So Many Stars knits
together the voices of trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and two-spirit elders of
color as they share authentic, intimate accounts of how they created space for
themselves and their communities in the world. This singular project collects
the testimonies of twenty elders, each a glimmering thread in a luminous
tapestry, preserving their words for future generations—who can more fully
exist in the world today because of these very trailblazers.
De Robertis creates a collective coming-of-age story based on hundreds of hours
of interviews, offering rare snapshots of ordinary life: kids growing up,
navigating family issues and finding community, coming out and changing how
they identify over the years, building movements and weathering the AIDS
crisis, and sharing wisdom for future generations. Often narrating experiences
that took place before they had the array of language that exists today to
self-identify beyond the gender binary, this generation lived through
remarkable changes in American culture, shaped American culture, and yet rarely
takes center stage in the history books. Their stories feel particularly urgent
in the current political moment, but also remind readers that their experiences
are not new, and that young trans and nonbinary people today belong to a long
lineage.
de Robertis, Caro. (2025). So Many Stars. New York: Algonquin Books.
