Here are 86 books that Self-Made Man fans have personally recommended if you like Self-Made Man. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Apartheid of Sex: A Manifesto on the Freedom of Gender

Peg Tittle Author Of Gender Fraud: a fiction

From my list on to make you think about gender and sex.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of several novels—in addition to the one featured here, Impact, It Wasn't Enough (Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award), Exile, and What Happened to Tom (on Goodreads' "Fiction Books That Opened Your Eyes To A Social Or Political Issue" list).  I was a columnist for The Philosopher Magazine for eight years, Philosophy Now for two years, and the Ethics and Emerging Technologies website for a year ("TransGendered Courage" received 35,000 hits, making it #3 of the year, and "Ethics without Philosophers" received 34,000 hits, making it #5 of the year), and I've published a collection of think pieces titled Sexist Shit that Pisses Me Off. 

Peg's book list on to make you think about gender and sex

Peg Tittle Why Peg loves this book

Although I endorse Rothblatt's ideal of a sex-irrelevant society, I think he fails to fully comprehend the subordination by sex that females currently experience. And if he hadn't been so rich (like Jenner), he might not have voluntarily become a member of that sexed underclass. (I suspect his money has largely insulated him from the negative effects of being perceived as a woman.) That said, this 1995 book is a pioneering classic. (Though I think the subtitle should have been "A Manifesto on the Freedom from Gender" — not " A Manifesto on the Freedom of Gender".)

By Martine Rothblatt ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Apartheid of Sex as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rothblatt makes a case for the adoption of a new sexual model that accommodates every shade of gender identity. She reveals that traditional male and female roles are dictated neither by genetics, genitals, nor reproductive biology, but rather by social attitudes that originated in early patriarchal cultures and that have been institutionalized in modern law, and she calls a new acceptance of human sexuality in all its prismatic variety. 10 charts.


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Femininity

Peg Tittle Author Of Gender Fraud: a fiction

From my list on to make you think about gender and sex.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of several novels—in addition to the one featured here, Impact, It Wasn't Enough (Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award), Exile, and What Happened to Tom (on Goodreads' "Fiction Books That Opened Your Eyes To A Social Or Political Issue" list).  I was a columnist for The Philosopher Magazine for eight years, Philosophy Now for two years, and the Ethics and Emerging Technologies website for a year ("TransGendered Courage" received 35,000 hits, making it #3 of the year, and "Ethics without Philosophers" received 34,000 hits, making it #5 of the year), and I've published a collection of think pieces titled Sexist Shit that Pisses Me Off. 

Peg's book list on to make you think about gender and sex

Peg Tittle Why Peg loves this book

Another classic, written in 1984 by the author of Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape, Brownmiller covers a lot: body, hair, clothes, voice, skin, movement, emotion, ambition. She says in her prologue, "I offer this book ... in the hope that the feminine ideal will no longer be used to perpetuate inequality between the sexes, and that exaggeration will not be required to rest secure in biological gender." 

By Susan Brownmiller ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Femininity as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Illuminating and informative....Essential reading."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
Writing with great passion, warmth, and wit on a subject that's never been explored in these terms before, Susan Brownmiller draws on the many manifestations of femininity through the ages, and demonstrates in beautiful and telling detail the many powerful nuances of that one word.
"A positive joy to read!"
Nora Ephron
CHICAGO TRIBUNE BOOK WORLD


Book cover of The Frailty Myth

Peg Tittle Author Of Gender Fraud: a fiction

From my list on to make you think about gender and sex.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of several novels—in addition to the one featured here, Impact, It Wasn't Enough (Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award), Exile, and What Happened to Tom (on Goodreads' "Fiction Books That Opened Your Eyes To A Social Or Political Issue" list).  I was a columnist for The Philosopher Magazine for eight years, Philosophy Now for two years, and the Ethics and Emerging Technologies website for a year ("TransGendered Courage" received 35,000 hits, making it #3 of the year, and "Ethics without Philosophers" received 34,000 hits, making it #5 of the year), and I've published a collection of think pieces titled Sexist Shit that Pisses Me Off. 

Peg's book list on to make you think about gender and sex

Peg Tittle Why Peg loves this book

For those of us who grew up thinking we were the weaker sex/gender, this is a must-read book. When the deck is not stacked in favour of upper-body strength and short bursts of speed, and when factors such as height and weight are controlled (as the latter is, for example, in wrestling competition), women may actually be the stronger sex. I was particularly intrigued—no, annoyed—to read about sports that became segregated by sex only after women proved their superiority (for example, skeet shooting and rifle shooting).

