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[AUTHOR’S NOTE] I am republishing this list as an article in preparation to revamp the Start Here page for 2025, so that you guys can keep accessing my old recommendations even as I’m promoting new ones. Ergo, this reading list is preserved essentially unaltered from the original page. I will be publishing an edited version of the list in the forthcoming Fall 2024 journal edition of TFR, which is currently under production.

Not every book on this list represents my current standards for books I promote – there are titles on this list, for example, that use AI art for their covers, which I strongly condemn and would no longer recommend.

The past year has been a learning process for me, and I wrote this article before I had spoken to a single trans author. More than anything else, being in community with my fellow authors has shaped the way I read and recommend books. The recs here lack that perspective, and I do think it shows in the substance and style of the article.

With that said, happy reading!

Are you questioning your gender and searching for fiction that’ll help you figure out what a transition might look like?

Are you a trans woman or a femmeby who’s never seen herself on the traditionally published page before?

Are you the loved one or significant other of a trans person who wants to better understand their experiences?

Or are you just looking for your next great yarn?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, or if you’re only curious to learn more about trans women in publishing, then you’ve come to the right place.

No matter what race, gender, sexual orientation, age, political background, religion, or nation, there’s a transfemme book out there that’s right for you. We’ve curated some recommendations below for good gateway novels that’ll help to introduce you to the world of trans fiction. Don’t be afraid to experiment! Check out all of our recs even if you don’t think they’ll apply for you!

Note: Remember that all of these texts are starting points. There’s a lot more out there, so don’t take this list as an end-all, be-all. Use it as a springboard, not a ladder. Don’t try to read all of them, and definitely don’t read them in the order that I’ve listed them in. I certainly didn’t love every book on this list, and unless you’re as voracious about this project as I am, you will burn yourself out very fast. Only read the books you actually want to. I’ve read almost every book this list, but there are a few that for various reasons I haven’t gotten around to yet. I’ve noted whenever I haven’t personally read a book on the list. Also, there’s basically no poetry here cause I haven’t read enough of it yet. Sorry poets.

TIER ONE – BABY STEPS

Your First Transfemme Novel

Let’s be honest – if you walk up to any trans woman and ask them to recommend you one book written by a transfemme, it’s probably going to be this one. That’s not to say that it’s going to be the best starting place for you. There’s been a lot of fiction published in the last decade, and Nevada is in many ways a product of its time, a key literary player in the broader ‘Transgender Tipping Point’ phenomenon that has been theorized to death between 2012 and 2014. I was in fifth grade when this book came out. It’s dated, it’s very Millennial-core, and it’s got its flaws; but it remains an enduring classic, and it absolutely has stood the test of time (as much as any book can a mere decade after its release).

Nevada (2013) – Imogen Binnie

What It’s About: Down-on-her-luck trans woman Maria Griffiths loses her shitty bookstore job and decides to leave New York with her ex-girlfriend’s car and drive to Nevada. There, she meets James, a young man who’s got gender issues of his own, and sweeps him up into the whirlwind of her collapsing life.

Why You Should Read It: If there is a “classic” transfemme novel, it’s this one. For better and worse, Nevada embodies many of the most prominent tropes of literary-contemporary transfeminine fiction. Binnie’s work was not only most millennial trans women’s first (and sometimes only) brush with trans literature, but also has significantly influenced almost every single mainstream transfemme novel following it in one way or another. It’s a key text if you want to understand the genre, and I’ve lost count of how many other trans authors have cited it as a primary inspiration for their own work. The book that put Topside Press on the map.

The Millennial Favorites

So you’ve probably read Nevada if you’re looking here. If you haven’t read Nevada, my advice is that Nevada will probably let you know if you’re going to like these books, but these books might not let you know whether you’re going to like Nevada. If you’re a white millennial or Gen-X trans woman, though, this is a fine place to start out if Nevada’s summary doesn’t appeal to you.

Detransition, Baby (2021) – Torrey Peters

What It’s About: Trans woman Reese has always wanted to have a baby. Luckily for her, her former partner and detransitioner Ames (once James, who she dated as Amy) has knocked up his boss Katrina, and is looking for help with raising the baby. Cue the drama.

Why You Should Read It: The primary thrust of this book is an interrogation of the relationship between cis women and trans woman: where they’re similar, where they’re not, and the point at which the former’s acceptance of the later comes to an end. This premise of showing a fundamental relatability between trans and cis women made this book a smash hit across markets, got it long-listed for the Woman’s Prize for Fiction, sparked a conservative hissy fit over a trans woman getting nominated for said prize, and provided a massive shot to the arm for the entire industry of trans publishing. Flawed, but I suspect that in ten years, it’ll carry a similar classic status as Nevada.

Little Fish (2018) – Casey Plett

What It’s About: Four trans women living, loving, working, and surviving in downtown Winnipeg. Main character Sophie discovers that her Mennonite grandfather may have been trans too, and goes on a quest to try and rediscover her family history and navigate the changing circumstances of her life.

Why You Should Read It: This book gets a lot of love for its straightforward compassionate look at everyday trans life in Winnipeg, and its emotional exploration of the various challenges its protagonists face. All four of the women are well-realized, and the book is a powerful examination of t4t (trans for trans) friendships and relationships. If you’re looking for an ‘everyday’ novel about adult trans life, this is a good place to start.

For Fans of Madeline Miller

We know you’re out there, Song of Achilles fans. Don’t you worry, there’s a trans take on your favorite Greek mythology to dabble your feet in the genre.

Wrath Goddess Sing (2022) – Maya Deane

What It’s About: A trans retelling of Homer’s Illiad that draws upon cross-dressing elements in the original tale to reimagine Achilles as a trans woman, puppeted by the whims of the eldritch gods and locked in a titanic struggle for the soul of the world with Helen.

Why You Should Read It: Firstly, this book is completely badass, and it’s a masterclass on historical fantasy done right. The Greek gods are chilling forces of nature, and Deane draws on a deep well of comparative mythology knowledge and innovative new flair to keep the old world feeling fresh and new. The ending is superbly thought-provoking. If you want a mythology fix, this should be your first stop shop.

For Fans of Sally Rooney

Sometimes all you need is a good book to read while you’re sitting on the beach. For everyone who’s a fan of mainstream literary-contemporary and enjoys curling up on the couch with a good book and a cup of coffee, this might be the one for you.

Bellies (2023) – Nicola Dinan

What It’s About: It starts out as a gay relationship in college. Tom and Ming are planning out a life together, but when Ming decides to transition, what might have been a simple romance turns into a globe-trotting drama as both Tom and Ming contend with their changing feelings about each other – and themselves.

Why You Should Read It: If you’re looking for a contemporary book, Bellies perfectly encapsulates the current literary moment. Dinan’s writing is clean, crisp, and direct, and this one will be the perfect package for anybody who just can’t get enough of the Rooney/MFA style. It’s a fun cosmopolitan romp, and sometimes that’s all we’re looking for in a book, y’know?

For Fans of Jodi Picoult

Oh boy, are you in luck.

