[TDOV 2024] book recs

Continuing to make this an annual thing. Even though I haven't been reading much recently :/

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March 2021, after my partner asked me, "I’m proofing a Transgender Day of Visibility doc for someone in [a Facebook group]. Do you have particular kid or adult books you’d recommend? (And how is it that I don’t actually have any?)" I pulled a bunch of book recs and made a post. I've continued to make a list each year, which you can check out on the trans tag.

I included the publication year (and publisher), since I know queer lit can often feel dated as Discourse, language, etc. changes. I also tried to flag the identities of the authors as far as I knew, since I want to mainly center trans voices.

picturebooks

I made a whole blogpost list of picturebooks featuring protagonists who use they/them pronouns where the story isn't About Gender. Here are my favorites:

Hold that Thought! written by Bree Galbraith & illustrated by Lynn Scurfield (August 15, 2021 by Owlkids)
[Author uses she/her pronouns. Illustrator uses she/they pronouns.]

Finn (they/them) wakes up in the middle of the night with an idea. They share it with others, which helps it grow and develop. There's a brief bit near the end where a bully is dismissive of Finn's idea, which causes it to shrink dramatically -- but this is quickly resolved (arguably too quickly, in terms of the bully's redemption arc).

Timid by Harry Woodgate (June 28, 2022 by little bee books)
[Author-illustrator uses they/them pronouns.]

A light-skinned kid (they/them pronouns) named Timmy who loves performing ... until there's an audience! This book is a delight (including the illustrations, and Timmy's new friend Nia).

How Are You, Verity? written by Meghan Wilson Duff & illustrated by Taylor Barron (August 22, 2023 by Magination Press)
[Author uses they/them pronouns. Illustrator uses she/her pronouns.]

An autistic Black kid (they/them pronouns) named Verity who loves sea life and struggles some with social scripts.

middle grade

Dear Mothman by Robin Gow (2023, Abrams) -- author's bio says, "He is an out and proud autistic bisexual genderqueer person passionate about LGBTQIA+ issues. [...] Robin prefers the pronouns it, fae, and he but all pronouns except for “she/her” are alright."

This reminded me of Kyle Lukoff's 2021 MG novel Too Bright to See (listed in my 2022 TDOV list), but sadder.

Noah is grieving. and trans. and autistic. Each of those things shapes him, but none of them is the totality of who he is.

young adult

The Witch King (2021) and The Fae Keeper (2022) by H.E. Edgmon (Inkyard Press) -- author uses he/they pronouns, per the book jacket, and is Seminole.

YA fantasy duology

Wyatt, our protagonist, is a witch who was betrothed to a fae prince. He ran away from the fae kingdom for Reasons and transitioned. Emyr, the fae prince, comes looking for him, insisting they need to get married for Reasons. Emyr totally rolls with the fact that Wyatt is a guy, and Wyatt is hella gay (in general, and for Emyr specifically).

Issues of being trans come up, and there are some instances of transphobia, but mostly it's about colonization and other stuff. I think the books do a good job of engaging with the reality of being trans while not making that the focus of the book.

other

[non-fiction] Fine: A Comic About Gender by Rhea Ewing (2022, Liveright/W.W. Norton) -- author uses they/them pronouns

I think of this as aimed at adults but also appropriate for teens -- and many libraries in my local network have shelved it as TEEN/YA. Is this in part because it's a graphic novel? Maybe.

I read this for a library book club and initially felt like I wasn't gonna learn anything new from it, but I ended up getting pretty into it. There are ways in which I liked this better than Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer: A Memoir (2019, Turtleback Books -- author uses e/em pronouns). Possibly because this is about gender generally (instead of various aspects of Kobabe's identity)? Possibly because this includes a variety of perspectives and that felt more educational to me?