My sister How one sibling's transition changed us both

Selenis Leyva, 1972-

Book - 2020

"A powerful, honest memoir by two sisters - one a star on Orange Is the New Black, one a trans woman and activist - about transitioning, family, allyship, and the path to self-realization. When Selenis Leyva's parents adopted a baby into their warm, loving family, Selenis was immediately smitten. The pair were always close; Selenis showered her younger sibling with affection, who in turn looked up to Selenis and followed her everywhere. The siblings realized, almost at the same moment, that the younger of the two was struggling with their identity. As Marizol transitioned and fought to define her identity, Selenis and her family struggled to support her. In My Sister, they narrate their shared journey, challenges, and triumphs. In... alternating chapters, Selenis and Marizol write honestly about the issues of violence, abuse, and discrimination that trans people and women of color - and especially trans women of color - experience daily. And they are open about the messiness and confusion of fully realizing oneself and being properly affirmed by others, even those who love you."--Cover.

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Subjects
Genres
Biographies
Published
New York : Bold Type Books 2020.
Language
English
Main Author
Selenis Leyva, 1972- (author)
Other Authors
Marizol Leyva (author), Emily Chammah
Edition
First edition
Online Access
Image
Physical Description
247 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 246-247).
ISBN
9781541762954
  • Introduction: Selenis
  • Part I. Jose
  • Part II. Beginnings of a Transition
  • Part III. Marizol
  • Epilogue: Marizol
  • Acknowledgments
  • LCBTQ+ Resources for Readers
  • Notes
Review by Booklist Review

Actress Selenis Leyva (Orange Is the New Black) and her younger sister, Marizol, jointly tell how Marizol came to realize she's a trans woman and experienced the uneasy transition that followed. At first, her story is not atypical. She grew up in an immigrant Latinx family in the Bronx, knowing since the age of three that something was wrong. She identified as female; however, not having the necessary vocabulary, she never expressed it. She didn't even know the word transgender until her late teens. Finally aware of her gender identity, she began hormone therapy at the age of 21. In the meantime, she had made a number of bad--sometimes very bad--decisions. She stole $18,000 from her parents, became a sex worker at 18, and acted in pornography. Later, after having transitioned, she became involved in a horribly abusive relationship. How she survived it all is the substance of this cautionary tale, which the sisters tell in alternating chapters. Happily, despite its emotional turbulence, the story ends on a hopeful note.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.