A Washington Post Best Book of the Year, this captivating memoir chronicles one woman’s long journey to late transition, paralleling the emergence of the trans community. Long before Laverne Cox graced the cover of Time, many trans women lived and died as men, often unaware of their true identities. The author, an award-winning poet and essayist, explores the complex question of how one can live face-to-face with an essential truth about themselves yet remain blind to it. Through her childhood experiences, her role as a beloved teacher at New York City’s Stuyvesant High School, and her immersion in the city’s crossdressing subculture during the 1980s and ’90s, she reveals the struggles faced by those who risked their jobs and safety to express their true selves. Many of these individuals would become late transitioners, often overlooked in the broader narrative of trans history. This memoir is not merely a transition story; it offers a comprehensive account of a trans life that is both public and hidden. It challenges the tendency to reduce trans experiences to simplistic before-and-after images, inviting readers to consider the complexities of a life lived in the shadows for decades.