Mad Honey (2022) – Jennifer Finney Boylan, Jodi Picoult

What It’s About: A trans girl is dead, and all fingers are pointing at Olivia McAfee’s son. A desperate mother struggles with parenthood, the legal system, and unfamiliar ideas about gender, all while we see glimpses of the vibrant life that was cut short when Lily Campanello tragically lost her life.

Why You Should Read It: Let me be very clear – I would not recommend this book to a trans woman. It’s written for cis people with a cis lens, and unless you really like Jodi Picoult or legal thrillers, you’re probably not going to like this. However, for all of my cis readers out there, especially any cis moms who are trying to navigate the unfamiliar terrain of transitioning and gender, this might be a good pick for you.

Actually, I Want a Memoir

There is a very long and complicated history to the genre of the trans memoir, one deeply rooted in spectacle, schadenfreude over trans suffering, and the historical factors surrounding how trans folks used to get gender affirming care in the 20th century and the various hoops they were forced to jump through. I won’t regale you with the whole rant about it here, but let it suffice to say that I do not think that trans memoirs are more effective at showing the lived reality of trans life than fiction a lot of the time. In fact, I would recommend that you start first with either a theory text or a novel. However, if your heart is set on reading about a ‘real’ trans experience, here’s a memoir that’s actually worth your time (and won’t lead you to wrong conclusions about the whole endeavor).

Redefining Realness (2014) – Janet Mock

What It’s About: Janet Mock weaves a gripping tale about childhood instability, biracial identity, sex work, and her quest for self-actualization, following her adolescence from Hawaii to Texas and beyond.

Why You Should Read It: This book was absolutely groundbreaking when it was released, and it’s still relevant a decade later. Moreso than any other testimonial I’ve read, Mock makes trans girlhood and the realities of sex work legible to an audience who’ve probably never engaged with either. If your heart wants a memoir, this is the place to start.

Help Me Understand Transphobia

It’s a serious, tangled issue. But here’s one of the best primers on current trans issues, paying particular attention to TERFism and the state of transphobia in the United Kingdom.

The Transgender Issue (2021) – Shon Faye

What It’s About: A sweeping examination of the current state of trans rights in the British state and media, reflecting on issues of class praxis, prison abolition, healthcare, schooling, the rising influence of the far-right, and what we can do about it.

Why You Should Read It: Faye’s prose is clear, direct, and lucid, even when covering extremely complex and challenging topics. You’ll walk away from this book with a better understanding of trans issues no matter how much you know about the subject, whether you’re an old hat or learning about trans people for the very first time. Shon Faye writes with a fearless journalistic integrity, and as a piece of reporting, this book is excellent.

I Want to Learn about Trans History

It’s not a perfect resource, but here’s the best primer on the subject.

Transgender History (2008) – Susan Stryker

What It’s About: An overview of trans history beginning in the 19th century and continuing through to the modern day. There’s a more recent edition published in 2017.

Why You Should Read It: This book gets rightfully critiqued for providing a very liberal and incomplete picture of trans history. However, it remains the best beginner text on the subject, and provides enough introductory information on a variety of social issues to facilitate further research and inquiry. This shouldn’t be your only primer on the subject, but it’s a good place to start. If you want to learn more, I would strongly recommend reading the work of Zagria Cowan, trans historian, who can be found here.

I Want to Learn about Transfeminism

Awesome! You’ve got two options on where to start, but if you’re really interested in learning about the subject, I would recommend that you read both.

Invisible Lives: The Erasure of Transsexual and Transgendered People (2000) – Vivian Namaste

What It’s About: One of the first proper sociological studies ever conducted on trans lives and struggles. Vivian Namaste’s dismantling of the shortcoming of the academy, the state, and her contemporaries, cis and trans alike, is just as relevant today as it was a quarter-century ago.

Why You Should Read It: The details of our situations may have dramatically changed since the publication of this landmark book, but the underlying conflicts of race, class, gender, sex, nationality, and a universal disdain for those most marginalized across all of them remains as pressing as ever. This book should be read not just as an excellent historical snapshot of the state of trans rights at the turn of the century, but also as a testament to just how little has really changed in the twenty-five years since for people living at the margins of social acceptability.

Whipping Girl (2007) – Julia Serano

What It’s About: Julia Serano introduces a number of keystone concepts that have since become essential pieces of the trans lexicography, including but not limited to ‘transmisogyny,’ ‘ungendering,’ and the initial popularization of the word ‘cisgender.’

Why You Should Read It: Every transfeminine person, but especially the high femmes, should read this book. It is deeply insightful and critiques biases and internalized misogyny in a way that profoundly changed my attitude toward both my body, my transition, and my life. Essential reading.

Great, that’s most of the obvious recommendations out of the way. If you’ve gotten to this point, either you’ve already read some of these, or have heard enough about them to know you probably don’t want to. I DO NOT recommend reading all of these before moving on. In fact, my recommendation would be to read one or two, maybe three, then try something a little more out there. It’s worth noting that there’s nothing in this section that won’t pop up within a fifteen second Google search. So let’s dig a little deeper, yeah?

TIER TWO: SHALLOW END

Your Next Gateway Drug

So you enjoyed Nevada. You read Mad Honey with your book club, your college professor assigned you a passage from Whipping Girl, your friends kept telling you to read Little Fish or Wrath Goddess Sing and you loved it. Or maybe you just hate the idea of having your hand held and want to cut straight to the good stuff. Now what? Well, here’s my first recommendation for what you should read if you’ve already had some exposure to transfeminine literature, but don’t have a clear idea of what you should read next.

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars (2017) – Kai Cheng Thom

What It’s About: A trans girl runs away from home and joins a biker gang of femme queens that fights cops and struggles together (and against each other) to carve out community and home in a hostile world.

Why You Should Read It: First and foremost, from a stylistic standpoint, Fierce Femmes is utterly delightful. Thom plays with the fabulist genre effortlessly, and every detail about her setting accentuates the story. But it is the characters in this book that have given it this spot on the recommendation chart. Effortlessly peering into the depths of the transfemme psyche, Thom brings each and every one of her girls to life, and reading this book is like an explosion of trans life and joy. If you’re still not quite sure what transfeminine literature as a genre is ‘about,’ this book should give you a pretty solid crash course.

The Point of No Return

Be forewarned – this book will break you. It broke me. It is excoriating, brutal, unrelenting, and you should absolutely not expect a happy ending. The prose is difficult and intentionally garbled. The illustations are beautiful and grotesque. But if you want to understand the transfeminine literary mainstream, at some point you’re going to need to read the work of Sybil Lamb: underground punk icon, and one of the key figures who glued the community together as it came into fruition and maturity. This one isn’t for the faint of heart. But it’s really, really worth it.

I’ve Got a Time Bomb (2014) – Sybil Lamb

What It’s About: After leaving Filthydelphia for the post-apocalyptic landscape of a post-Katrina Morteville, Sybil Lamb gets her head bashed in by a bunch of assholes with a metal pipe. The ensuing journey (and brain damage) will take her all across Amerika, futilely attempting to escape the ticking timer that will – and must – inevitably end her life.

