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So many stars : an oral history of trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and two-spirit people of color / Caro De Robertis.

LIBRA HQ77.7 .D47 2025
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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
De Robertis, Caro, Author.
Contributor:
Local Philadelphia: Julia de Burgos Bookstore at Taller Puertorriqueño Collection (University of Pennsylvania)
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Trans people--Biography.
Trans people.
Gender-nonconforming people--Biography.
Gender-nonconforming people.
Two-spirit people--Biography.
Two-spirit people.
Minorities--Biography.
Minorities.
Gender identity.
Transgender people.
Biography.
Transgender people of color.
LGBTQ+ people of color.
Non-binary people of color.
Queer people of color.
Genderqueer people.
Two-Spirit people.
Genre:
Biography.
Biographies.
Oral histories.
Physical Description:
304 pages : portraits ; 24 cm
Edition:
First edition.
Place of Publication:
New York, NY : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill/Little, Brown and Company, 2025.
Summary:
"From the acclaimed novelist, a first-of-its-kind, deeply personal, and moving oral history of a generation of trans and gender nonconforming elders of color--from leading activists to artists to ordinary citizens--who tell their own stories of breathtaking courage, cultural innovations, and acts of resistance. 'So Many Stars' knits together the voices of trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and two-spirit elders of color as they share authentic, intimate accounts of how they created space for themselves and their communities in the world. This singular project collects the testimonies of twenty elders, each a glimmering thread in a luminous tapestry, preserving their words for future generations--who can more fully exist in the world today because of these very trailblazers. De Robertis creates a collective coming-of-age story based on hundreds of hours of interviews, offering rare snapshots of ordinary life: kids growing up, navigating family issues and finding community, coming out and changing how they identify over the years, building movements and weathering the AIDS crisis, and sharing wisdom for future generations. Often narrating experiences that took place before they had the array of language that exists today to self-identify beyond the gender binary, this generation lived through remarkable changes in American culture, shaped American culture, and yet rarely takes center stage in the history books. Their stories feel particularly urgent in the current political moment, but also remind readers that their experiences are not new, and that young trans and nonbinary people today belong to a long lineage. The anecdotes in these pages are riveting, joyful, heartbreaking, full of personality and wisdom, and artfully woven together into one immersive narrative. In De Robertis's words, 'So Many Stars' shares 'behind-the-scenes tales of what it meant--and still means--to create an authentic life, against the odds'"-- Provided by publisher.
Contents:
Part one: Emergence. Glimmers in childhood
Family matters
First ventures
Part two: Forging lives. Migrations
Intimacies
Transitions
Chosen family
Part three: Being the change. Activism
The AIDS crisis
Art and expression
The art and power of drag
Part four: Horizons. Later evolutions
What is gender?
Thoughts for younger generations
Visions for the future
About the narrators.
Notes:
"Resources"--Pages 301-302.
Other Format:
Online version: De Robertis, Caro. So many stars.
ISBN:
9781643756875
1643756877
OCLC:
1455105975

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