Pride books round-up 2025, part 2: memoir and biography

In the second part of our expansive book review series, we present a wondrously queer selection of biography and memoir titles illuminating how members of our community have stood up and struggled throughout their lives. These include a lesbian who took a year off from intimacy with others, two stars from the hit series “The L-Word,” and volumes on the iconic legacies of Marsha P. Johnson and beloved star Judy Garland. These books delightfully spotlight the journeys of queer individuals from all walks of life.

“The Dry Season” by Melissa Febos, $29 (Knopf)
Melissa Febos, an award-winning queer essayist who isn’t afraid of probing her own personal experiences of domestic violence or addiction, has now produced a striking memoir involving her year-long ordeal with self-imposed sexual abstinence, but not in the eye-rolling, dreaded sense. Aided by conversational prose and exacting detail, Febos draws readers in with the idea of abstention as a physical and psychological reboot of sorts, which is something many of us have certainly considered at one time or another in our lives after a particularly difficult breakup.

The memoir is as surprisingly refreshing to read as the author reflects about the celibate experience itself as it became one of the happiest and course-changing years in her life. Instead of the choice to remove sex from her life as a grueling, limiting, unsatisfying process, Febos ultimately observed her platonic relationships blossom, deepen, and fulfill her in new and different ways she wasn’t expecting.

The book is a joy to behold as the author deconstructs her romantic life and rebuilds it with more care and conscious self-awareness, but also concludes with a positive event as Febos meets her current wife, poet Donika Kelly, just as her celibacy was ending. As she notes, this new relationship represents a chance for Febos to continue the work on herself and now devote attention to the intimacy and love she’s found with her new wife. This is an intensive, thought-provoking, relatable excavation of the heart, mind, and the element of desire that will truly dazzle.        
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/725681/the-dry-season-by-melissa-febos/

Melissa Febos will sign and read from “The Dry Season” on June 17, 7pm at The Booksmith, 1727 Haight Street. https://www.booksmith.com/  

“Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson” by Tourmaline, $30 (Tiny Reparations)
In this touching and well-researched biography of 1970s Manhattan trans trailblazer Marsha P. Johnson, Black artist and trans activist Tourmaline respectfully pays homage to the legacy that was Marsha.

Best known for participating in the pushback against the police during the Stonewall Bar uprising in 1969, Marsha was born Malcolm Michaels Jr. in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1945 and by the age of five started wearing dresses as a mode of self-expression. Due to schoolyard ostracization, she curtailed these impulses until it was time to break free in high school when trips to New York City ushered her into an extended family of trans sisters and brothers and informed her on the ways and means of all things Drag.

Moving permanently to Manhattan in 1963, she changed her name to Marsha and soon began to become known for her glamorous drag performances and outspoken opinions. Her death in 1992 at age 47 became shrouded in mystery after Marsha’s body was discovered floating in the Hudson River. Her close network of friends discounted law enforcement’s initial declaration of suicide. They insisted it was a homicide and the case (still unsolved) was reopened for further investigation and amidst a swirl of speculation. This richly drawn history of one of the original gay liberation activists has pride written all throughout it and is simply not to be missed.     
https://rep.club/products/marsha

“Maybe This Will Save Me: A Memoir of Art, Addiction and Transformation” by Tommy Dorfman, $29.99 (Hanover Square)
Tommy Dorfman, a television and theater actor best known for playing the role of Ryan Shaver in Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why,” shares the details of her life overcoming addiction and struggling with identity.

Born to a wealthy Georgian family in 1992, Dorfman studied theater and came out as a gay teen and then emerged as nonbinary in 2017. In 2021, she identified as a trans woman, and then as a lesbian soon after. Her path toward sobriety as a young person is detailed with an eye on the spiritual aspects of the journey and the transformative power of inner truth and self-awareness.

Readers may find the book’s structure and nonlinear timeline a bit of a challenge, but those who stay with Dorfman for the rest of her wild ride will discover lots of intimate details and revelations in a memoir that is honest and forthright at its core. Not quite a celebrity memoir, this thoughtful diary of heartfelt truths will inspire from the inside out. 
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/maybe-this-will-save-me-tommy-dorfman?variant=43190589849634

“Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success” by Jeff Hiller, $28.99 (Simon & Schuster)
Queer actor and comedian Jeff Hilles, 49, is probably most recognizable for his work on the HBO series “Somebody Somewhere,” and while punchy and filled with humor, his memoir gets deeply candid about his lean years prior to the upswing in his acting career.

