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  • Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline book cover
  • Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline book cover
  • Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline book cover
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Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson

by Tourmaline

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Marsha P. Johnson: activism, art, and self-definition

$23.90 USD
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Hardcover New English

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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Stonewall Book Award in Nonfiction finalist

    Finalist for the Stonewall Book Award in Nonfiction.

  • Editorial selection

    Featured in The New York Times's nonfiction to read this spring

    Featured in The New York Times's nonfiction books to read this spring.

  • Critical praise

    Praised as “a must-read” by Janet Mock

    Janet Mock praised the book as “a must-read.”

AlbakiReads Editorial

Marsha P. Johnson: activism, art, and self-definition

Tourmaline’s biography places Marsha P. Johnson within the early gay rights movement, connecting her public activism with her work and presence as a drag performer, fashion figure, and muse to artists. The book’s portrait brings together the beauty and struggle of that movement, with Johnson’s insistence on claiming freedom for herself as a guiding thread. Its subject is both an individual life and the broader history of Black transgender activism and LGBTQIA+ organizing.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in biographies of LGBTQIA+ activists and cultural figures.
  • Readers exploring Black transgender history and the early gay rights movement.
  • Readers interested in the intersections of activism, drag, fashion, and art.

Themes

Black transgender activismLGBTQIA+ historySelf-determinationArt and cultural influence

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - STONEWALL BOOK AWARD IN NONFICTION FINALIST - LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST - PUBLISHING TRIANGLE BOOK AWARD FINALIST - MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY STONE BOOK AWARD FINALIST

Praised as "a marvel" by Elliot Page and "a must-read" by Janet Mock, Black transgender luminary Tourmaline's definitive biography brings to life the revolutionary LGBTQIA+ activist Marsha P. Johnson

"Thank god the revolution has begun, honey." Rumor has it that after Marsha P. Johnson threw the first brick in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, she picked up a shard of broken mirror to fix her makeup. She was a legendary Black transgender activist, drag queen, fashion icon, and muse to countless artists from Andy Warhol to the band Earth, Wind & Fire--in all, Marsha embodied both the beauty and the struggle of the early gay rights movement.

Written with sparkling prose, Tourmaline's Marsha shares the essential stories of the activist and artist. Marsha didn't wait to be freed; she declared herself free and told the world to catch up. Her story promises to inspire readers to live as their most liberated, unruly, vibrant, and whole selves.
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