Tranny

Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout

By: Laura Jane Grace, Dan Ozzi

Narrated by: Laura Jane Grace

ONE OF BILLBOARD'S "100 GREATEST MUSIC BOOKS OF ALL TIME": The provocative transgender advocate and lead singer of the punk rock band Against Me! provides a searing account of her search for identity and her true self.

It began in a bedroom in Naples, Florida, when a misbehaving punk teenager named Tom Gabel, armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a headful of anarchist politics, landed on a riff. Gabel formed Against Me! and rocketed the band from its scrappy beginnings-banging on a drum kit made of pickle buckets-to a major-label powerhouse that critics have called this generation's The Clash. Since its inception in 1997, Against Me! has been one of punk's most influential modern bands, but also one of its most divisive. With every notch the four-piece climbed in their career, they gained new fans while infuriating their old ones. They suffered legal woes, a revolving door of drummers, and a horde of angry, militant punks who called them "sellouts" and tried to sabotage their shows at every turn.

But underneath the public turmoil, something much greater occupied Gabel-a secret kept for 30 years, only acknowledged in the scrawled-out pages of personal journals and hidden in lyrics. Through a troubled childhood, delinquency, and struggles with drugs, Gabel was on a punishing search for identity. Not until May of 2012 did a Rolling Stone profile finally reveal it: Gabel is a transsexual, and would from then on be living as a woman under the name Laura Jane Grace.

Tranny is the intimate story of Against Me!'s enigmatic founder, weaving the narrative of the band's history, as well as Grace's, with dozens of never-before-seen entries from the piles of journals Grace kept. More than a typical music memoir about sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll-although it certainly has plenty of that-Tranny is an inside look at one of the most remarkable stories in the history of rock.

Critic reviews

Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONEMicrosoftInternetExplorer4 "Laura Jane Grace shows great bravery diving into every detail of a story seldom told, with the advantage of having kept journals documenting everything she went through, from childhood to the beginnings of her band. Capturing the pain and struggle, self-doubt and lack of support she experienced, Grace provides a valuable starting point for a conversation to broaden the understanding of, and empathy for, trans people."—Joan Jett, Billboard's 100 Greatest Music Books of All Time

"An ambassador for the gender revolution currently sweeping through public restroom policy and National Geographic covers [and] a potent tool for empathy that hasn't quite existed in pop culture....Grace and co-writer Dan Ozzi spin green room drama and rock star recklessness into a gem of a rock bio that belongs on a shelf alongside Hammer of the Gods and Get in the Van."
—Paste Magazine, Best Nonfiction Books of 2016

"A full-length tell-all about Grace's lifelong journey to discovering, accepting, and at last publicly acknowledging her true identity....[told] with daring candor...the memoir establishes her as at once a transgender icon and a modern day heroine."
—Harper's Bazaar, Best Books of November

"A savagely candid transgender memoir, and thus far, the only quintessential text regarding Against Me!--one of the most significant punk bands of the aughts and onward. Without a smidgen of sarcasm, I would highly recommend the book to your grandmother, even if she is afraid of transpeople and can't name three Clash songs."—Esquire

"In this riveting and at times harrowing biography, Grace recounts in unflinching detail her path to self-realization....The story [of the band] would be enough for a compelling book, but Grace's gender dysphoria adds a remarkable twist to the tale....[a] brutally honest, soul-searching memoir."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An engrossing story about the perils of the rock star lifestyle, identity, drug abuse, and what it means to be a punk."—Third Coast Review, Best Music and Art of 2016

"The extraordinary story of the misfit among the punks who attempted to save himself by choosing his gender--as if by erasing the man he was might heal the diseased society that produced him. Laura Jane Grace claws her way into the light and we are all inspired to find our own grace."—John Cameron Mitchell

equal parts punk rock/trans experience

I was pretty well in the target audience for this book. I'm a huge Against Me fan, I see them almost every time they're in town, and I also like reading about LGBTQ issues and had made it a goal to read more about the trans experience. But I was blown away by how good this book is. I knew Laura was a gifted lyricist, but that does not necessarily a great prose writer make. I am also a little suspicious of biographies with co-writers attached. But since so much of this was from Laura's journals, I felt more confident this was really her voice. Despite it being a sometimes dark and emotionally difficult read, I was sad when this was over. So many celebrity biographies, even of people with interesting stories, feel forced, feel like they should be blog posts, not a book. There are usually chapters it seems obvious are only there to increase page count and somehow make this long enough to be a book. This is not the case here. I regret not buying a physical copy last time I saw them on tour, because it makes me sad I was missing out on this for so long!

There is equal material here for the punk rocker, Against Me fan, anarchist DIY sort and for those mainly interested in Laura's gender dysphoria experience. I will say if you wanted to read all about her physical transition you might be disappointed there. The book ends with her committing fully to hormone therapy, no surgeries are mentioned, as it's none of our business.

I loved the band name dropping. Hearing about Laura almost getting in a fight with Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio when she was Tom, hanging out with NOFX on Warped Tour and jamming with Lars and Tim from Rancid was amazing. Joan Jett was also a big presence.

It's also worth noting that even people confident and firm in a traditional gender identity will find plenty to relate to here. If you've ever felt like your body or the image you present to the world doesn't match what's inside of you, if you've ever hated what you see in the mirror, you will see that you may have more similarities than differences with trans or gender non conforming folk.

In a time when many of our heroes are falling, it's nice to see one rise.

We are all just bones in a box ...

Prior to listening, I had read the book. I couldn't put it down. It left me wanting more. When I noticed this was being read by Laura I had to listen. It has great flow as she shares these moments in her life. Laura has a genuine charm about her. This book is honest and extremely courageous. There were several parts that I just found so heartbreaking and
even relatable. I hope there will be another book!

amazing

I couldn't stop reading and listening to this book. Laura Jane Grace is real, raw and honest. I have a whole new respect for her and Against Me! I hung on her every word.

So Fucking Good!

Listened straight through at work and when she yelled at the pharmacist I literally shouted "Fuck yeah!" out loud at my register!

illuminating for the against me! fan

as a longtime fan of their music, I really enjoyed learning more of the story behind the band. I largely really liked this book, but as a trans person, I wish there was more in the Transgender Dysphoria Blues era, because its certainly weighted towards their early-middle output. nevertheless, it was a great listen and Laura did a great job