In the 1990s Elizabeth Parker was TGForum’s book reviewer. Books that featured crossdressing, body swapping, etc. were her beat. Reaching back into the TGF archives we’ve brought back one of her columns with reviews of two books aimed at young people, The Boys in The Band, in which two boys pretend to be girls to join an all-female band, and book two, Help! I’m Trapped In My Sister’s Body.
In the late 1990s Elizabeth Parker wrote Book Chat for TGForum. She reviewed books in the mainstream that contained transgender or crossdressing characters. In this Retro Rerun from 1998 she reviews Two Strand River, by Keith Maillard and Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. Both books are available through online booksellers.
In the 1990s Elizabeth Parker was the TGorum book reviewer. Books that featured crossdressing, whether as disguise or just because the character liked doing it, that was her favorite type of book to review. Today we dust off her review of Killer Cinderella by Simon Shaw and The Winner by David Baldacci.
From the TGF Archives- Elizabeth Parker reviews three books that feature crossdressing: Janet Evanovich’s “Four to Score.” Alison Haben’s “Dreamhouse,” and a Sherlock Holmes story by a modern author which is featured in “The Confidential Casebook of Sherlock Holmes.”
In the ’90s TGForum contributor Elizabeth Parker reviewed mainstream books that featured crossdressing or transgender characters. Today we dive into to TGForum Archives to bring you her reviews of three books: Death of the Duchess, Axe for an Abbot, and Body of Opinion. There don’t appear to be eBook versions of these stories but hardcover and paperback editions may be available from internet booksellers.
Return with us now to 1997 and the Book Chat column written by Elizabeth Parker. Ms. Parker devoted this column to what she called “comic romps”. These three books were written by mainstream authors and contain characters who crossdress for various reasons. The books reviewed are Cosi Fan Tutti by Michael Dibdin, Romanesque by Ralph McInery, and Maskqueraders by Georgette Heyer.
Today Shelley Anne steps out of the role on interviewer to report on a new book that the authors hope will help children, and adults, to welcome diversity. The book is titled “My Cat Fred Wears a Skirt”. Shelley tells us all about it, and what she wore at the book signing.
This Retro Rerun post from the TGForum Archives was the first in a series of reviews of books with transgender themes or characters. The reviewer was Elizabeth Parker and she started writing book reviews for TGF in 1997. In this post she reviews two books, one with what is surely a trans woman main character and the other that features a detective who adopts the guise of a woman to do his investigation. Both books are available through Amazon and Goodreads.
Our Retro Rerun is from January of 1999. TGForum contributor Elizabeth Parker did regular reviews of book with transgender characters. In this Book Chat she reviews two works; Commitment Hour and Merlin’s Gift. Both book are still available on Amazon and other online stores.
The Abolition of Sex is a new anti-transgender book that comes from the extreme left, so-called transgender exclusionary radical feminism. Dana Bevan reviews the book and refutes the assertions the author makes about transgender people.
blond(e) BOY, Red LIPSTICKby Geoff Bunn Review by Elizbaeth Batignolles This one came to my attention through the recommendation of a translator friend with good taste in literature. Set in London and Birmingham in the 1980s, blond(e) BOY, red LIPSTICK is a transgender romance, the first I’ve ever read. I was intrigued to find out […]
Our Retro Rerun today is Book Chat from TGForum in 1998 by Elizabeth Parker. She reviewed two books back then that had gender switching featured. The first is a thriller titled Day of Confession and the other is a science fiction novel by John Varley titled The Golden Globe. Varley is known to feature characters who change gender like we change our pantyhose and The Golden Globe does not disappoint. LEarn more about both books from Elizabeth’s reviews.
Back in the late 1990s TGForum contributor Hebe Dotson wrote about a transgender plot twist in one of Frank L. Baum’s Oz books. The twist happens many chapters into The Marvelous Land of Oz. Some of the familiar characters are present and the action takes place after the Wizard has headed back to Kansas. Dorothy and Toto have also left Oz but the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow team up with a boy named Tip and a being Tip has accidentally created named Jack Pumpkinhead. Because his head is a pumpkin.
Elizabeth Parker wrote book reviews for TGForum back in the ‘90s. While some of the books she covered are no longer in print and in some cases contain dated characterizations of trans people it’s interesting to see which tales still hold up. Today we dig into the Archives and rejuvenate Elizabeth Parker’s reviews of a book by Dean R. Koontz, a M.A.S.H. influenced work but the crossdressing nurse is much prettier than Klinger, and a murder mystery by John Leslie.