By Colette Dowling ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Frailty Myth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Can women be equal to men as long as men are physically stronger? And are men, in fact, stronger?
These are key questions that Colette Dowling, author of the bestselling The Cinderella Complex, raises in her provocative new book. The myth of female frailty, with its roots in nineteenth-century medicine and misogyny, has had a damaging effect on women's health, social status, and physical safety. It is Dowling's controversial thesis that women succumb to societal pressures to appear weak in order to seem more "feminine."
The Frailty Myth presents new evidence that girls are weaned from the use of their…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of Just One of the Guys?: Transgender Men and the Persistence of Gender Inequality

Peg Tittle Author Of Gender Fraud: a fiction

From my list on to make you think about gender and sex.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of several novels—in addition to the one featured here, Impact, It Wasn't Enough (Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award), Exile, and What Happened to Tom (on Goodreads' "Fiction Books That Opened Your Eyes To A Social Or Political Issue" list).  I was a columnist for The Philosopher Magazine for eight years, Philosophy Now for two years, and the Ethics and Emerging Technologies website for a year ("TransGendered Courage" received 35,000 hits, making it #3 of the year, and "Ethics without Philosophers" received 34,000 hits, making it #5 of the year), and I've published a collection of think pieces titled Sexist Shit that Pisses Me Off. 

Peg's book list on to make you think about gender and sex

Peg Tittle Why Peg loves this book

I have always thought that we desperately need to hear from transmen and transwomen to help distinguish the effects of biological sex from those of cultural gender conditioning—more specifically, to illuminate both the influence of our respective high levels of estrogen or testosterone) and, in a word, sexism. Using interviews with transmen, Schilt very much does the latter. Consider this book a thorough precursor (2010) to the much-publicized experiences of Martin and Nicole (Google it); Martin concludes, about his experience being treated as Nicole, "It sucked." Indeed. (And the surprise experienced by so many transmen at their post-trans experiences supports the view that most women have no idea how easy men have it.)

By Kristen Schilt ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Just One of the Guys? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The fact that men and women continue to receive unequal treatment at work is a point of contention among politicians, the media, and scholars. Common explanations for this disparity range from biological differences between the sexes to the conscious and unconscious biases that guide hiring and promotion decisions. "Just One of the Guys?" sheds new light on this phenomenon by analyzing the unique experiences of transgender men - people designated female at birth whose gender identity is male - on the job. Kristen Schilt draws on in-depth interviews and observational data to show that while individual transmen have varied experiences,…


Book cover of Man o' War

Dahlia Adler Author Of Home Field Advantage

From my list on queer teen athletes.

Why am I passionate about this?

My newest YA novel, Home Field Advantage, is your typical cliché sports romance between a high school quarterback and aspiring cheer captain…except that they’re both girls. Sports is such a fascinating setting for queer YA to me, because it adds a whole extra social dynamic of being teammates and how that can work for or against you, depending on the culture and who you are. It’s also a great venue for subversion of gender norms, which is always welcome to me! And in general, I really just love protagonists who are really passionate about what they do. If they happen to be queer as well, that’s just a nice bonus!

Dahlia's book list on queer teen athletes

Dahlia Adler Why Dahlia loves this book

River McIntyre is a swimmer; at least that’s one element of their identity that’s safely and publicly established. But when he ends up “swimming” in the wrong place—a shark tank—it kicks off a journey of self-discovery that will change them forever. It’s such a brilliant path, taking place over the course of years and through different IDs and realizations, and I love the way everything—including River’s chosen name—always comes back to the water. 

By Cory McCarthy ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Man o' War as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

An achingly honest and frequently hilarious coming-of-age novel about an Arab American trans swimmer fighting to keep their head above water in a landlocked Midwestern town.

River McIntyre has grown up down the street from Sea Planet, an infamous marine life theme park slowly going out of business in small-town Ohio. When a chance encounter with a happy, healthy queer person on the annual field trip lands River literally in the shark tank, they must admit the truth: they don't know who they are-only what they've been told to be. This sets off a wrenching journey of self-discovery, from internalized…


Book cover of Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World

Tammy Gooler Loeb Author Of Work from the Inside Out: Break Through Nine Common Obstacles and Design a Career That Fulfills You

From my list on BE your best YOU in work and life.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a career and executive coach for the past 25+ years, I have been on a mission to help people develop more satisfying and meaningful connections to their careers. I am passionate about this because most people spend the better part of their adult lives at work, more time than they do with their families, sleeping, and other priorities. Yet many become unhappy in their work, losing themselves over decades, and get blinded by their financial and career success. It can seem unimaginable to find a way to a more fulfilling career. I am determined to show them the pathways of possibilities, no matter where they are in their lives.

