American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era

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

“A master class in journalism as a force for change.” 

—SAMANTHA ALLEN, author of Real Queer America

“With humor and compassion, Lang shows trans teenagers as they really are: kids trying their best.”

—MAIA KOBABE, author of Gender Queer: A Memoir

 “Lang proves how rich the discourse is when trans youth take their rightful place at the center of their narratives.”

—RAQUEL WILLIS, activist, and author of The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation 

“An incredibly important, humane account.”

—GARRARD CONLEY, New York Times bestselling author of Boy Erased: A Memoir 

Media coverage tends 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. For their groundbreaking new book, journalist Nico Lang spent a year traveling the country to document the lives of transgender, nonbinary, and genderfluid teens and their families. Drawing on hundreds of hours of on-the-ground interviews with them and the people in their communities, American Teenager paints a vivid portrait of what it’s actually like to grow up trans today.

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

“With heartfelt empathy, Nico Lang uncovers the human stories overshadowed by political rhetoric, showcasing the struggles and resilience of transgender youth amidst adversity while simultaneously amplifying their voices, which are all too often silenced. ”

—JAZZ JENNINGS, author of Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen and I Am Jazz 

“An urgently necessary book. By allowing trans teens to tell their stories themselves, Lang has given them—and by extension, all of us—a great gift.”

—HUGH RYAN, award-winning author of When Brooklyn Was Queer

“Lang weaves this broad bleak terrain with warm insights and a clear immediacy of message. Expansive and compassionate.”

―GABE DUNN, New York Times bestselling author of I Hate Everyone But You

“Lang’s excellent reporting reminds us all of our shared humanity.”

—BRIAN K. BOND, CEO, PFLAG National

“An absolute must-read. An evocative and authentic story that is intimate and illuminating.” 

—RODRIGO HENG-LEHTINEN, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equity

About the Author

Nico Lang (they/them) is a nonbinary award-winning journalist with over a decade of experience covering the transgender community’s fight for equality. Their work has appeared in major publications, including Rolling Stone, Esquire, the New York Times, Vox, the Wall Street Journal, Salon, Harper’s Bazaar, Time, The Washington Post, and the L.A. Times. Lang is the creator of Queer News Daily and previously served as the deputy editor for Out magazine, the news editor for Them, the LGBTQ+ correspondent for VICE, and the editor and cofounder of the literary journal In Our Words. Their industry-leading contributions to queer media have resulted in a GLAAD Media Award and 10 awards from the National Association of LGBTQ Journalists (NLGJA). Lang is also the first-ever recipient of the Visibility Award from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF), an honor created to recognize their impactful contributions to reporting on the lives of LGBTQ+ people.