With self-deprecating humor and refreshing frankness, the author discusses the midlife crisis that made a toupee purchase seem like a good investment and made his relationship with food and feelings of underachievement almost overwhelmingly heavy to contend with.

After a quite lucrative Snickers commercial and a movie side gig as a naked man standing on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, Hiller’s big career break with a role on “Somebody Somewhere” came courtesy of an inquisitive email from Bridget Everett, an actress on the show, who thought he would be a perfect fit for the role of “Joel,” and he was indeed.

A particularly moving chapter devoted to his appreciation for her is one of the book’s highlights. He’s admittedly a huge fan of celebrity memoirs and finds himself lucky to be among the ranks of so many crowding bookstore shelves these days. This is a revealing, grateful portrait of a struggling actor whose ship finally came in.
https://www.porchlightbooks.com/products/actress-of-a-certain-age-jeff-hiller-9781668031858

“The Life of Those Left Behind” by Matteo B. Bianchi, $17.99 (Other Press)
In this searingly poignant autobiographical novel, Italian author Bianchi intimately reflects on a life-altering event that forever changed the way he looked at relationships and himself. How does one recover from finding a former long-term partner dead from suicide in their apartment mere months after a sad breakup?

This story tells the story of Bianchi’s heartbreak in the aftermath of such an event and the memories that clouded his better judgment in the months following it. Taking notes and jotting down every shred of thought that came to him, the book blooms in a swath of memories and flashes of togetherness that, while faded, still remained alive in the author’s mind.

This is an emotional portrait of unbearable loss, redemption, survival, and the struggle to find your way back from an event that detaches and derails everything about life itself. Written with eloquent prose and exacting, moving detail, Bianchi tells the tale of his broken life through fictional means, but with all the truths of loss, guilt, and self-forgiveness embedded throughout it. This is unforgettable.
https://otherpress.com/product/the-life-of-those-left-behind-9781635424522/

“So Gay For You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All” by Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey, $32 (St. Martin’s)
From 2004-2009, actors Moennig and Hailey starred in Showtime’s “The L Word” and their dual memoir details how the show emerged as the powerhouse success it became and how it formatively changed lives.

In alternating chapters, Moennig and Hailey describe how the show’s development and its name change (from “Earthlings”) came at the most opportune time for both women as Hailey performed in a struggling rock band and Moennig was an actress eager for a career-defining break.

The popularity of “The L-Word” came as a surprise to both actresses and each had to make life adjustments to counter the sudden pressures that come with instant popularity in Hollywood. Hailey was cast as Alice, a bisexual journalist, while Moennig portrayed edgy bedhopping lesbian Shane, with both contributing greatly to the allure of the series and its long-running success in portraying sexually active lesbians on contemporary cable television.

Insider details on salary negotiations, characters, evolving storylines, spinoffs, reboots, and the show’s immense impact on the queer community just add to the book’s allure. The actresses’ separate histories before, during, and after the success of “The L-Word” are equally enriching, illuminating, and enjoying. This dual-lesbian success story is a rewarding treat.
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250361363/sogayforyou/

“Judy Garland: The Voice of MGM” by Scott Brogan, $65 (Lyons)
Brogan, who curates several websites devoted to Judy Garland’s life (1922-1969) and legacy (thejudyroom.com and judygarlandnews.com), has produced this 400-page collector’s volume of photographs and detailed narrative focused primarily during her performance era with MGM Studios running from 1922 until 1969.

Armed with an enchanting, unique singing voice and a desire to be a front-and-center star, Brogan writes about Garland’s first contract with MGM as an early teenager and the disciplined work it took to continue performing on a schedule that barely allowed her to be a young lady on her own. This showbiz pressure contributed to a daily regimen of diet and sleep medications along with stimulants that the studio felt were necessary to keep their shining star bright and productive.

Her film career further pushed her into the spotlight until the light went out on her contract with MGM in the fall of 1950 when the star was just 28. There are over 200 images decorating the book in fabulous style, making this a must-have item for any diehard Judy Garland fan.
https://judygarlandnews.com/2025/05/18/judy-garland-the-voice-of-mgm-just-one-month-away/