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AntoloGaia: Queering the Seventies, A Radical Trans Memoir (Other Voices of Italy)
By Porpora Marcasciano. 2024
In this stirring memoir by a member of the first generation of LGBTQ+ activists in Italy, Porpora Marcasciano tells her…
story and shares the struggles and accomplishments of her fellow activists who achieved so much in the 1970s yet suffered devastating losses during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. AntoloGaia offers an insider’s look at the beginnings of the gay liberation movement in Italy and reveals how it was intimately intertwined with other forms of left-wing activism. At the same time, it powerfully conveys the queer joy of a young person from a small village first encountering the vibrant sexual minority communities of Naples, Bologna, and Rome. As Marcasciano starts to embrace her trans identity, she meets the famous anthropologist Pino Simonelli, who introduces her to Naples’s unique femminielli subculture and gives her the name Porporino, which she later shortens to Porpora. In keeping with this story of gender, sexual, and political discovery, AntoloGaia is the first piece of Italian life-writing to use gender-neutral and mixed-gender language.To Name the Bigger Lie: A Memoir in Two Stories
By Sarah Viren. 2023
Part coming-of-age story, part psychological thriller, part philosophical investigation, this unforgettable memoir traces the ramifications of a series of lies…
that threaten to derail the author&’s life—exploring the line between truth and deception, fact and fiction, and reality and conspiracy.Sarah&’s story begins as she&’s researching what she believes will be a book about her high school philosophy teacher, a charismatic instructor who taught her and her classmates to question everything—in the end, even the reality of historical atrocities. As she digs into the effects of his teachings, her life takes a turn into the fantastical when her wife, Marta, is notified that she&’s been investigated for sexual misconduct at the university where they both teach. Based in part on a viral New York Times essay, To Name the Bigger Lie follows the investigation as it upends Sarah&’s understanding of truth. She knows the claims made against Marta must be lies, and as she uncovers the identity of the person behind them and then tries, with increasing desperation, to prove their innocence, she&’s drawn back into the questions that her teacher inspired all those years ago: about the nature of truth, the value of skepticism, and the stakes we all have in getting the story right. A compelling, incisive journey into honesty and betrayal, this memoir explores the powerful pull of dangerous conspiracy theories and the pliability of personal narratives in a world dominated by hoaxes and fakes. To Name the Bigger Lie reads like the best of psychological thrillers—made all the more riveting because it&’s true.Friends of Dorothy: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Icons
By Anthony Uzarowski. 2023
The ultimate celebration of LGBTQIA+ icons profiling 40 artists, entertainers, writers, and activists who inspired the queer community with their style,…
openness, and diversity.This giftable collection of Instagram-worthy illustrated biographies takes you on a tour through LGBTQIA+ history from the 20th century through today—featuring Judy Garland, RuPaul, and Lady Gaga.What makes a gay icon? Free, uninhibited expression; an open mind; creativity; and bravery. Friends of Dorothy celebrates a wide range of people with the strength, vulnerability, charisma, and style that set them apart and gave them status with the queer community. Queer icons include supporters of LGBTQIA+ rights such as Marsha P. Johnson, and others like Divine and RuPaul who shattered social barriers to become important cultural ambassadors of queerness, changing the world in the process. Other icons are timeless entertainers with unique appeal, from Judy Garland and Bette Midler to Grace Jones and Lady Gaga.This collection welcomes readers into a flamboyant world populated by larger-than-life figures who inspired LGBTQIA+ people—over the decades—creating controversy, challenging conventions, and sometimes putting their own lives on the line in order for new generations to live in a more equal and accepting world. With spectacular color portraits by artist Alejandro Mogollo Díez, the dramatic visual style perfectly captures the flair and panache of these figures.Madonna: A Rebel Life - The Biography
By Mary Gabriel. 2023
In this exceptional biography, Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Gabriel chronicles the meteoric rise and enduring influence of the greatest female…
pop icon of the modern era: Madonna.'Daring to write a biography of a woman with whom the entire world is on a first-name basis, Mary Gabriel has created (astonishingly) a book neither gossip-driven nor highly snarky... she reveals instead a Madonna both more true and more unbelievably believable; a rock-and-roll suffragette... Norman Mailer once said to Madonna, 'I've come to the conclusion that you are a great artist.' Exquisitely detailed in her storytelling, Gabriel is clearly in that camp, convincing us that we all still vogue in the House of Madonna.'Brad Gooch, author of City Poet With her arrival on the music scene in the early 1980s, Madonna generated nothing short of an explosion - as great as that of Elvis or the Beatles - taking the nation by storm with her liberated politics and breathtaking talent. But Madonna was more than just a pop star. Everywhere, fans gravitated to her as an emblem of a new age, one in which feminism could shed the buttoned-down demeanour of the 1970s and feel relevant to a new generation. Amid the scourge of AIDS, she brought queer identities into the mainstream, fiercely defending a person's right to love whomever - and be whoever - they wanted. Despite fierce criticism, she never separated her music from her political activism. And as an artist, she never stopped experimenting. Madonna existed to push past boundaries by creating provocative, visionary music, videos, films and live performances that changed culture globally. Deftly tracing Madonna's story from her Michigan roots to her rise to super-stardom, master biographer Mary Gabriel captures the dramatic life and achievements of one of the greatest artists of our time.Binge
