Enter to win American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era!

Enter to win American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era! To enter the contest, fill out the form below between Tuesday, October 8, and Tuesday, October 29.

Media coverage tends to sensationalize the fight over how trans kids should be allowed to live, but what is incredibly rare are the voices of the people at the heart of this debate: transgender and gender nonconforming kids themselves. For their groundbreaking new book, journalist Nico Lang spent a year traveling the country to document the lives of transgender, nonbinary, and genderfluid teens and their families. Drawing on hundreds of hours of on-the-ground interviews with them and the people in their communities, American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era (Abrams Press; October 8, 2024; U.S. $30.00; Hardcover) paints a vivid portrait of what it's actually like to grow up trans today.

From the tip of Florida's conservative panhandle to vibrant queer communities in California, and from Texas churches to mosques in Illinois, American Teenager gives readers a window into the lives of Wyatt, Rhydian, Mykah, Clint, Ruby, Augie, Jack, and Kylie, eight teens who, despite what some lawmakers might want us to believe, are truly just kids looking for a brighter future.

"An evocative and authentic story of the love and resilience of transgender teens and their families. Lang's storytelling is intimate and illuminating, walking a tightrope between the complex narratives of trauma and joy, without ever leaning too heavily into one and discounting the importance of the other. Simultaneously heart-wrenching and heart-warming, American Teenager is an absolute must-read."
RODRIGO HENG-LEHTINEN, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality

"Lang weaves this broad bleak terrain with warm insights and a clear immediacy of message. Expansive and compassionate."
GABE DUNN, New York Times bestselling coauthor of I Hate Everyone But You

"With tremendous empathy and the kind of precision that only comes with a years-long commitment to truth-telling, Nico Lang amplifies the dreams, fears, and resistance of transgender teens in the United States at the current moment. Lang proves how rich the discourse is when trans youth take their rightful place at the center of their narratives."
RAQUEL WILLIS, activist, and author of The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation

"As a transgender woman who transitioned during childhood, American Teenager resonates deeply with me. With heartfelt empathy, Nico Lang uncovers the human stories overshadowed by political rhetoric, showcasing the struggles and resilience of transgender youth amid adversity while simultaneously amplifying their voices, which are all too often silenced. In a society where ignorance and bigotry seek to vilify the most vulnerable among us, Lang's sincere portrayal pulls back the curtain to unveil remarkable youth who simply want to be kids . . . Lang sheds light on their heartwarming journeys, intense challenges, life-changing moments, and the true meaning of unconditional love."
JAZZ JENNINGS, author of Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen

Author Bio

Nico Lang (they/them) is a nonbinary award-winning journalist with over a decade of experience covering the transgender community's fight for equality. Their work has appeared in major publications, including Rolling Stone, Esquire, The New York Times, Vox, The Wall Street Journal, Salon, Harper's Bazaar, Time, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Lang is the creator of Queer News Daily and previously served as the deputy editor for Out magazine, the news editor for Them, the LGBTQ+ correspondent for VICE, and the editor and cofounder of the literary journal In Our Words. Their industry-leading contributions to queer media have resulted in a GLAAD Media Award, 10 awards from the National Association of LGBTQ Journalists (NLGJA), and three awards from the Los Angeles Press Club, including the 2023 Online Journalist of the Year. Lang is also the first-ever recipient of the Visibility Award from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF), an honor created to recognize their impactful contributions to reporting on the lives of LGBTQ+ people.

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