Why You Should Read It: It’s dark, but damn if it doesn’t nail the good old US of A right on the head. After I finished the last page, I felt like someone had scooped my intestines out with a palette knife. That’s not a literary experience that’s gonna work for everyone, but if you’re reading for the love and passion of the craft, this is a keystone text.

My 10/10 Gold Star Recs

If you’ve taken a peek at my spreadsheet where I track all the books I’ve read, you may know that I keep a personal record of how much I, on a purely personal and subjective level, like every book I’ve read for this project. There’s well over a hundred novels on there, and out of all of those novels, I have given three a perfect ten star rating. If you want my personal opinion about which books I think everyone should read, it’s these three. I have entirely too much to say about both of these books to fit into this cramped little format – there’ll be full posts about them both eventually, for now we’ll have to make do with an entirely inadequate blurb.

Tiny Pieces of Skull (1987 [2015]) – Roz Kaveney

What It’s About: Lured out of her comfortable middle class lifestyle and across the pond, British trans woman Annabelle dives headfirst into the 1980s Chicago bar scene and a risque new lifestyle as a rough and tumble escort.

Why You Should Read It: There are so many things to say about this novel. It took nearly thirty years to get it published. Neil Gaiman championed it from the very beginning. It’s an absolutely brilliant class critique. It is the single most humane portrait of trans sex workers that I have ever read, and let me tell you, I’ve read a lot of them. But I think the most important reason why this book needs to be read by everyone and anyone who cares about trans literature is that Roz Kaveney writes this entire novel while barely mentioning her characters are trans, while putting the richness and texture of their lives on full and unabashed display. Kaveney’s girls are not ‘transsexuals;’ they are people, a basic standard for nuanced characterization that so many trans novels seem to falter over. This is undoubtedly and unequivocally the definitive transfeminine novel of the 20th century, with the only real competition coming from Morris’ Last Letters from Hav in a distant and pallid second, and unless there’s another hidden masterwork out in some granny’s attic or a university archive gathering dust, it absolutely deserves its accolades as such. I see Tiny Pieces of Skull as a testament to the sheer magnitude of work that was lost due to discrimination in the 20th century – we could have dozens, hundreds of novels glowing this way in the mid-century literary style. Instead, we have one.

Otros valles (2014) – Jamie Berrout

What It’s About: Captured in fleeting moments and vignettes, at once magical realism, literary contemporary, passionate treatise, and prone to literary flights, Berrout’s masterwork is a tour de force in technical writing and a tender, moving examination of trans life on the Texas/Tamaulipas border.

Why You Should Read It: This is beyond a shadow of a doubt my favorite book ever penned by a trans woman. It is brilliant from the first sentence to the last, the haunting image of the resaca, the oxbow lake where the bodies of the forgotten and murdered reside, the compassion and open-hearted empathy of one trans woman overcoming her own biases and shortcomings to give herself to another. With each progressive incantation – folklórico – Berrout weaves the reader deeper and deeper into the magic of her prose, flowing effortlessly and fearlessly between Spanish and English. It is a crime that this book was never traditionally published; doubly so that its internet presence has been so thoroughly nuked (Berrout’s doing) that it has nearly been rendered lost a mere decade after its initial publication. Everyone should read this book. This was self-published, and its technical and literary quality blows most other trans books I’ve read out of the water. That’s not even beginning to mention the sheer amount of community organizing, editing, translating, designing, publishing, mutual aid, and all around support for her most marginalized colleagues that Berrout carried out behind the scenes. My words can’t do it justice.

School (2023) – Isabel Pabán Freed

What It’s About: A series of ecliptic vignettes about trans college students and the absolute dumpster fire of a college (and a country) they attend.

Why You Should Read It: Freed is a DFW and Pynchon girlie in the best way, and it absolutely glows in this novel. Metamodern intricacy at its finest. This book reminded me a lot of Umberto Eco in the best way – it is deeply, intricately layered over itself in a way that immediately made me want to turn back to the first page once I finished the last one. It’s also a laugh out loud hysterical text. The prose has an absolute mastery over sentence structure, prosody, and semicolons; Freed has the timing sensibilities of an orchestral conductor, and there are so many little recursions here. The emotional build here is incredibly satisfying, the character work is even better, and it crescendos into a wild third act that completely recontextualizes everything that came before it, which is honestly probably my favorite literary trope. This book reminded me of how I felt reading Cloud Atlas for the first time. But perhaps the most miraculous thing about this book is that it pulls it all off in 274 pages. You may not be getting a tome of Infinite Jest‘s proportions, but I think it’s safe to say that David Foster Wallace would have been proud.

The One That’ll Make You Ugly Cry

Break out the tissue boxes.

Little Blue Encyclopedia (For Vivian) (2019) – Hazel Jane Plante

What It’s About: It’s an encyclopedia about a bizarre fictionalized TV show with so many obscure details that you could almost believe it’s real. Oh, and it’s also a heartwrenching meditation on loss and grief.

Why You Should Read It: If you’ve ever typed ‘books that will make me cry’ into Google or TikTok, this is the one for you. I had a total moment after I read the end of this book. But that’s not the only reason you should read this – when it’s not making you bawl your eyes out, this book has one of the quirkiest styles of any novel I’ve ever read, and the titular show Little Blue is vividly realized.

I’m Looking for Speculative Fiction

I’ll be super straight-up about it – I don’t personally enjoy reading short stories or poems as much as novels or non-fiction. If there’s a disproportionate skew in that direction, mea culpa – I’ve only got some much reading bandwidth, and books are expensive. But there are a few short story collections on this list that, while I haven’t personally read them yet, I know are top quality and worth checking out.

Meanwhile, Elsewhere (2017) – Casey Plett, Cat Fitzpatrick

What It’s About: Speculative fiction featuring a solid who’s who of trans authors. Also, Topside Press’ final book, now published by Plett and Fitzpatrick’s small press Little Puss. A mix of transfemme, transmasc, and non-binary authors.

Why You Should Read It: Again, I haven’t read it myself yet (though it’s on my TBR), but if you want to read a story collection that’ll give you a good survey of a lot of the most prominent authors at the time, this is the place to go.

Transcendent (2016-2019) – K.M. Szpara, Bogi Takács

What It’s About: In a very similar vein to Meanwhile, Elsewhere, these short stories are a collection of top speculative trans fiction. There are two primary differences: the authors in this collection tend to be a little less established and well-known, and there are four volumes if you like where this first one is going. Again, a mix of trans writers.

Why You Should Read It: With five novel-length compilations of trans sci-fi and fantasy short stories to chew on, these books should keep you busy for a good long while.

I’m Looking for Science Fiction

Don’t worry, genre fiction fans – there’s plenty out there in the world of trans lit for you too. Let’s take a quick walkabout of some of the most accessible options for you to start with.