By Tyler Oakley. 2015
Collection of thirty-two humorous personal essays by Oakley (born 1989), known for his social-media presence and LGBT advocacy efforts. Discusses…
familial and romantic relationships, popular culture in the twenty-first century, and events he has taken part in thanks to his YouTube channel. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2015Becoming Nicole: the transformation of an American family
By Amy Ellis Nutt. 2015
Chronicles the lives of the conservative Maines family who, having adopted identical twin boys as babies, were destabilized by the…
realization that one of the boys identified as a girl. The author details the emotional fallout, resistance and accommodation within the family, and the fight for Nicole's rights. 2015Born both: an intersex life
By Hida Viloria. 2017
The memoir of an individual who was raised as a girl but discovered as an adult that she was actually…
intersex, which refers to people with genitals, reproductive organs, hormones, or chromosomal patterns that do not fit the usual definitions of male or female. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2017I can't date Jesus: love, sex, family, race, and other reasons I've put my faith in Beyoncé
By Michael Arceneaux. 2018
Collection of fifteen essays exploring Arceneaux's experiences as a gay black man and the ways faith influenced his life. Discusses…
his family's reactions to homosexuality, his issues with intimacy, and living in the South and Harlem. Strong language, some violence, and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2018How we fight for our lives: a memoir
By Saeed Jones. 2019
A poet describes his experiences growing up as black and gay in the American South through a series of vignettes.…
Describes familial relationships, romantic flings, and friendships. Examines what people do for and to each other in the search for identity. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. 2019Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father
By Alysia Abbott. 2013
Finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and a San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year In this vibrant memoir,…
Alysia Abbott recounts growing up in 1970s San Francisco with Steve Abbott, a gay, single father during an era when that was rare. Reconstructing their time together from a remarkable cache of Steve’s writings, Alysia gives us an unforgettable portrait of a tumultuous, historic period in San Francisco as well as an exquisitely moving account of a father’s legacy and a daughter’s love.In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life
By Amy Schneider. 2023
An inspirational and bold memoir from the most successful woman ever to compete on Jeopardy!—and an exploration of what it…
means to ask questions of the world and of yourself.In eighth grade, Amy was voted &“Most likely to appear on Jeopardy!&” by her classmates. Decades later, this trailblazer finally got her chance. Not only did she walk away with $1.3 million while captivating the world with her impressive forty-game winning streak, but she made history and won an even greater prize—the joy of being herself on national television and blazing a trail for openly queer and transgender people around the world. Now, she shares her singular journey that led to becoming an unlikely icon and hero to millions. Her super power: Boundless curiosity and fearless questioning. In the Form of a Question explores some of the innumerable topics that have fascinated Amy throughout her life—books and music, Tarot and astrology, popular culture and computers, sex and relationships—but they all share the same purpose: to illustrate, and celebrate, the results of a lifetime spent asking, why?American Classicist: The Life and Loves of Edith Hamilton
By Victoria Houseman. 2023
A biography of the remarkable woman whose bestselling Mythology has introduced millions of readers to the classical worldEdith Hamilton (1867–1963)…
didn’t publish her first book until she was sixty-two. But over the next three decades, this former headmistress would become the twentieth century’s most famous interpreter of the classical world. Today, Hamilton’s Mythology (1942) remains the standard version of ancient tales and sells tens of thousands of copies a year. During the Cold War, her influence even extended to politics, as she argued that postwar America could learn from the fate of Athens after its victory in the Persian Wars. In American Classicist, Victoria Houseman tells the fascinating life story of a remarkable classicist whose ideas were shaped by—and aspired to shape—her times.Hamilton studied Latin and Greek from an early age, earned a BA and MA at Bryn Mawr College, and ran a girls’ prep school for twenty-six years. After retiring, she turned to writing and began a relationship with the pianist and stockbroker Doris Fielding Reid. The two women were partners for more than forty years and entertained journalists, diplomats, and politicians in their Washington, D.C., house. Hamilton traveled extensively around the world, formed friendships with Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound, and was made an honorary citizen of Athens. While Hamilton believed that the ancient Greeks represented the peak of world civilization, Houseman shows that this suffragist, pacifist, and anti-imperialist was far from an apologist for Western triumphalism.An absorbing narrative of an eventful life, American Classicist reveals how Hamilton’s Greek and Roman worlds held up a mirror to midcentury America even as she strived to convey a timeless beauty that continues to enthrall readers.Fire shut up in my bones: a memoir
