An electric memoir about what it means to live outside the gender boundaries imposed on us by society, from the award-winning trans writer and performer
WINNER OF THE JHALAK PRIZE 2023
WINNER OF THE SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE 2023
A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2022: POLITICS
‘No memoir like it’ Independent
‘Travis Alabanza writes with such generosity and ease even the most provocative suggestions start to seem obvious … Profound and funny’ SHON FAYE
‘Will challenge, empower and move your soul’ Glamour
‘Lucid and glorious’ YRSA DALEY-WARD
In None of the Above, Travis Alabanza examines seven phrases people have directed at them as a Black, mixed race, non-binary person. Some are deceptively innocuous, some deliberately loaded or offensive, some celebratory; sentences that have impacted them for better and for worse; sentences that speak to the broader issues raised by a world that insists that gender must be a binary.
Through these seven phrases, Travis Alabanza turns a mirror back on society, giving us reason to question the very framework in which we live and the ways we treat each other.
“A breath of fresh air … Anyone expecting a hand-holding guidebook will be disappointed by the candour, complexity and subjectivity of None of the Above. Alabanza’s memoir offers welcome nuance to those willing to listen”
independent
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“Travis Alabanza writes about gender and its possibilities with such generosity and ease even the most provocative suggestions start to seem obvious, despite their challenges to society at large. Both profound and witty”
Shon Faye, Author Of The Transgender Issue
“A change-maker shaping the culture of tomorrow”
Bernardine Evaristo
“[Travis Alabanza is] a big voice in multiple intersecting communities … This is a book that is supposed to make other people feel seen, heard and help them understand themselves. It’s brilliant”
Jameela Jamil
“Travis is an incredible thinker, philosopher and human being”
Vicky Featherstone
guardian
Travis Alabanza is a writer, performer and theatre maker. Their theatre shows Burgerz, Overflow and Sound of The Underground were all received with critical acclaim, winning Total Theatre Award at Edinburgh Fringe, streaming to over 22 countries and being included in over 20 syllabuses. They have given talks on race and gender across the world including at Harvard, Oxford and Bristol - with their impact in the LGBT+ community being noted in the Forbes 30under30 list, Dazed100 and a recent Attitude magazine 100 list.
@travisalabanza | travisalabanza.co.uk