Tammy's book list on BE your best YOU in work and life

Tammy Gooler Loeb Why Tammy loves this book

The first thing I loved about the book was its title. I have seen first-hand how curiosity can be a powerful force in improving people’s lives and making a difference in the world. Having interviewed over 260 people who changed their careers to gain greater fulfillment and meaning in their lives, curiosity was the one common thread that guided them to take risks, walk through doubts, and make critical decisions.

I love Shigeoka’s D.I.V.E. framework: Detach–Intend–Value–Embrace. It gave me guidelines for deepening and expanding my own curiosity with prompts to spark my thinking and opportunities to question my assumptions, discover new things, and cast aside self-doubts to take action, regardless of the outcomes. 

By Scott Shigeoka ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Seek as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A timely bridge for our divided world' - Adam Grant, bestselling author of Give and Take

Open your mind, heal your relationships, and connect across divides with this groundbreaking guide to deep curiosity from internationally-recognized curiosity expert, Scott Shigeoka.

At a time when tensions over race, religion, gender identity and more have fractured our lives and relationships, curiosity is the key to fostering connection, growth, and healing.

Seek will help you build the courage to be transformed by the people, places and experiences you encounter - unlocking deep curiosity, and strengthening this fundamental human skill.

Using Shigeoka's transformative four-step framework,…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our Society

Steve Vigdor Author Of Signatures of the Artist: The Vital Imperfections That Make Our Universe Habitable

From my list on science that should inform public policy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been passionate about science as a way of learning how nature works and approaching truth since I was a pre-teen. After five decades of basic research, teaching, and management in physics, I can distinguish good science from pseudoscience even beyond my own areas of expertise. I am greatly disturbed by attempts to undermine science in public policy-making when its findings conflict with ideology, religious beliefs, or business bottom lines. My passion project, via my blog debunkingdenial.com, is to explain to teachers and the public the underlying science and the flaws in science denial across a wide range of topics at the interface with public policy. 

Steve's book list on science that should inform public policy

Steve Vigdor Why Steve loves this book

I love this book because the author debunks myths about sex and gender promulgated by both the political left and the political right. Soh surveys recent biological research on brain and fetal development that demonstrates that sex and gender identity are not identical; they are distinct biological traits developed at different stages of pregnancy. Sex is determined by reproductive organs normally formed within the first trimester.

At the same time, gender identity resides in the brain, whose development is influenced not only by chromosomes but also by exposure to hormones during the second trimester and all the way up to birth. Male and female brains are wired differently. Gender is not simply a “social construct,” as many social scientists claim. My understanding of many issues relevant to the contentious politics regarding gender and transgender rights has been influenced by this book.

By Debra Soh ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The End of Gender as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

International sex researcher, neuroscientist, and columnist Debra Soh debunks popular gender myths in this scientific examination of the many facets of gender identity that "is not only eminently reasonable and beautifully-written, it is brave and vital" (Ben Shapiro, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

Is our gender something we're born with, or are we conditioned by society? In The End of Gender, neuroscientist and sexologist Dr. Debra Soh uses a research-based approach to address this hot-button topic, unmasking popular misconceptions about the nature vs. nurture debate and exploring what it means to be a woman or a man in today's…


Book cover of Gender as Love: A Theological Account of Human Identity, Embodied Desire, and Our Social Worlds

Amy Peeler Author Of Women and the Gender of God

From my list on understanding the historic and modern roles of men and women in Christianity.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was the little girl who always wanted to be at church, who felt compelled to tell people about the goodness of God, but because my religious communities did not allow women to be church leaders, I never imagined this was a path I could pursue. As an undergraduate, I was captured by the academic study of the Bible and could not imagine doing anything else with my life. Now, for the past 20+ years, I have been teaching the Bible in academic and ecclesial settings and have become one of many good scholars who are making a case that the Christian God fully values men and women.