By Charles M. Blow. 2015
"Universally praised on its publication, Fire Shut Up in My Bones is a pioneering journalist's indelible coming-of-age tale. Charles M.…
Blow's mother was a fiercely driven woman with five sons, brass knuckles in her glove box, and a job plucking poultry at a factory near their segregated Louisiana town, where slavery's legacy felt close. When her philandering husband finally pushed her over the edge, she fired a pistol at his fleeing back, missing every shot, thanks to "love that blurred her vision and bent the barrel." Charles was the baby of the family, fiercely attached to his "do-right" mother. Until one day that divided his life into Before and After--the day an older cousin took advantage of the young boy. The story of how Charles escaped that world to become one of America's most innovative and respected public figures is a stirring, redemptive journey that works its way into the deepest chambers of the heart." -- Provided by publisherLove and Money, Sex and Death
By McKenzie Wark. 2023
A transgender woman reflects on her late transition and coming out, trans politics and culture, motherhood and memory, in this…
provocative epistolary memoir for readers of Olivia Laing&’s EverybodyA breathtaking memoir of transition, history, art, and memoryAfter a successful career, a twenty-year marriage, and two kids, McKenzie Wark has an acute midlife crisis: coming out as a trans woman. Changing both social role and bodily form recasts her relation to the world. Transition changes what, and how, she remembers. She makes fresh sense of her past and of history by writing to key figures in her life about the big themes that haunt us all—love and money, sex and death.In letters to her childhood self, her mother, sister, and past lovers, she writes a backstory that enables her to live in the present. The letters expand to address trans sisters lost and found, as well as Cybele, ancient goddess of trans women. She engages with the political, the aesthetic, and the numinous dimensions of trans life and how they refract her sense of who she is, who she has been, who she can still become. She confronts difficult memories that connect her mother&’s early death to her compulsion to write, her communist convictions, her coming to New York, the bittersweet reality of her late transition, and the joy to be found in Brooklyn&’s trans and raver communities.Inverse Cowgirl: A Memoir
By Alicia Roth Weigel. 2023
"The must-read memoir of fall 2023."—ThemForeword by Jonathan Van NessFrom a celebrated activist on the forefront of fighting for intersex…
representation and rights—and a subject of the forthcoming documentary Every Body, from the filmmakers behind RBG—a funny, thought-provoking collection of essays about owning your identity and living your truth.Two percent of the world’s population—the same percentage of humans who have naturally red hair—is born intersex. Yet many people aren’t even familiar with the word. Intersex individuals are born with both male and female reproductive organs, yet many are stripped of their identity at birth when a parent designates M or F on a birth certificate. That subjective choice is often followed by invasive, life-changing surgeries, performed without the individual’s consent. Intersex people have become a target of politicians, attacked for who they are and threatened by legislation that attempts to categorize and define them.Alicia Weigel is fighting back against the hate and fearmongering to protect the rights and lives of everyone. As an activist and the Human Rights Commissioner for the City of Austin, Alicia has championed legislation to reduce sexual assault and human trafficking, mandate paid sick leave and abortion funding, decriminalize and alleviate homelessness, and target other social determinants of health. In this book, Alicia boldly speaks out about working as a change agent in a state that actively attempts to pass legislation that would erase her existence, explores how we can reclaim bodily autonomy, and encourages us to amplify our voices to be heard. Disarming, funny, charming, and powerful, this is a vital account of personal accomplishment that will open eyes and change minds.Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury
By Matt Richards, Mark Langthorne. 2016
A biography examining the final days of Freddie Mercury in the dawn of AIDS and the legacy he left behind.…
For the first time, the final years of one of the world&’s most captivating rock showman are laid bare. Including interviews from Freddie Mercury&’s closest friends in the last years of his life, along with personal photographs, Somebody to Love is an authoritative biography of the great man. Here are previously unknown and startling facts about the singer and his life, moving detail on his lifelong search for love and personal fulfilment, and of course his tragic contraction of a then killer disease in the mid-1980s. Woven throughout Freddie&’s life is the shocking story of how the HIV virus came to hold the world in its grip, was cruelly labelled &“The Gay Plague&” and the unwitting few who indirectly infected thousands of men, women and children—Freddie Mercury himself being one of the most famous. The death of this vibrant and spectacularly talented rock star, shook the world of medicine as well as the world of music. Somebody to Love finally puts the record straight and pays detailed tribute to the man himself. &“Touts rare—and in some cases, never before seen—images of Mercury and new insight into his life.&”—People &“The book could be a standalone epidemiological study about the history of HIV/AIDS even without Mercury. But eventually, it weaves him into the timeline, giving a detailed account of his personal life, and his battle with the disease that tragically took him at age 45 in 1991. The result is a powerfully emotional read.&”—Rolling StoneFighting with Pride: LGBTQ in the Armed Forces