Light From Uncommon Stars (2021) – Ryka Aoki

What It’s About: Shizuka Saotomi made a deal with the devil, and now she’s got to sacrifice the souls of seven of her violin protegees to escape damnation in hell. Trans protegee Katrina is her final soul, but she finds herself growing increasingly attached to the young woman. Also there are a family of immigrant aliens who run a donut shop, which is absolutely delightful.

Why You Should Read It: The best word to describe this book is ‘whimsical.’ Aoki is a wonderful and composed writer, and perhaps the most stunning achievement in this book, beyond the aching character portrayals and the nuanced picture of immigrant life in SoCal, are the magical descriptions of violin music, which seem to jump right off the page and into your spirit.

I’m Looking for Urban Fantasy

There’s a lot of transfeminine fantasy out there, and I’ve only just started dipping my toes in the water. I’ll update this part of the list once I’ve read more, but for now, here’s a recommendation that, if you like it, will probably lead you not just to the dozen other books published by these authors, but also to the broader landscape of self-published transfemme fantasy at large.

The Grace of Sorcerors (2022) – Maria Ying (Devi Lacroix, Benjanun Sriduangkaew)

What It’s About: Powerful warlocks bind the services of smoldering (and extremely gay) demons. Shapeshifters navigate a hidden landscape of magical society and undercurrents of power. Lesbians abound.

Why You Should Read It: It’s a good gateway entry into a certain sphere of self-published fiction by trans women that a lot of the other titles on this list won’t direct you toward. Also, if you like this book, there’s a lot more in the various series by Maria Ying et. al for you to dig your teeth into. Note that Sriduangkaew has a controversial past in the literary world, and also has been one of the absolute strongest allies in the entire publishing industry for the selfpub transfemme community and has provided a lot of organizational leadership and direct aide over the past few years. Exercise your own judgment.

I’m Looking for Horror

Alison Rumfitt is absolutely your girl.

Tell Me I’m Worthless (2021) – Alison Rumfitt

What It’s About: Alice, Ila, and Hannah walked into the House of Albion on a cold day in a deeply transphobic modern Britain. Only Alice and Ila walked out, each thinking that the other has assaulted them. A brutal yet hopeful dissection of modern fascism, carried out through the vehicle of a genuinely terrifying haunted house.

Why You Should Read It: If you like psychological horror as much as I do, of if you’re looking for a book that will make you so viscerally uncomfortable that you can’t put it down, this is the one for you. From her chilling impressions of online 4chan Nazi screeds to her unflinching assessment of British TERF psychology, Rumfitt’s debut is a tour de force in tearing you to shreds (and maybe putting you back together again).

I’m Looking for Romance

There’s a long and complicated history to the genre of ‘transgender romance.’ If you type that into a search bar on Amazon or Google, you will get porn. So much porn. So much porn. But buried underneath all of that, there are some real gems that’ll tickle your romance fancy, and a new crop of authors who’re breaking boundaries on what a ‘trans romance’ can look like.

Not Like Before (2023) – Lily Seabroooke, Jacqueline Bamsden

What It’s About: When history professor Lola Barnes gets drafted for a role on a reality TV show about her shared hometown with A-list actor Mackenzie Vale, she’s skeptical at best that any good will come of it. The connection that follows will stun them both.

Why You Should Read It: It’s an incredibly well-done and sweet transbian romance with perfect pacing and a swoon-worthy main couple. It’s also a great toe in the water at the possibilities of what ‘Transgender Romance’ on Kindle Unlimited can look like, if you know where to look and how to find it. A perfect bridge into the genre.

I’m Looking for Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is complicated when it comes to trans characters. There have been as many different permutations throughout history of gender-non-conformity, and the modern interpretation has a bad tendency to fall into the pitfall of terrible anachronism. However, if you’re specifically looking for transsexual historical fiction, there’s some great stuff that’s been published in the last few years. Just know that once you get to period pieces earlier than 1900, things are gonna start getting thorny.

Summer Fun (2022) – Jeanne Thornton

What It’s About: A story told in two parts. In the first, Gala is a young trans woman living in New Mexico obsessed with 60s band Get Happies, who writes letters addressed to their elusive lead singer B-. On the B-side, we get to see B-‘s childhood and life growing up in the 50s and 60s, weaving a fascinating parallel tale about trans identity and living in the world.

Why You Should Read It: It’s a very well-written book. I’ve never been a huge fan of the epistolary form, but Thornton does it justice, and it’s a great read for fans of 60s music and the genre.

I’m Looking for Mystery

There’s a decent amount of options here if you dig for them. However, if you’re a true procedural fan who likes collecting dozens of books by the same author, there’s one trans author right now who’s truly living up to the procedural name.

By Way of Sorrow (2021) – Robyn Gigl

What It’s About: New Jersey criminal defense attorney Erin McCabe knows that taking up the case of trans prostitute Sharise Barnes will likely throw open her own transition to the wolves. But with her partner Duane Swisher, she’s ready to get to the bottom of the case.

Why You Should Read It: The buddy cop dynamic between Duane and Erin is absolutely fantastic, and it drives the story. Gigl is a lawyer in real life, and she brings all of her expertise to the table. Her antagonists are thrilling because of how well they seem to mirror real world banality and petty evil. But most of all – if you like this one, there’s at least four more where it came from.

I’m Looking for Thrillers

Many of the most prolific transfeminine authors have come out of the BigCloset TopShelf community and their DopplerPress publisher. Of those authors, Tanya Allan is probably the most prolific of them all, with well over sixty books to her name. She’s written a little bit of every genre under the sun, but I’m a particular fan of her work with the thriller genre, and you might be too.

Killing Me Slowly (2014) – Tanya Allan

What It’s About: When Corporal Mike Morrison comes down with a terrible illness, his family makes a decision to allow the doctors to perform surgery on him to save his life – which has the unfortunate side effect of turning him into a woman. Now Mikayla, she must re-adapt to her life in the army and learn new ways to move through the world, while still being a total badass along the way.

Why You Should Read It: It’s a little dated, but if you’re looking for a fun action-packed romp with some transfeminine vibes sprinkled in for flavor, this is your book. It’s also probably a good initiation into some of the more prevalent tropes bandied about by former and current BigCloset and DopplerPress authors.

I’m Looking for Young Adult Fiction

If you’re a teenager who’s figuring out your transition, or a parent who’s trying to find some good books for your trans kid, you’ve got way more options now than I did when I transitioned. I’m gonna recommend you two that I liked when I was younger and one I’ve enjoyed more recently, but know that there’s a whole wealth of choice out there if you’re willing to do some research.

If I Was Your Girl (2016) – Meredith Russo

What It’s About: Amanda has just moved to a new school where nobody knows her biggest secret – she’s trans, and she’s already finished her transition. But when she starts to fall for Grant, her most important secret seems to become more and more perilous with each passing day.

Why You Should Read It: This was the first novel by a trans woman that I ever read, and it was mindblowing to me at the time. It was very powerful as a teenager to read about a protagonist who had already transitioned, and if you’re in high school and trying to figure yourself out, I’d definitely recommend this one.

