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Books and Literature Suitable for Teens
| Choir Boy |
Anders, Charlie. Soft Skull Press, 2005.
Twelve-year-old Choir boy Berry’s voice is beginning to crack, so he takes drastic measures.
Ages 15 and up. |
| Boy2Girl |
Blacker, Terence. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2005
Sam’s mother has just died, and he’s just moved from California to England to live with relatives he’s never met. On a dare from his cousin, he agrees to attend the first week of school dressed as a girl. Sam comes to find that there are things he likes about being Samantha, and when his father, who has just gotten out of prison comes looking for him and the money he inherited from his mother, his disguise comes in very handy. In the end, he gives up the ruse, but interesting questions about gender and gender identity have been raised for all.
For younger teens. |
| Sexile/Sexilio. |
Cortez, Jaime. [Los Angeles]: Institute for Gay Men's Health, c2004.
Bi-lingual graphic novel tells the story of a Cuban exile who first thinks he’s gay, then realizes he’s really transgendered.
Older teens and adults. Some “mature” content. |
| "The Secret of Life According to Aunt Gladys" |
Coville, Bruce. in Dirty Laundry: Stories About Family Secrets. Lisa Rowe Faustino, editor. New York: Viking, 1998.
Randy discovers he has an uncle whom the family “doesn’t talk about,” and when George arrives for an unexpected visit, planning to stay while he becomes Gladys, Randy discovers why.
Ages 10 and up |
| “The Welcome” |
Donoghue, Emma. in Love and Sex: Ten Stories of Truth. Ed. by Michael Cart. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
This story describes an incident in a communal house of young women. The narrator is a lesbian, and toward the end of the story, it is revealed (many years after the fact) that one of the women in question was in the process of transitioning from female to male.
Ages 14 and up |
| Mosh Pit |
Dunnion, Kristyn. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Red Deer Press, 2005
In this often depressing story of teens living on the edge, one of protagonist Simone’s more supportive friends is Carlotta, a transgender teen helping to raise her siblings and nephew.
Ages 13-17 |
| Middlesex |
Eugenides, Jeffrey. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2002.
This remarkable family saga spans continents and generations as it tells the story of the intersexed Cal who describes being born twice—once as a baby girl, and again as a teenaged boy.
For older teens |
| Commitment Hour |
Gardner, James Alan. New York : Avon Eos, 1998.
In Tober Cove, children change gender every year, but at twenty must choose one gender or another, or be banned from the community.
Ages 14 and up |
| Stitches |
Huser, Glen. Groundwood Books, 2003
Sensitive, creative Travis doesn’t conform to gender roles and is tormented by bullies and his uncle, though the support of his best friend, Chantelle, his aunt, mother, and a couple of teachers help him get through middle school.
Ages 11-15 |
| Luna |
Peters, Julie Anne. Boston: Little, Brown, 2004
Fifteen-year-old Regan’s brother Liam has decided to move on from secretly dressing in her clothes to coming out as transgendered. Occasionally heavy-handed in its message, this is still a powerful book on the subject.
Ages 14 and up |
| What Happened to Lani Garver |
Plum-Ucci, Carol. San Diego: Harcourt, 2002.
When Lani Garver shows up partway into the school year, sixteen-year-old Claire and her friends can’t figure out if Lani is a boy or a girl. Lani prefers to keep it that way; ambiguity offers so much more freedom. Claire befriends Lani even as other classmates engage in teasing that soon escalates into violence. Despite a heavy-handed ending, this is a book worth reading for the purposes of discussion.
Ages 14 and up |
| Ranma 1/2 |
Takahashi, Rumiko.
Manga Series in which the protagonist changes gender whenever he comes in contact with water, leading to humorous results.
Ages 10 and up |
| Parrotfish |
Wittlinger, Ellen. Simon & Schuster, 2007.
Angela, now Grady, is transitioning from F to M, and this insightful book explores the reactions of family, friends, classmates, and teachers.
Ages 12 and up |
| Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws |
Bornstein, Kate. Seven Stories Press, 2006.
Gender “outlaw” Bornstein provides tips for surviving adolescence. |
| Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue |
Feinberg, Leslie. Boston: Beacon Press, c1998.
Essays by Feinberg and others on the complexity of gender expression. |
| Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman |
Feinberg, Leslie. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996.
Feinberg takes a look at transgender issues and persons throughout history. |
| From the Inside Out: Radical Gender Transformation, FTM and Beyond |
Morty Diamond, editor. San Francisco: Manic D Press, c2004.
Diamond gathers the stories of a group of female-to-male transsexuals and self-defined genderqueers in this moving anthology.
Older teens. |
| “The Wrong Body.” |
Smith, Claiborne. In Rush Hour: A Journal of Contemporary Voices, Vol. 3, April 2005, pp. 135-151. Delacorte Press.
Brief interviews with several transgendered people, aimed at a teen audience. |
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