This Sunday, August 24th, is a chance to hear from 2025 Stonewall Book Award Honoree and longtime LGBTQ+ journalist Nico Lang, the author of American Teenager: How Trans Kids are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era. They will host a reading and conversation with LGBTQIA+ youth and their families at Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave, in partnership with PFLAG St Louis and PROMO Missouri.
Nico has spent over a decade documenting and sharing the experience of the transgender community and the fight for equality. With work published in Rolling Stone, Esquire, The New York Times, The Wallstreet Journal, Harper’s Bazaar, and The Washington Post, amongst others, Nico’s industry-leading work has garnered them a GLAAD Media Award, 10 awards from the National Association of LGBTQ Journalists (NLGJA), and three awards from the Los Angeles Press Club.
Their newest book, American Teenager, covers the lived experience of eight transgender and non-binary teenagers across America. Against a backdrop of sensationalized fights over the rights of the transgender community, this book amplifies the voices of one of the most marginalized populations: the youth. It’s the story of Wyatt, Rhydian, Mykah, Clint, Ruby, Augie, Jack, and Kylie, just trying to be kids and hoping for a brighter future.
“In their powerful new book, American Teenager, Nico Lang shares the very raw, very real experiences of trans youth and their families at a moment in time when so much and so many things are conspiring against them. In doing so, Lang reminds us all of our shared humanity—and most especially, our capacity to find joy even in the hardest of times. I am grateful for this excellent reporting, which will absolutely help soften hearts, change minds, and create a lasting difference.”
—BRIAN K. BOND, CEO, PFLAG National
“Lang has crafted a vivid portrait of the environments and challenges that trans teenagers navigate daily. Helping readers understand that these kids just want to be kids. They long for the simple pleasures of youth—friendship, acceptance, and the freedom to explore their identities without fear or judgment.”
—MAXWELL POTH, photographer, and author of Young Queer America
Join in the discussion at 4:00pm on August 24th at Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108. RSVPs are required in advance if you wish to attend in person: RSVP.
Otherwise you can watch the Livestream on Left Bank Books’ YouTube Page .
Special thanks to the Left Bank Books Foundation, PFLAG St Louis, and PROMO Missouri.