Dreadnought (2016) – April Daniels

What It’s About: Danny just inherited superhero powers – but they’ve turned her into a girl! With the secret that she’s transgender out of the bag, Danny has to adapt to her new life and fight crime, all while trying to navigate her way through everyday trans life.

Why You Should Read It: If If I Was Your Girl is a realistic look at teenage trans life (at least back when I was transitioning in 2017), then Dreadnought is pure teen trans wish fulfillment fantasy. But make no mistake – this book gets plenty heavy, and tackles some very real world issues and challenges that a trans teen superhero might face. The two books make a good combo as well.

Performative Masculinity (2022) – Zoe Storm

What It’s About: Emily’s in the closet and trying to keep her trans identity a secret until the end of the school year. When Josh catches her girlmoding outside of school, the two of them start keeping secrets together, and discover that they have more in common than they thought.

Why You Should Read It: This is the third of four books in the Bradford McKinney Chronicles, and while the other three are all set in college (and thus not technically YA), all four of them are a lot of fun and good for an older teenager. They’re all semi-standalones, so while you might miss some crossover references if you read them out of order, it shouldn’t diminish your enjoyment of the books either.

I’m Looking for Humor/Satire

Remember when I recommended you Whipping Girl in the last section? Well, Julia Serano wrote a novel too, and it’s a riotous absurdist trip.

99 Erics (2020) – Julia Serano

What It’s About: Kat Cataclysm is an absurdist short fiction writer who keeps a running blog of her experiences dating 99 different guys named Eric. She has entirely too much fun making fun of herself and breaking the fourth wall in the process.

Why You Should Read It: This book is totally hilarious, and in a sea of books about incredibly heavy and disturbing topics, it really stands out as a breath of fresh air that doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you want to read a book by a trans woman but don’t want the weight of the world on your shoulders, this is probably the one for you.

Actually, I Still Want a Memoir

If you haven’t read Redefining Realness, then you should go do that first. However, if you’ve read Mock’s book, or you’ve read another famous trans memoir (maybe Jenny Finney-Boylan’s, maybe Caitlyn Jenner’s, etc.) and you don’t understand why I’m kicking up a fuss about them, then it’s probably time to do a little bit of reading to better understand the genre and history of the trans memoir and its deep flaws.

Conundrum (1974) – Jan Morris

What It’s About: Jan Morris led an incredible life. She made her name as the first reporter to break the news of the first summit of Mt. Everest, fought in World War Two, and was one of the last true scions of the dying British Empire. She also happened to be a transsexual.

Why You Should Read It: This book is a classicist, imperialist, orientalist mess. It is also possibly the single most influential book ever written by a trans woman. Jan Morris, for all her shortcomings, still stands as one of the best classically trained trans wordsmiths to ever pick up the pen. If you decide to read this book, my advice would be to read it through on your own without reading any secondary literature about it. Then, once you’ve thought about it for a bit, go read “The Empire Strikes Back: A Post-Transsexual Manifesto” by Sandy Stone, and immerse yourself in the decades-spanning backlash and discourse that this memoir sparked within the trans community.

I Want to Learn about Trans Studies

Awesome! If you’re interested in knowing more about the academic wing of the trans literary movement, then I would recommend heading back up the list and reading Whipping Girl and Gender Outlaw first. If you’ve done that, or if you just read Conundrum and you aren’t sure what the best way to read “The Empire Strikes Back” is, then these next books will provide you with a rock-solid basis to start engaging with and thinking about trans scholarship on a really meaningful level.

The Transgender Studies Reader Remix (2022) – Susan Stryker, Dylan McCarthy Blackston

What It’s About: Currently the best omnibus reading for current and relevant academic scholarship in trans studies, featuring keystone texts from Sandy Stone and Susan Stryker, along with many others

Why You Should Read It: While I personally find the original Transgender Studies Reader from 2006 to be a more useful set of texts when attempting to develop an academic grounding in the history of the field, the TSR Remix will be the best resource for getting a feel for current topics and themes within the discipline. Be warned: this is not light reading. It is, however, free in PDF on transreads.com, as are the original TSR and TSR 2. It would be my recommendation that you track down the PDFs for all three, along with the Black Queer Studies Critical Anthology, then pick and choose which of the articles from the four texts seem the most interesting to you. My recommendations would be to read “The Empire Strikes Back” by Sandy Stone, “My Words to Victor Frankenstein” by Susan Stryker, “Transgender Liberation” by Leslie Feinberg, “Fin du siecle, fin du sexe” by Rita Felski, “The Cyborg Manifesto” by Donna Harraway, and “Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens” by Cathy Cohen for starters. About half of these articles weren’t written by transfemmes, but all of them are essential texts. Additionally, it’s not in any of these anthologies (for obvious reasons), but you should read “After Trans Studies” by Andrea Long Chu and Emmett Harsin Drager too, which can be found here. I would also strongly recommend that you read Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton, which will give you the most vigorous accounting of the historical development of racial discrimination pertaining to trans communities, and will be an invaluable guidepost for understanding transmisogynoir in the transfemme literary community.

TIER THREE: DEEP CUTS

The Internet Cult Classic

If you’ve made it this far down the list, congratulations! You are exceptionally well read in this obscure subculture of the literary world (or you’re curious, and reading ahead to see what’s really out there). If you’ve already read all of the standard recommendations, and you’re still hungry for more, here’s a few suggestions for where you might be able to take your reading next, starting with a book very near and dear to my heart and one which sparked the impetus for this whole project.

Welcome to Dorley Hall (2022) – Alyson Greaves

What It’s About: While searching for his missing friend Mark Vogel, closeted trans woman Stef Riley accidently stumbles upon a force feminization cult, which attempts to reform cruel and sexist men by turning them into women.

Why You Should Read It: If you didn’t grow up reading internet trans fiction, you may be unfamiliar with the genre of ‘TG/TF,’ or ‘Transgender/Transformation,’ a predominantly transfeminine genre which arose out of the underground Victorian erotica genre of ‘Petticoat Punishment’ at the end of the 1800s. Many of the books in this third section (and the ones proceeding it) either have some influence from or belong to a new literary school of the genre. But The Sisters of Dorley is, simply put, the best TG/TF story ever written, and thus the text best able to introduce the virtues of this genre which most non-transfemmes have probably never even heard of. Greaves elevates the genre while simultaneously writing an intergenerational epic, deeply grounded in the roots and traditions of British fiction. And the best part is that this whole project started as a shitpost about how getting force feminized in a torture dungeon would be better than trying to get healthcare from the NHS. It’s evocative, gripping, at times harrowing, and utterly worth your time.

The Post-Modern Masterpiece

This is probably the most difficult book on the entire list. I don’t necessarily know if I would recommend it unless you have at least a little experience with reading classic literature, but if you’re looking for a book that you can truly sink your teeth into, this is probably the one. You will get a lot more mileage out of this one if you have at least a passing familiarity with both the Bible and Sumerian mythology. I would recommend the works of Enheduanna if you want to get a sense of the mythological figure of Inanna. For more information about the history of Inanna within the trans literary canon, read Rachel Pollack’s article “Archetypal Transsexuality” or look into the scholarship of Sophus Helle.

