17 for 2017: Kate Bornstein recommends Siddhartha

4. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse recommended by Kate Bornstein  

Throughout my tenure as the December Writer-In-Residence, I will be assembling a list of 17 must-read-books for 2017. To accomplish this numerically satisfying task, I have asked 17 people whose work I adore to suggest one title for the list. Consult the end of each post for the growing list of recommendations!  

Kate Bornstein is a performer, playwright and author who launched into the literary mainstream with the 1994 publication of her book Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us. Since, Bornstein has maintained a tenacious public profile by publishing many subsequent books about her life – one that has been lived as a Scientologist, as a parent, and as a self-identified freak – alongside ever-evolving understandings of transgender rights and advocacy in North America. In the early 2000’s, Kate was an invited speaker in my Queer Performance class at UCLA. Witnessing her inspired fusion of artistry and activism on that day has endlessly-impacted the creative trajectories of my life. Want to learn more? Check out Sam Feder’s timely documentary Kate Bornstein is a Queer and Pleasant Danger, which borrows its title from Kate’s recently released memoir of the same name.

From Kate:

Short, sweet story about a constantly changing life, and the gradual embrace of constant change. With Trump America, it’s essential we know that all things change—and it will be longer than we want, and sooner than we think. I read this book one or two times a year. Huh—actually due for a read now!

Stay tuned as we build the ultimate 2017 reading list! A new suggestion from an inspired thinker emerges every-other-day for the month of December on open-book.ca.

17 for 2017:

1. Mariko Tamaki recommends The Land of Forgotten Girls

2. Sheila Heti recommends The Normal Personality: A New Way of Thinking about People

3. Vivek Shraya recommends The Mothers

Chase Joynt is a filmmaker and writer. His latest two films Genderize and Between You and Me are now streaming live online with CBC Digital Docs. His first book, You Only Live Twice (co-authored with Mike Hoolboom) was published by Coach House Books and just named one of the Best Books of 2016 by The Globe and Mail and CBC. His second book The Case of Agnes (co-authored with Kristen Schilt) is forthcoming from Duke University Press.