Clear out your bookshelves for these fantastic reads
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES VIA BOOK COVERS
As the nights get darker, the urge to snuggle up with a mug of something warm and a good book is growing. Why not pick up one of these powerful, game-changing memoirs? Connect with new authors, learn about your favourite celebs and maybe you’ll even have a few chuckles or tears. Either way, these books ensure that you’re in for a good read.
Pageboy by Elliot Page
This book blew up when it dropped – and for good reason. Elliot Page doesn’t hold anything back. It’s part Hollywood confessional, part emotional gut-punch. He writes about fame, gender, body image and learning to live authentically.
Redefining Realness by Janet Mock
Before most of us even had the language to talk about trans identity, Janet Mock was out here writing Redefining Realness. It’s her coming-of-age story – growing up in Hawaii, navigating poverty, love, gender and belonging – told with total openness. This book didn’t just start conversations – it created a whole new one.
None Of The Above by Travis Alabanza
This book received wide critical acclaim when it was released. It’s sharp, funny, furious and deeply personal. Through seven sentences addressed to them, Travis breaks down the boxes we put people in and shows what it’s like to live beyond them.
The Natural Mother Of The Child by Krys Malcolm Belc
As a trans man who gave birth, Belc writes about how the simple act of parenting can mess with the world’s narrow ideas of gender. It’s tender, complicated and revolutionary.
Trans by Juliet Jacques
This one reads like grabbing coffee with your smartest, funniest friend – who also happens to be dissecting British media’s obsession with trans people. Juliet Jacques mixes memoir with cultural criticism, tracing her transition while calling out how the world writes and rewrites trans stories.
She’s Not There by Jennifer Finney Boylan
This memoir about transition, love and family is equal parts hilarious and heart-melting. Boylan doesn’t shy away from the awkward moments, the joy, or the heartbreak. She just tells her story the way a great storyteller does: with warmth, wit, and total honesty.
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