Yemaya’s Daughters (2014) – Dane Figueroa Edidi

What It’s About: The goddess Inanna emerges from the cradle of humanity in Africa, only to fall from Eden’s grace after interacting with human men. Weaving together life in New York City, temporally disjunct memories of past lives, a kaleidescopic network of trans goddesses and priestesses, and a mysterious connection to the Virgin Mary, Edidi presents a tapestry in all of its post-modern glory.

Why You Should Read It: This book is like reading a self-published edition of Ulysses or Mrs. Dalloway. It is challenging on so many axes – both its non-linear storytelling, the dizzying amount of comparative mythology and spiritual ingenuity on display, and the rough shape of the prose itself, which is definitely more challenging to parse for its lack of a traditional editor. This book needs and deserves an Oxford edition that can footnote all of the references and little moves for a layman. But if you’re willing to dive into it headfirst with an open mind, the more you read this book, the more it will reward you.

The Original TG/TF Story

Okay, it’s hardly an original story. In fact, this one might be the closest thing we have to a folktale on this list, told and retold until its retellings all blur into a single tale of high school cheerleaders and coerced cross-dressing. Virginia Prince neither wrote the original text of this story, nor did she produce the version which is currently still available for sale, which I believe was edited pretty heavily by Sandy Thomas. However, if you’re interested in historical mid-century trans fiction, this one is a serious cornerstone that’ll open the door to the whole world of underground trans fiction from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Fated for Femininity (1960) – Virginia Prince†

What It’s About: In this classic cross-dressing romp, Lennie goes out for his school’s cheerleading team, where everyone from the other girls, the school principle, and his parents become heavily invested in turning him into a girl.

Why You Should Read It: This book is wild, and at least fifty years ahead of its time. It’s got shockingly progressive gender politics (especially coming from Virginia McFucking Prince, the queen bee of historical trans conservatism), a wild poly vibe, t4t, and it honestly reads like it could have been published on TGStorytime in the 2010s or Fictionmania in the 00s (it’s similar to O2bxx’s 2003 classic For A Girl for those in the know). If you’re gonna read one of the Transvestia novellas, this is the one I would recommend.

The Mid-Aughts Trailblazers

There’s a certain narrative about trans literature that starts in 2012 with the founding of Topside Press and completely loses sight of most of the work that was done by authors before then. A more accurate assessment reveals entire networks of authors who were publishing in largely underground circles in the 90s and 00s, slowly but surely laying the groundwork for the emergence of a trans press. I’m gonna highlight just two of these books here, but know that there are many others like them, all published before Nevada, that deserve far more recognition and discussion than they currently receive.

Supervillainz (2006) – Alicia Goranson

What It’s About: After accidentally bearing witness to the murder of a mysterious masked superhero, trans delinquents Bit and Devon find themselves on the wrong side of the law and a supervigillante group’s wrath. With no superpowers save their ingenuity, they find their own ways to survive and thrive.

Why You Should Read It: This book was way ahead of its time. There’s one scene where the protagonists sneak into a suburban funeral service that reads like a prototype for scenes with Reese in Detransition, Baby fifteen years later. Goranson is a brilliant observer of relationships between trans men and trans woman, and her cutting social commentary is still relevant today.

Sex and the Single Transsexual (2004) – Pamela Hayes

What It’s About: A wonderfully grounded look at black queer life in the mid 00s, with a focus on the romance between Julie and her imperfect yet steady beau. The book examined DL (down-low) blaqueer sexuality with an interesting and perceptive lens, and it’s also plotted in a very interesting way that really brings out Hayes’ unique voice as a novelist.

Why You Should Read It: Pamela Hayes is one of the unsung pathfinders of transfeminine literature, and her work deserves so much more attention between her three novels, of which this one is the best, and her work as a columnist on TransGriot, where she produced some seriously high quality material. If you’ve never heard of Hayes, love a good romance novel, or if you’re searching for more black trans authors to add to your repertoire, definitely give this one a shot.

What Even Is a “Trans” Book?

The next book pushes the envelope on ‘trans’ as a stable identity category, critiquing the nature and form of transfemininity and offering new possible futures for the direction of the genre. It features a male protagonist who gets read as or interpellated as feminine and poses the question: why do we want them to be trans? Why do we need them to be trans? What does that say about our communities?

Darryl (2021) – Jackie Ess

What It’s About: Darryl is a cuck who lives in Eugene, Oregon, and he likes it. This might actually be the most Eugene book ever written about Eugene, Oregon. In between all of the time spent watching other men fuck his wife, Darryl gets into fights with his one trans woman friend, questions his gender, and has an exceptionally uncomfortable relationship with an man who either wants to fuck him or murder him, and it’s entirely ambiguous as to which.

Why You Should Read It: Jackie Ess has made it no secret how much she dislikes the idea that she should write a “trans” novel, and in that sense, this novel arrives almost as a rebuttal to those sorts of expectations placed upon the trans woman writer to write nothing but transition narratives or trauma porn. Darryl’s identity is fundamentally unstable; he has no godly idea who or what he is, and Ess takes a near-sadistic delight in punishing the reader for trying to make up his mind for him.

Spanish-Language Fiction

Exit the transsexual stage right, enter the travesti stage left.

Las malas (2019) – Camila Sosa Villada

What It’s About: A gaggle of travesti prostitutes working in Sarmiento Park, Cordoba adopt a young boy abandoned on their doorstep. The story follows their lives and hardships, diving deep into the textural fabric of Argentina’s travesti communities.

Why You Should Read It: Firstly, this book has an English translation entitled Bad Girls (2022). Secondly, it’s a superb novel. Sosa Villada’s pen is razor sharp, and her characteristic dark nihilism takes on an incredible depth here. She’s an actor and a superstar in the Latin world, and more people in the Anglophone sphere should appreciate her work and impact, especially given the fact that she’s got an English translator now.

French-Language Fiction

Most of these books don’t have English translations. However, I’ve got a basic proficiency in French, and over the course of my research, I’ve dipped my toes into google.fr, enough so to know that the French-language resources are even harder to navigate than the English ones. So, for anyone in the crowd who happens to speak French, here’s a good starting point for digging into the French-language transfeminine sphere.

Une autobiographie transsexuelle (avec des vampires) (2014) – Lizzie Crowdagger

I’ll be honest – I haven’t read this one yet, cause importing books all the way from Europe is a pain in the ass. But c’mon. Vampires? Motorcycle gangs? It sounds like a trip in the vein of Fierce Femmes, and it’s pretty high on my TBR

The Summary: Afin d’avancer dans son parcours de transition, Cassandra décide
de se procurer des hormones de manière illégale, sans se douter que l’association lesbienne à laquelle elle s’adresse sert en fait de couverture à un gang de motardes surnaturelles. Le roman « pulp » de Lizzie Crowdagger transpose dans le langage fantastique (vampires, loups-garous, sorcellerie) la transphobie ordinaire et dynamite, au besoin à coups de révolvers, les codes de genre et de sexualité. Vous avez toujours trouvé que les biographies trans manquaient de guns et de moto ? Alors vous aimerez Une autobiographie transsexuelle (avec des vampires), entre Buffy, True Blood et Sons of anarchy, mais avec plus de gouines.

