Trans / Active: A Biography of Gwendolyn Ann Smith

by Sophia Cecelia Leveque

Gwendolyn Ann Smith remembers when she was three years old, she adored, coveted, and so wanted to wear Mary Jane simple, black leather shoes with little straps across the instep. Practical and cute footwear that many little girls wore. Her parents said no; these shoes weren’t for Gwen. She was confused and too young to understand why not. Finally, her parents told her that those shoes were for girls. And Gwen was a boy. That memory, one of her earliest, begins the story of her long journey to become herself.

Genres: Biography

138 pages, Paperback

Published July 28, 2017

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview on the life of a leader within the transgender community along with interesting insight into transgender history as a whole.

Quick read (read it in an hour or so), however, the book needed a bit more editing. There were some jarring grammatical mistakes and inconsistencies. Despite this, it was a great story to tell.

[Darilaros · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a trans person, I aspire to blaze even nearly as many trails as Gwen, and as an amateur Wikipedia editor, I firmly believe the world would be a better place if more people had even nearly the maverick initiative Sophia showed by making this book happen.

[Jack Laughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important book on an early leader in a community often neglected by history. Can't wait to read more from Leveque's pen!