In this reflective and vulnerable memoir, Brookins describes a journey of self-discovery—growing into their gender, sexuality, and sense of self—while constantly surrounded by institutional and cultural assumptions and demands. “Every day, I negotiate the space between who I am, how I’m perceived, and what I need to unlearn,” they write.
Chapters on childhood and family portray early memories of learning and unlearning gendered behavior and expectations. Later chapters on doctors, queerphobia, work, and relationships relate the joys and growing pains of transitioning into pronouns, a name, and a body that are true to them. Throughout, Brookins references and iterates on pieces from the likes of Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Frank Ocean, putting their own experiences in conversation with iconic cultural works. They describe the difficult process of unlearning toxic masculinity, a social weight ascribed to their transmasculine appearance, despite not being a man. The result is an outlook on Black masculinity that is tender, confident, and wholly their own…pretty.
In PRETTY, Brookins portrays:
An honest Texan experience—the book details to an acerbic degree the political and cultural landscape of multiple Texas cities, and what there is, still, to love about the Lone Star state
The state of transgender rights—Brookins shares experiences of accessing medical care as a trans person, and the impact of anti-trans policies that are being advanced all across the U.S.
Growing up in the church—Brookins writes about religion, and how growing up in a religious household shaped their view of spirituality today
Black trans joy—the memoir contains many moments of humor and happiness, which often exist alongside or despite moments of great strife
How to love one's body—Brookins describes their experience of "top surgery" and loving their body despite it being the thing that boxes them, to some, into a certain gender
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KB BROOKINS is a Black, queer, and trans writer and cultural worker from Texas. They are the author of Freedom House and How to Identify Yourself with a Wound. Brookins has poems, essays, and installation art published in Academy of American Poets, Teen Vogue, Poetry Magazine, Prizer Arts & Letters, Okayplayer, Poetry Society of America, Autostraddle, and other venues. They have earned fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, PEN America, Equality Texas, and others.