Japanese-Language Fiction

Again, I haven’t read her work yet, but Fujino Chiya deserves a spot on this list. Fujino’s a famous author in Japan and her work has won awards, plus she was writing literary fiction as an out transsexual back in the 90s, long before most in the West. It appears that one of her books, Chatty, was translated into English at one point, but the translation already seems to be lost, which is infuriating but not super surprising. So, here’s her award winning novel from 1999, which has an Italian and French translation but nothing in English.

夏の約束 (Natsu no yakusoku) (1999) – Fujino Chiya

It’s a series of slice of life vignettes about a series of 20-somethings living their best queer lives in Tokyo. The Italian translation, Una promessa d’estate seems to be the most popular.

The Summary: …ゲイのカップルの会社マルオと編集者ヒカル。ヒカルと幼なじみの売れない小説家菊江。男から女になったトランスセクシャルな美容師たま代……少しハズれた彼らの日常を温かい視線で描き、川賞を受賞した表題作に、交番に婦人警官がいない謎を追う「主婦と交番」を収録た、コミカルで心にしみる作品集。

But What about the Memoirs?

How about a fantastic exploration of the intersections between Dissociative Identity Disorder, gender, and transition? And it’s a graphic novel to boot.

The Third Person (2022) – Emma Grove

What It’s About: Told in graphic memoir form through a long series of recounted therapy sessions with a terrible therapist, Emma recounts her struggles with DID and transitioning in the face of disbelief and scorn, accompanied by some of the most delightful facial drawings I’ve read in a graphic novel.

Why You Should Read It: Anyone who’s familiar with both plural and trans stereotypes will know how the two often overlap in key ways. It used to be that one of the things you had to prove if you wanted to transition was that you didn’t have Multiple Personality Disorder. Many movies and media about plural characters play on transmisogynistic tropes (think Patricia from Split or Norman Bates’ ‘mother’ from Psycho), and the unique connexions between the two forms of marginalization is a seriously undertheorized topic in academia. This book is hands down the best published exploration I have ever read about the issue.

Left-of-Center Theorycrafting

Not feeling progressive enough? Annoyed at the complacency and liberalism of your anarcho-communist catgirl co-op? Here are two radical theory books that might blow your socks off.

Essays Against Publishing (2020) – Jamie Berrout

What It’s About: A systemic dismantling of the publishing industry and its various instruments as tools of power and death – the death of racialized trans bodies, of poor trans bodies, of sex working trans bodies, of trash bodies. Berrout critiques not only the cisheteropatriarchal systems that have implemented these systems within publishing, but also the trans publishing apparatus which has evolved out of it over the last decade; the presses, the communities, and assuredly blogs like this too.

Why You Should Read It: Otros valles might be Berrout’s magnum opus, but this is, in my opinion, her most important work. To fully understand what Berrout is talking about here, I would direct prospective readers to also check out Snorton and Haritaworn’s “Trans Necropolitics” and Ferreira da Silva’s “On Difference Without Separability,” which were the two critical pieces that helped me make sense of these essays. Death-marking within trans publishing occurs not just within the texts – read any portion of the books on this list, and you’ll find that murder, suicide, violence, abuse, all of them are inescapable in transfeminine literature. They are baked into the very fabric of the endeavor. And the authors are not spared either – suicide and suffering plague the list of trans authors. It’s not uncommon for an author to drop off the face of the earth. There are barely any texts from the 20th century on this list because many of the people who would have written them were killed. Their words were inscribed on hand-written zines, too often lost to time. Books can disappear entirely within a year or two of their publication. That is the truth and reality of this industry, this field, this subgenre, and I have read nothing else which captures it as well as this book. As the times change, and circumstances improve for the transfeminine author, it’s all too easy to let that traumatic reality of that past fade into the background like white noise; but this reality continues for those most marginalized: poor, non-white, sex working, non-Western trans people who have so many stories to tell, and so few resources to tell them with. Jamie Berrout never stopped fighting for those writers and their perilous situation, and we shouldn’t either.

Females (2019) – Andrea Long Chu

What It’s About: Andrea Long Chu in her most pugilistic form – a book about what it means to be ‘female,’ and how we’re all constantly trying to escape it, men and women alike.

Why You Should Read It: The entire sentiment of this book can more or less be summed up in a single line: ethics is nothing more than commitment to the bit. Cynical, nihilistic, and hostile? Absolutely. But when juxtaposed against gender, it brings up some interesting questions about identity, society, and the lies we tell ourselves to survive. Not for everyone, but if you don’t mind tangling with one of our community’s most notorious firebrands, you might find it more rewarding than appears at first glance.

Groundbreaking Shortform Collections

No, we’re not talking about The Collection. We’re looking for the authors who you’re not gonna find anywhere else, those on the true margins of the field of transfeminine literature.

Nameless Woman (2017) – Ellen Pena, Venus Selenite, Jamie Berrout

What It’s About: Collected short stories from trans women of color, most of whom were never published previously. The anthology is split into two parts, one finished about a year before the other. Also, don’t try to buy the book on Amazon – it never went to print. You can read a full PDF of the final edition here.

Why You Should Read It: A labor of love, carried out under what Berrout christens a state of “permanent crisis.” I have not yet had the chance to read the entire collection, but of what I have read, there is a remarkable vibrancy and spark here that’ll make it worth your time, whether you read one story or all of them.

The Trans Women Writer’s Collective Booklet Series (2018-2020) – Various Authors

What It’s About: The Trans Women Writer’s Collective was an effort spearheaded by Berrout to platform writers who had never been published before. Over the course of two years, twenty-one issues would platform dozens of unknown writers, spanning across poetry chapbooks, short story collections, and short novellas. The full booklet series is still available for free though the River Furnace Patreon page.

Why You Should Read It: There’s nothing else like it – not so concentrated, and not in such marvelous bursts of creativity. The booklets are inventive and raw, buoyed by the exceptional community editing done by the TWWC team, and many of the writers featured in them have not had any other bylines before or since. I’ve read the novellas, and both Ocotillo and Woman is the Machine that I Am are great. But there’s far more depth here than I’ve personally had the chance to plumb, and you should absolutely dig deeper if you get a chance.

Two-Spirits Belong Here (2019) – Xemiyulu Manibusan Tapepechul

What It’s About: A collection of short stories, poems, plays, and illustrations from genderqueer, two-spirit, and trans indigenous writers and artists

Why You Should Read It: I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy of this one yet, and there’s no e-book. Why is it here, then? Because it is devilishly hard to find indigiqueer femmes writing cool things in this economy, and I didn’t spend a dozen hours trawling through hundreds of Google and Amazon results not to tell y’all about this cool obscure short story collection.