By Craig Jones. 2020
LGBTQ+ personnel who served in the British military despite the gay ban tell their stories in a moving testament to…
their patriotism and courage.On January 12th, 2000, the British Armed Forces took a major step toward greater equality by ending its restriction against members of the LGBTQ+ community. To honor that historic event, this volume presents the personal reflections of ten LGBTQ+ personnel who had served under the ban since the Second World War. All of them lived remarkable lives, though some were dismissed in disgrace or asked to resign because of their identity.These brave men and women tell of remarkable careers, courage in battle, and private lives kept secret at all cost. They include stories of serving on the front line of operations worldwide, including in the Second World War, the Falklands War, the Gulf Wars and the war in Afghanistan. This book celebrates their lives, as well as all servicepeople who have stood tall and taken their place with pride in the fighting units of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Air Force and the British Army.Dreaming in Color: An Autobiography
By Kaffe Fassett. 2012
In this memoir, the renowned visual artist chronicles his life and career, as well as what is important to him…
and what inspires his art. Kaffe Fassett has led an extraordinary life and is a captivating storyteller with a vivid memory. Born in 1937, he spent much of his youth in Big Sur, California, where his parents bought a cabin from Orson Welles and transformed it into the world-famous Nepenthe restaurant, a gathering place for artists and bohemians. After attending a boarding school run by the disciples of Krishnamurti, an Indian guru, he studied painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, then traveled to England, where he made his home. After an inspiring trip to Inverness, Scotland, Fassett began designing knitwear for Bill Gibb, and then the Missonis, Vogue magazine, and private clients like Lauren Bacall and Barbra Streisand, and, in the process, revolutionized the handknitting world with his explosive use of color. Further explorations led him to needlepoint, mosaics, rugmaking, tapestries, yarn and fabric design, costume and set design, and quilting. Now in his seventies, Fassett continues to produce new work and to travel worldwide to teach and lecture. In this intimate autobiography, Fassett shares rich, detailed stories about his lifelong creative journey as well as hundreds of glorious photos taken along the way.Praise for Dreaming in Color &“Lavishly illustrated with photographs from his life and work and dishing on everyone from Dustin Hoffman to Princess Margaret, Dreaming in Color describes a charmed life filled with creativity, big personalities, travels, and not a little serendipity.&” —Vogue Knitting &“A feast for the eyes.&” —Shelf-Awareness &“[Fassett] is a legend in the knitting world for his exquisitely colorful, highly patterned designs. . . . Kaffe Fassett is to color what Julia Child was to French cooking.&” —Knitter&’s ReviewFighting with Pride: LGBTQ in the Armed Forces
By Craig Jones. 2020
LGBTQ+ personnel who served in the British military despite the gay ban tell their stories in a moving testament to…
their patriotism and courage.On January 12th, 2000, the British Armed Forces took a major step toward greater equality by ending its restriction against members of the LGBTQ+ community. To honor that historic event, this volume presents the personal reflections of ten LGBTQ+ personnel who had served under the ban since the Second World War. All of them lived remarkable lives, though some were dismissed in disgrace or asked to resign because of their identity.These brave men and women tell of remarkable careers, courage in battle, and private lives kept secret at all cost. They include stories of serving on the front line of operations worldwide, including in the Second World War, the Falklands War, the Gulf Wars and the war in Afghanistan. This book celebrates their lives, as well as all servicepeople who have stood tall and taken their place with pride in the fighting units of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Air Force and the British Army.Gluck: Her Biography
By Diana Souhami. 1989
Diana Souhami&’s critically acclaimed biography of lesbian painter Hannah Gluckstein—the woman, the artist, the legend To her family, Hannah Gluckstein…
was known as Hig. To Edith Shackleton Heald, the journalist with whom she lived for almost forty years, she was Dearest Grub. And to the art world, she was simply Gluck. She was born in 1895 into a life of privilege. Her family had founded J. Lyons & Co., a vast catering empire. From the beginning Gluck was a rebel. At a time when only men wore trousers, she scandalized society with her masculine clothing—though she always dressed with style and turned androgyny into high fashion. Her affairs with high-profile women shocked her conservative family, even while she achieved fame as an artist. During the 1920s and thirties, Gluck&’s paintings—portraits, flowers, and landscapes, presented in frames designed and patented by her—were the toast of the town. At the height of her success, when wounded in love, her own obsessions caused her to fade for decades from the public eye, but then, at nearly eighty, her return to the spotlight ensured her immortality.