Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • STONEWALL BOOK AWARD IN NONFICTION FINALIST • LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST • PUBLISHING TRIANGLE BOOK AWARD FINALIST • MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY STONE BOOK AWARD FINALIST

Praised as “a marvel” by Elliot Page and “a must-read” by Janet Mock, Black transgender luminary Tourmaline’s definitive biography brings to life the revolutionary LGBTQIA+ activist Marsha P. Johnson

“Thank god the revolution has begun, honey.” Rumor has it that after Marsha P. Johnson threw the first brick in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, she picked up a shard of broken mirror to fix her makeup. She was a legendary Black transgender activist, drag queen, fashion icon, and muse to countless artists from Andy Warhol to the band Earth, Wind & Fire—in all, Marsha embodied both the beauty and the struggle of the early gay rights movement.

Written with sparkling prose, Tourmaline’s Marsha shares the essential stories of the activist and artist. Marsha didn’t wait to be freed; she declared herself free and told the world to catch up. Her story promises to inspire readers to live as their most liberated, unruly, vibrant, and whole selves.

Tourmaline is an award-winning author, artist, filmmaker, and activist whose work is dedicated to Black trans joy and freedom. She is a TIME 100 Most Influential Person in the World awardee and a Guggenheim Fellow. She has frequently appeared on ABC News, as well as in the New York Times and Vogue. Her art is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tate, and the Getty Museum. She lives in Miami, Florida.

“Tourmaline’s joyful and luminous new biography of Marsha P. Johnson is a marvel, honoring Marsha’s full humanity. Deeply moving, Tourmaline’s words vibrate on every page. While reading Marsha, I felt profoundly grateful, and learned so much about Marsha’s indelible impact on art, culture, and collective liberation. Her brilliance and courage changed the world, and her story feels more urgent now than ever.”
—Elliot Page, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pageboy

“This long-overdue biography of Marsha P. Johnson is a revelation! With meticulous research and a tender touch, Tourmaline brings this groundbreaking activist to life, revealing her brilliance, her humor, and her unwavering dedication to freedom and our collective humanity. We learn not only of Marsha's pivotal role in the Stonewall Uprising, but also of the depth of her love for her chosen family and community, her fierce advocacy for Black trans lives, and the enduring power of her artistic spirit. This literary tribute, adorned in garlands and glitter, is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the true cost and the enduring legacy of an LGBTQIA+ icon's fight for liberation.”
—Janet Mock, author of the New York Times bestseller Redefining Realness

"The depth of Tourmaline's storytelling is historic, an enduring and urgent reminder from Marsha P. Johnson that history is not inevitable, it is made."
—Meena Harris, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book Ambitious Girl

“Tourmaline continues her practice of creativity as a revolutionary act, this time to illuminate the remarkable life of Marsha P. Johnson. Marsha's story and Tourmaline's unique voice blend seamlessly, in a narrative that will break your heart and put it back together again, leaving you better than when it found you. This is a book for our times, full of inspiration, community, truth and—at its core—radical love.”
—Lena Dunham, actor, director, producer, and author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book Not That Kind of Girl

"Finally! A full-fledged biography of trans icon Marsha P. Johnson that fleshes out the substance of a remarkable life too often reduced to a glib name-check. Tourmaline delivers the goods with a verve that will help all of us all pay Marsha some mind.”
—Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History

“Loving, beautiful, and honest, Marsha tells a story of jubilation fighting darkness, while revealing a vast world of queer, trans life that has always been there for those willing to see.”
—Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Thelonious Monk and Freedom Dreams

“Tourmaline’s Marsha is a book that’s teeming with life as much as heart. From Tourmaline's prose, readers will see and understand Marsha as the human being behind all of her myths, someone flawed yet ambitious and headstrong. A page-turner with vibrant characters, dialogue, and most of all, crucial history.”
—Morgan Jerkins, author of the New York Times bestseller This Will Be My Undoing

“In this forceful, passionate, and unique tribute to the legacy and life of Marsha P. Johnson, Tourmaline brings Marsha to life and changes our collective memories with this devoted preservation of the community, the grassroots, friendships, and the will of the Black transwoman individual. A celebration of every queer who willed her self-understanding into reality, told with love and alchemy.”
—Sarah Schulman, author of The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity and Let the Record Show

“Tourmaline succeeds in taking the iconic Marsha off the museum walls and reanimating her as a flesh-and-blood queer force of nature. Her street-level, tour de Times Square style of storytelling is irrepressibly engaging and a tribute worthy of the Stonewall queen herself.”
—Robert W. Fieseler, author of the Edgar-award winner Tinderbox

“Illuminating... a poignant portrait of a figure whose “greater sense of freedom” still inspires.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A well-researched biography... a warm homage to a pioneering artist.”
—Kirkus