Black transgender author Tourmaline, whom actor Janet Mock has called “the preeminent and foremost scholar on Marsha P. Johnson,” has created a lively, lyrical, and evocative picture book about the trans icon that isn’t as much a narration of the events in her life as it is the reminiscences of an old friend. It’s a powerful approach that emphasizes Johnson’s significance and impact.
The narrator begins by asking readers to imagine a hot summer day in New York City, and her friend, Marsha P. Johnson—“Radiant, a whirlwind of love.” Readers are then told, “You see the packages we come in? The way we are exactly ourselves, no more, no less? That’s because of Marsha.”
The story spins back to the New York of Marsha’s day, where times could be good but also hard, and “Saint Marsha” always took care of her friends. We see her doing acts of kindness, dancing on tabletops, and donning her iconic flower crown, paying no mind to the opinions of others and embodying the idea that “When we can find our joy, we can show up for others.”
Her message is still with us as people show up for each other, Tourmaline asserts. A full spread with oversize type—powerfully, the only one in the book—then shows a Black woman with a megaphone, telling a crowd, “I BELIEVE IN BLACK TRANS WOMEN.”
As Marsha knew, the book concludes, “People may not always understand our beauty,” but we keep celebrating with each other and “showing up exactly as we are.” We, too, can create “endless joy” like Marsha.
Charlot Kristensen’s vibrant illustrations echo and enhance the text, as we see Johnson glittering and swirling through her neighborhood. Backmatter includes more details of Johnson’s life, additional resources about her, and links for additional support and help.
This is “a story inspired by” Johnson’s life rather than a biography per se (although I am tagging it as one since people may seek it that way). The usual details one might expect in a biography are not here; we don’t learn where she was born, why she came to New York City, or even that she participated in the Stonewall Riots (although the backmatter mentions it). But for readers of the target age group, I think those details are less important than knowing about the boundless spirit, self-confidence, and the belief in human connection that make Johnson worth remembering. Tourmaline conveys that exceptionally well, creating a book of Black trans (and even broader) joy to keep us moving forward, even as we look to the icons of our past. Highly recommended.
(Don’t confuse this book with the also excellent but different This Day in June, by Gayle Pitman, about a Pride parade.)
