Laverne Cox

November 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Details about the subjects' lives are carefully woven around narratives of their challenges and milestones in understanding and transitioning to their gender identities. Sidebars sensitively treat issues such as the complications of gender pronouns and showcase prominent transgender figures in related fields, such as film composer Wendy Carlos in Wachowski and tennis star Renee Richards in Jenner. Occasional photos of the subjects before transition, coupled with captions using preferred pronouns, may be jarring for some readers. Each title concludes with an annotated time line, further reading recommendations, and extensive bibliography, as well as references to organizations serving and advocating for transgender people.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2016
Grades 7-10 Best known for her role as Sophia Burset on Orange Is the New Black, Cox is the first openly trans person to receive an Emmy nomination. This volume in the Transgender Pioneers series tells the story of her sometimes troubled, always inspiring life. Cox herself sums it up: I'm an African American transgender woman from a working-class background, raised by a single mother. While she is open about the sense of shame she began feeling as a child, she chooses not to discuss her own transition in public. Her advocacy for the trans community is no secret, however, nor is the array of impressive firsts that have visited her career. The book is enriched by numerous sidebar features providing contextual information about being transgender. A valuable contribution to the slender but growing body of transgender literature.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)