A Bone for the Philosophers

Because I would be a terrible philosopher if I didn’t pay at least a little homage to all the trans women working in the discipline. If you want a broader primer, I would start with Talia Mae Bettcher’s article “What is Trans Philosophy?” As far as books go, though…

Assuming a Body: Transgender and Rhetorics of Materiality (2010)

What It’s About: Gayle Salamon’s Lambda winning 2010 phenomenological and psychoanalytical exploration of the body centers around questions of the body’s materiality, positing a ‘phantasmal’ experience of gender and embodiment that is very reminiscient of Serano’s ‘subconscious sex.’ A multi-disciplinary effort, Salamon bridges trans theory, philosophy, film and literary criticism, and elsewhere to draw together this short but impactful book.

Why You Should Read It: I’ve always had a personal disinterest in trans philosophy that boils down to an exploration of trans flesh and trans bodies. I’ve also never been a Merleau-Ponty girlie or a huge fan of phenomenology. All that said, this is a very well-crafted piece of work, and a good place to start if you want delve into the world of trans academic philosophy. It cites a number of key texts that preceded it, and lays the groundwork for a subsequent few that followed. A passing familiarity with both modern philosophy and trans studies will give you more mileage here.

Just for Shits and Giggles

Phew. That was a whole lot, wasn’t it? If you’ve gotten this far and you’re still looking for something to read, here’s a few random recommendations that are good trans fun, even if some of them have their (serious, gaping) flaws.

Nearly Roadkill (1998) – Kate Bornstein, Caitlin Sullivan

What It’s About: Winc and Scratch are the quintessential gender outlaws, blazing a trail of illicit identities, terrible sex scenes, and apropos quips across the early internet.

Why You Should Read It: There are so many awful sex scenes in this book that it circles back around to being hilarious. Like, they’re so fucking bad. This was written back when ‘cybersex’ meant uwu textscreed chatlogs, not OnlyFans. It has aged so, so, so poorly that it’s almost like a shock to the system when, suddenly, at about the halfway point of the book, all of the masks come unveiled and a really gripping emotional core emerges out of all of the terrible 90s textspeak. When they go back to having cringy sex chats in the last act of the book, it almost circles back around to being nostalgic. A true fossil of its time.

Short Stuff (2021) – Diane Woods

What It’s About: Leonard’s incredibly short, which suits him just fine given that he’s always wanted to be a woman. When his wife Janice finds out, she begins pushing Laura to become her true self – but her enthusiasm isn’t as rosy as it appears on the surface, and the deeper Laura falls into her new life, the more things seem to change…

Why You Should Read It: One of my absolute favorite trans literature puns (something which is incredibly specific to me in particular and probably also only funny if you know a little French) is that trans literature has a tendency to be a little genrefluid – and that holds true nowhere more than this book. I’ve read all of Woods’ books (including one of her old Reluctant Press efforts), and this is my favorite for its wild playfulness and its sheer polymorphism. What begins as straight TG/TF takes a smutty leap into romantic swinger erotica, only to transform into some seriously interesting literary work that grapples with hard realities about the COVID pandemic in the final act. Janice is a fascinating character, and she really makes this book shine. If you’re looking for a gateway into trans lit on Kindle Unlimited, this would be an early recommendation.

She Comes Out (2023) – Nikki Crescent

What It’s About: A conservative woman grapples with her husband’s – now wife’s – decision to transition, and learns to fall in love for the second time.

Why You Should Read It: Yes, I put a Nikki Crescent book on this list. She’s an OG in the transgender romance and erotica genre, and her work has practically defined an entire genre of trans erotica on Amazon. Like her or not, Crescent is an important transfeminine author, and this is her work at its best. Yes, it’s still erotica, but it’s also a touching little novella about a woman’s personal struggles with love, religious beliefs, and shifting sexualities. There’s very few books that actually engage with the reality of transitioning in a conservative household (probably cause that’s a very recent luxury for trans people in conservative households) and Crescent, who’s always been incredibly campy about being both Christian and a trans woman, does it justice here. And, well, if you want to understand why she’s a little out of place on this list… You won’t need to scroll far through her profile to figure it out.

The Downfall of an Arrogant DL Brotha (2013) – Daneshia Gordon

What It’s About: A nitty-gritty dive into the complexity of illicit affairs between closeted gay black men and trans hookers

Why You Should Read It: THIS ENTIRE NOVEL IS WRITTEN IN CAPS LOCK AND IT IS ONE OF THE FUNNIEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. THE MAIN CHARACTER IS RIDICULOUS. ALSO, THERE’S INTERESTING PLOT TWISTS AND A KILLER ENDING. GIVE IT A SHOT!

The Harem Protagonist Was Turned Into a Girl!! (2023) – Fern V. Bedek

What It’s About: Kevin randomly turns into a girl. This is the least chaotic fact about his life. If you’ve ever enjoyed Ranma 1/2, you’ll like this too.

Why You Should Read It: Let’s be honest – there’s a lot of doom and gloom on this list. The majority of these books are hard to read because of how emotionally brutal they can be for their trans audience. I’ve known Fern’s writing for a long time, and one thing I’ve always admired about her work is her ability to bring true joy and levity to her writing. If you’re looking for a palate cleanser after reading I’ve Got a Time Bomb or Las malas, this is silly gay fun at its best.

TIER FOUR: WHAT NOW?

Congrats! You made it to the bottom! Wondering what you should do next? Here’s a couple good options.

Bethany’s Masterlist is a complete spreadsheet of every book by a trans woman that Bethany Karsten has personally read. It also contains short review, ratings, author information, purchase information, and a whole bunch of other things. If you’re looking for more book recs, that’s the place to go! Remember that Beth is one person, and that her opinions are subjective. Frankly, she thinks you should just ignore them completely.

Bethany’s Masterlist for Transfeminine Fiction

If you want to find transfeminine fiction that I haven’t read, our Useful Links page offers a couple good places to start looking. You can find online sites for underground trans fiction, links to a bunch of interesting literary criticism, websites for all major transfeminine indie presses, and a whole bunch more. Be forewarned that if you’re not going to a site that’s explicitly about trans fiction, you’re gonna have to roll up your sleeves and do some research.

Useful Links

Dive deeper into an author’s work. There are very few authors where I have read their entire body of work – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t! Fell in love with a book on this list? Go see if they’ve written anything else. They haven’t? Why not follow them on Twitter, or subscribe to their Patreon! Publishing is a brutal industry, and 99% of trans authors are working class, if not struggling. Direct support for your favorite authors is the best way to see more from their fiction down the line.

Read our critical essays. Want to learn more about transfeminine literature? You’ve come to the right place. Head on over to our blog and check out what we’re working on these days!

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2 responses to “The 2024 Start Here Page”

danielshankcruz

August 12, 2025

This is a fantastic list! A small correction: in Casey Plett’s Little Fish, the main character’s name is Wendy, not Sophie (Sophie is a secondary character who, like Wendy, is also Mennonite). Incidentally, Sophie is a character in at least one of the stories from Plett’s first short story collection, A Safe Girl to Love.

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Jess Cronin

September 8, 2025

Yes, yes, yes. This is everything I have been looking for. I only hope one day to find myself on this list

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