a girlfriend she loves, a job she doesn’t hate, and a comfortable life. That is until her girlfriend, Amy, detransitions and becomes Ames—the two break up and go down two separate, arguably destructive paths. That is where our story begins. Reese has developed a rather maladaptive habit of sleeping with married men, whereas Ames has begun an intimate relationship with his boss, Katrina, a divorcee who suffered a miscarriage with her last husband. Things come to a grinding halt when Ames discovers that he’s gotten Katrina pregnant, he didn’t even know he was capable of that after his years on hormone therapy. Ames would prefer to not have the baby but, after her previous miscarriage, Katrina seems to want to keep it. This forces Ames to tell Katrina the truth of his past as a detransitioned trans woman, sending both of their lives into disarray. Feeling destitute, Ames reaches out to Reese hoping that through some odd turn of events, if Katrina decides to keep the baby, Reese may want to act as a third parent—allowing Reese to fulfill her dreams of motherhood, Katrina to keep the baby, and Ames to feel less alone in navigating this complex situation. This book is emotional at one moment and hilarious the next, really a fantastic analysis of motherhood, love, female friendships, and what it truly means to be a woman.
• Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki: This book is a genre-bending masterpiece that will keep you on your toes. At the heart of the story is Katrina Nguyen, a runaway transgender teen girl and talented violinist trying to escape her traumatic past. Enter Shizuka Satomi, a legendary violin teacher who’s made a deal with the Devil—literally—to save her soul, Shizuka must deliver seven gifted violinists to Hell; with six down, Katrina might just be her seventh. But things get complicated when Lan Tran, a retired starship captain turned donut shop owner, mother of four, enters the picture. As Shizuka’s feelings for Lan grow and she witnesses Katrina’s resilience and talent, she begins to question whether her deal with the devil is worth keeping. This book is a love letter to identity, found family, and the mistakes we make. This book is utterly strange in the most beautiful way—it manages to capture the trans experience in a terribly, lovingly accurate snapshot, and stick it like a pin in a beautiful, larger collage–weaving in reflections on the Asian American immigrant experience, particularly through Lan’s family and Katrina’s navigation of identity and belonging; Aoki explores immigrant life and the threats faced by trans women of color. While the plot may sound wild (and it is), Aoki weaves it all together seamlessly, creating a story that resonates deeply. This book is a gut-wrenching adventure that, somehow, feels like a hug.

Happy Trans day of Visibility! For all my fellow trans readers out there, I hope these books make you feel seen—and for my cis readers, don’t forget, these books aren’t just for trans people, they’re all great books that can be enjoyed by a variety of audiences. Keep reading TC!