This readable and informative middle-grade biography looks at transgender icon Sylvia Rivera’s life from her birth to immigrant, migrant parents to her involvement at Stonewall and activism in helping trans youth. Many people know of her friendship with trans icon Marsha P. Johnson, with whom she formed Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) to provide services and advocacy for homeless LGBTQ people—this book includes that, but also offers a fuller view of her story.
Published by the organization Hispanic Star in partnership with Macmillan, the biography notably shows her early life in the context of the Venezuelan and Puerto Rican cultures in which she grew up, but is equally thoughtful about explaining her growing realization that she was transgender. Sidebars on topics like “What is transphobia?” help readers without interrupting the main flow of the narrative.
A welcome middle-grade biography of a figure who has long been due one.
Content warning: Mention of her mother’s death after poisoning herself; mention of the anger and threatening behavior of her half-sister’s father and of other bullying.
Also available in Spanish.
