A New Book From One of Us

The best part of being a journalist is being surrounded by writers -- since one of them has a new book out nearly every month. This time, I'm shouting out about the new literary work by a fellow editor to whom I just happen to be married. (27 years!)

Our transgender deputy editor, Jacob Anderson-Minshall, previously cowrote four books with me, including the award-winning memoir Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders, which detailed our transition from lesbian couple to husband and wife 13 years ago) and the Blind Eye Detectives mystery series (Blind Curves, Blind Faith, and Blind Leap) from Bold Strokes Books.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that his new book, Swimming Upstream (TransgressPress.org), may outshine all of those works. Swimming Upstream tackles complexly interwoven genealogies of kinship, war, belonging, and nature with characters who must unpack decades of secrecy, lies, and betrayal. The novel addresses issues key to our lives as queers from Idaho -- intimately tied to the land, water, and indigenous people of the West -- who are sometimes more at home in California's urban centers. It's also about the fluid nature of gender, and how trauma can leave such deep wounds that it impacts generations to come. I know, I'm completely biased, but if you have interest in trans or intersex issues, our place in the natural world, or how families are built -- and sometimes torn apart -- I recommend checking it out.