Build Your Pride Month TBR Pile: A Guest Post from Elliot Page, Author of Pageboy 

The Oscar-nominated star of Juno shares his truth in Pageboy, a memoir perfect for those who devour I’m Glad My Mom Died. With strength and courage, Elliot pulls back the curtain on his experience with fame, examining his journey to self-discovery in the face of the pressures and criticism of Hollywood. This is an intimate story of embracing oneself and escaping from the expectations of others. Keep reading to find out what Elliot recommends you read this Pride Month.

In The Transgender Issue Shon Faye is remarkably skillful at taking such a breadth of information on the history of how we arrived here — to the present situation — and connects it to the oppression all people face under a cis, hetero, patriarchal, capitalist, white supremacist system. Her writing is so concise and clear — as Maggie Nelson says, “An essential primer for our times.” I can’t stress enough how important it is to read this book right now. We need to understand how trans liberation will liberate us all!  

Ties That Bind: Familial Homophobia and Its Consequences is the first book I read by Sarah Shulman and the only book I have read that dissects this issue to such a degree. It helped highlight my own becoming and the antagonizing forces that virtually all LGBTQIA+ people face in our society. All of Sarah Shulman’s work helps us realize that these are not individual problems, but a societal crisis. This book inspires us to be more bold.  

C. Riley Snorton’s Black on Both Sides is full of information from historical intersections between Blackness and transness. Snorton draws a direct line from the past to what we are witnessing today with anti-Black and anti-trans legislation, highlighting the erasure of the Black trans experience and representation throughout history.  

Brian Broome’s Punch Me Up to the Gods is without question one of the best memoirs I have ever read. I just want you to read it to have your own experience with it — moments and sentences truly took my breath away.  

There is no way to encapsulate the power of Audre Lorde’s words and work in a few sentences — her poetry is filled with a depth of emotion that is unmatched. The Black Unicorn is one I pick up again and again.  

I first read Amateur by Thomas Page McBee in the period after coming out as trans. It greatly inspired me and offered comfort — a reminder that I am not alone. Thomas is an extraordinary storyteller, managing to address issues and themes surrounding masculinity in new, dynamic and engaging ways.  

I was lucky enough to get an advance reader’s copy of Bellies by Nicola Dinan — she is an astounding writer, and the book is smart, hilarious and deeply moving. It’s a love story and so much more.  

I was also fortunate to read an advance copy of Raquel Willis’ The Risk It Takes to Bloom. Raquel’s words interweave the history of Black trans liberation with her current activism. I’m grateful that Raquel has invited us in and for all the momentous advocacy she has led.