American Teenager

From an award-winning journalist comes a vivid and moving portrait of eight trans and nonbinary teenagers across the country, following their daily triumphs, struggles, and all that encompasses growing up trans in America today.

“An urgent and heartfelt chronicle of families under attack. Nico Lang cuts through the political ping-pong over transgender rights to surface the human stories that too often go ignored… Lang’s lucid and clear-eyed account of their lives offers an essential corrective, reminding us that there’s nothing more American than the freedom to be yourself.” —SAMANTHA ALLEN, author of Real Queer America

Media coverage doesn’t hesitate to sensationalize the fight over how trans kids should be allowed to live, but what is incredibly rare are the voices of the people at the heart of this debate: transgender and gender nonconforming kids themselves. In their groundbreaking new book, journalist Nico Lang does just that. By living with seven families of eight transgender, nonbinary, and genderfluid teens, and drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews with them, their families, and the people in their communities, American Teenager paints a stunning portrait of what it’s like to grow up trans today.

Unlike the whitewashed, monolithic vignettes we regularly see, this book leans into the complexity and nuance of the teens' lives. It takes mental strength for these teens to focus on schoolwork while being barraged with headlines about how their existence is an abomination or experiencing the deep pain of losing family after coming out. But in this necessary, vital work, Lang also documents the resiliency of their support systems, the daily moments of joy, and the hope that a better future is possible.

From the tip of Florida’s conservative panhandle to vibrant queer communities in California, Texas churches to mosques in Illinois, American Teenager gives readers a window into the lives of Wyatt, Rhydian, Mykah, Clint, Ruby, Jack, Augie, and Kylie, eight teens who, despite what some lawmakers might want us to believe, are truly just kids looking for a brighter future.