Queer elders' stories shine in Caro De Robertis’ ‘So Many Stars.’
On this episode of Fully Booked, Caro De Robertis joins us to discuss So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color (Algonquin, May 13. In a starred review, Kirkus calls this groundbreaking oral history “a colorful tapestry of potent, radiant, and relevant testimonials from queer people of color.”
De Robertis is an award-winning writer and literary translator whose honors include two Stonewall Book Awards and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. They are the author of six novels, including 2019 Kirkus Prize finalist Cantoras, The Palace of Eros,The Gods of Tango, and The President and the Frog. They teach at San Francisco State University and live in Oakland, California, with their two children.
Here’s a bit more from our starred review: “Novelist De Robertis assembles insightful and educative life experiences from interviews in 2022-23 with 20 multicultural transgender, genderqueer, nonbinary, genderfluid, butch, Two-Spirit, transfeminine, and transmasculine people. Each personal history is notable in its own scope and perspective, but collectively these voices representing elder queer generations of color become extraordinary.Generous anecdotes about what coming out queer or questioning gender was like three, four, or five decades ago form the crux of several stories.…Each story—from trailblazing trans activists and advocates to pioneering community leaders to a trans Latine immigrant business owner to cultivators of queer culture—reflects on how the joys and pains of living authentic queer lives formed the people they have become. The lasting impressions each of them has made on society beautifully amplify the heartbeat of queer trans life.”
De Robertis shares the genesis of their project to interview queer elders of color, which began with a grant from the Baldwin-Emerson Elders Project, established by award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson. We discuss the book’s structure and delve into the 20 elders’ tales of claiming their identities, resisting political violence, building community, and continuing to evolve. We touch on the humor, heart, and generosity of De Robertis’ subjects and imagine the ways queerness may continue to reshape our world.
Then editors Laura Simeon, Mahnaz Dar, John McMurtrie, and Laurie Muchnick share their top picks in books for the week.
EDITORS’ PICKS:
The Trouble With Heroes by Kate Messner (Bloomsbury)
In the World of Whales by Michelle Cusolito, illus. by Jessica Lanan (Neal Porter/Holiday House)
The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science by Carly Anne York (Basic Books)
Bug Hollow by Michelle Huneven (Penguin Press)
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
We Need You in the Locker Room by David Kaufman
The Boughs of Love by Nathan Kitchen
The Carpenter and the Apprentice by Grace Zacaroli
Fully Booked is produced by Cabel Adkins Audio and Megan Labrise.