Amy's book list on understanding the historic and modern roles of men and women in Christianity

Amy Peeler Why Amy loves this book

No other book has helped me understand the categories of sex and gender and given me the language to define them. Even more important, that clarity has given me the confidence to affirm the goodness of different created bodies and allow the beautiful variety in which those bodies serve God’s kingdom.

By Fellipe Do Vale , Beth Jones ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Gender as Love as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In recent years, the issue of gender has become a topic of great importance and has generated discussion from the kitchen table to the academy. It is an issue that churches and Christian educational institutions are grappling with as well, since gender is a crucial aspect of identity, affecting how we engage socially and understand our embodiment. Upstream from all these conversations lies a more basic question: What is gender?

In Gender as Love, Fellipe do Vale takes a theological approach to understanding gender, employing both biblical exegesis and historical theology and emphasizing the role human love plays in shaping…


Book cover of Video Games Have Always Been Queer

Christopher A. Paul Author Of Optimizing Play: Why Theorycrafting Breaks Games and How to Fix It

From my list on understanding games.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up playing video games from a classic Atari onward. And, if I could go back and tell my younger self his job would be to travel around the world talking, writing, and teaching about video games he never would have believed me. But, if he did, he’d be really excited about what was coming for him. I am consistently both shocked and thrilled that I get to do this as a job, and my favorite bit is often the teaching and communicating about games. It’s a blast!

Christopher's book list on understanding games

Christopher A. Paul Why Christopher loves this book

I always love finding work that challenges how I see things and shifts my perspective in some way. This is one of those books!

Even better, whenever I teach a group about this book and the arguments it makes about games a handful of people have a deep transformation about their understanding of games.

Reading this book will shake up how you think about video games, what they do, and how they work. And you might be in that group of people who can’t stop seeing the world in a different way because of your new perspective!

By Bonnie Ruberg ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Video Games Have Always Been Queer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Argues for the queer potential of video games
While popular discussions about queerness in video games often focus on big-name, mainstream games that feature LGBTQ characters, like Mass Effect or Dragon Age, Bonnie Ruberg pushes the concept of queerness in games beyond a matter of representation, exploring how video games can be played, interpreted, and designed queerly, whether or not they include overtly LGBTQ content. Video Games Have Always Been Queer argues that the medium of video games itself can-and should-be read queerly.
In the first book dedicated to bridging game studies and queer theory, Ruberg resists the common, reductive…


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Book cover of Old Man Country

Old Man Country by Thomas R. Cole,

This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.

In these and other intimate conversations, the book…

Book cover of Both Can Be True

Lisa Bunker Author Of Zenobia July

From my list on gender non-conforming humans for young readers.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was growing up there were no trans characters in children’s books, and partly because I had no examples I could point to, it took me until my forties to express and claim my gender truth. Now that I am a happily transitioned author, activist, and elected official, I champion middle grade novels by and about gender non-conforming humans because I want today’s trans kids to see themselves in stories. I hope to empower them to lead their best authentic lives from the beginning. I also hope to teach an often uninformed and sometimes prejudiced world to accept gender non-conforming kids as the beautiful healthy humans they are.

Lisa's book list on gender non-conforming humans for young readers

Lisa Bunker Why Lisa loves this book

I particularly like the dual narration in this 2021 debut, with two characters who challenge gender norms at different levels of intensity as they bond over a secret rescue dog. Daniel is a boy who feels all his emotions intensely, and who has been told over and over that he is too sensitive. Ash cycles through genders, feeling and expressing girl sometimes and boy other times. It’s so good to see a GNC character in a lead role. I also got a hoot out of the graphic elements, which are quirky and original.

By Jules Machias , Jules Machias ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Both Can Be True as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

*An Indie Next List Pick and a Top Ten Rainbow Book for Young Readers!*

Jules Machias explores identity, gender fluidity, and the power of friendship and acceptance in this dual-narrative story about two kids who join forces to save a dog . . . but wind up saving each other.

Ash is no stranger to feeling like an outcast. For someone who cycles through genders, it's a daily struggle to feel in control of how people perceive you. Some days Ash is undoubtedly girl, but other times, 100 percent guy. Daniel lacks control too-of his emotions. He's been told he's…


Book cover of Apartheid of Sex: A Manifesto on the Freedom of Gender
Book cover of Femininity
Book cover of The Frailty Myth

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in gender identity, cross-dressing, and topics and characters?

Gender Identity 91 books
Cross-Dressing 4 books