Back in 1998 Elizabeth Parker was our book reviewer at TGForum. Her column was called Book Chat. Today we go down into the archives and blow the dust off one of her columns in which she reviews three mystery books that feature crossdressing in one way or another. All three books are still in print, or back in ebook format, and are available on Amazon and from other online book sellers.
Sophie Lynne has been our Page Pundit since 2017. Her job as the Pundit has been to review books by trans writers and books about transgender subjects. When she took on this task she was employed at a bookstore so getting material was easy. She is no longer working there and Sophie has decided to doff her Page Pundit hat and return to delivering her personal blog every four weeks. She ends her run as the Pundit with a final post that reviews a website which publishes transgender fiction.
Sophie Lynne, our Book Pundit, reviews Brynn Tannehill’s book “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Trans (But were afraid to ask.” Ms. Tannehill is a writer and transgender advocate who has written for OutServe magazine, The New Civil Rights Movement, and The Bilerico Project as a blogger and featured columnist. Read on and see what Sophie thinks of Ms. Tannehill’s book about transgender issues in 2019.
In 1996 JoAnn Roberts, one of our founders, reviewed a book titled The Man in The Red Velvet Dress. It was written by Justine Sahnjay under the name J.J. Allen. The book stirred controversy for a few things. Prime among the complaints was a broad definition of what made a crossdresser: “. . .any person who wears clothing of the opposite sex.” JoAnn found that objectionable along with a couple of other points but overall she felt. . . well, you’ll have to read her review and see.
Today our Page Pundit reviews a collection of cartoons about transition titles Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition. An Up and Out Collection by Julia Kaye. Julia Kaye is an American artist and illustrator.
Sophie Lynne, our Page Pundit, reviews two books today. “Gracefully Grayson” is a young adult novel aimed at middle school children. Written by a cisgender female author it tells the story of Grayson, born male but drawn to feminine expression. Grayson wants to play Persephone in the school’s theatrical production. The second review is of a book aimed at younger children. It tells the story of the title character, “George” who would rather be Melissa. Melissa has an opportunity to present herself to the world as her true self and it’s also by playing a female character in the school play.
Today our Page Pundit, Sophie Lynne, reviews a young adult novel titled The Rules of Me. Though it doesn’t have a transgender theme as such it is about teens trying to find their identity. The point of view character is not even sure he actually exists. The main character, seen from his perspective is a young woman who is also finding herself, and growing up. Sophie’s review is unbiased, even though she knows the author. Check out this first YA novel by Melanie Moyer and give our Page Pundit’s review a read.
Today Sophie Lynne, our resident Page Pundit, reviews CN Lester’s book of essays, “Trans like me: Conversations for all of us.” The fifteen essays that comprise the book deal with many segments of the transgender experience. The author is a respected activist and writer from the United Kingdom who identifies as non-binary. We will add a bit of a spoiler but hope it entices you to read on by saying that Sophie highly approves of the book and recommends it for insights into the transgender community.
Our Page Pundit is Sophie Lynne. Today she reviews She’s Not There, the first book by Jennifer Finney Boylan. The book tells her story from her youth in Devon, Pa. to her transition. Full disclosure: Sophie has met and hung out with Ms. Boylan so she had to step back a bit to write this review. That doesn’t stop her from writing about the book and its message to all transgender people. Read on and learn what Sophie feels is important about She’s Not There.
Sophie Lynne is our Page Pundit and today she reviews a 2004 young adult novel title “Luna” by Julie Anne Peters. The story of trans teen Luna is told through the eyes of her younger sister. While Luna is the reason things happen the way they do the sister is a bit preoccupied with how Luna’s transgender nature effects her life. See what else Sophie has to say about the book in today’s Page Pundit review.
Last month Sophie Lynne reviewed the graphic novel Crosswind in which a ruthless hitman and a frazzled housewife exchange bodies. Sophie gave the series a positive review and thought, due to a short bit of dialogue in the fourth book, that there was a trans woman character who might be featured in later books. Turns out that was true, and now that Sophie has obtained all of the books, and read them twice, she has decided to add something about the series in this month’s Page Pundit.
Sophie Lynne is our Page Pundit. She reviews all sorts of publications with transgender themes, characters, and such. Today she goes from text only books to take a peek at a graphic novel series in which a hitman switches bodies with a harried housewife. Will the housewife be able to carry out a hit? Will the hitman do something horrible to the housewife’s abusive husband? Sophie doesn’t give away too many details but she tells you all about who writes and illustrates the series and how good it is. Read her review of Crosswind.
