'Delicate and devastating. Up there with the best of them.' HANNAH LOWE, WINNER OF THE COSTA PRIZE 'Roche is a charming, unflinchingly honest guide on a journey that's as funny as it is heart-breaking.' JUNO DAWSON How does an untrained eye recognise the process of dying, when your mind is fixed firmly on living? A radically honest and uplifting memoir about defying death and learning to live. Juno Roche was born into a working-class family in London in the sixties, who dabbled in minor crime. For their father, violence and love lived together; for their mother, addiction was the only way to survive. School was a respite, but shortly after beginning their university course Juno was diagnosed with HIV, then a death sentence. Juno is a survivor; they outlived their diagnosis, got a degree and became an artist. But however hard you try to take the kid out of the family, some scars go too deep; trying to run from AIDS and their childhood threw Juno into dark years of serious drug addiction, addiction often financed by sex work. Running from home eventually took Juno across the sea to a tiny village in Spain, surrounded by mountains. Only once they found a quiet little house with an olive tree in the garden did Juno start to wonder if they had run too far, and whether they have really been searching for a family all along. In an incredibly honest and brave book, Juno takes us through the moments of their life: Mum sending Christmas cards containing Valium, drug withdrawal on a River Nile cruise, overcoming their father's violence and finding their dream house in Spain. Showing immense resilience, Juno's memoir is a book about what it means to stay alive. Emotional, tragic and incredibly funny, A Working-Class Family Ages Badly is an unforgettable must-read memoir for anyone who loves Educated, Deborah Levy and Motherwell. 'Full of heart, wit and charm. I'm obsessed with this book.' Travis Alabanza 'So gripping, I had to make myself slow down to appreciate the quality of the writing. Such a powerful story and so beautifully written.' Paul Burston 'Utterly unique. Nobody can write with warmth and confrontation the way Juno can.' Tom Rasmussen 'Compassionate, dreamlike and deeply moving.' CN Lester 'Should be read by everyone.' Irenosen Okojie 'Juno has always been a literary voice like no one else, scathingly honest and endlessly expansive.' Amelia Abraham

LONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE 'Adore, adore, adore' THE GUARDIAN 'Simply phenomenal' BITCH MEDIA 'Brave, inspirational, ground-breaking' BARBARA CARELLAS 'Deeply personal, honest and instructive' CARYN FRANKLIN 'A gift to anyone looking to open their minds and fall in love' CN LESTER In this frank, funny and poignant book, transgender activist Juno Roche discusses sex, desire and dating with leading figures from the trans and non-binary community. Calling out prejudices and inspiring readers to explore their own concepts of intimacy and sexuality, the first-hand accounts celebrate the wonder and potential of trans bodies and push at the boundaries of how society views gender, sexuality and relationships. Empowering and necessary, this collection shows all trans people deserve to feel brave, beautiful and sexy.

World Book Night 2022 A visionary, moving and one-of-a-kind anthology of writing on what it means to be trans today and every day. From the daily bite of anxiety as you go to leave the house, to the freedom found swimming in the wild, through to moments of queer rage and joy and the peculiar timeslip of reliving your adolescence, the stories in this collection reveal the untold lived realities of trans people to help inform, inspire and unite. Spanning a range of topics such as gender dysphoria, transphobia, chest binding, gender reassignment surgery, coming out in later life, migration and love and relationships, these unique first-person accounts celebrate the beauty and diversity of being trans and will empower others on their journey. Showcasing eight new exciting trans writers, this extraordinary collection is a powerful and heartfelt love-letter to the trans community. Jessica Kingsley Publishers will donate at least 5p per book sold to Gendered Intelligence (registered charity no. 1182558)

SHORTLISTED FOR THE POLARI BOOK PRIZE 2020 'Staggeringly visionary' ATTITUDE 'Essential reading' CHARLIE CRAGGS 'Not to be missed' AMELIA ABRAHAM 'An absolute gem' FOX FISHER 'Beautiful' CHRISTINE BURNS 'All those layers of expectation that are thrust upon us; boy, masculine, femme, transgender, sexual, woman, real, are such a weight to carry round. I feel transgressive. I feel hybrid. I feel trans.' In this radical and emotionally raw book, Juno Roche pushes the boundaries of trans representation by redefining 'trans' as an identity with its own power and strength, that goes beyond the gender binary. Through intimate conversations with leading and influential figures in the trans community, such as Kate Bornstein, Travis Alabanza, Josephine Jones, Glamrou and E-J Scott, this book highlights the diversity of trans identities and experiences with regard to love, bodies, sex, race and class, and urges trans people - and the world at large - to embrace a 'trans' identity as something that offers empowerment and autonomy. Powerfully written, and with humour and advice throughout, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of gender and how we identify ourselves.

'An incredibly honest tale of survival, escape and resilience' The Observer 'Roche is a charming, unflinchingly honest guide on a journey that's as funny as it is heart-breaking.' JUNO DAWSON How does an untrained eye recognise the process of dying, when your mind is fixed firmly on living? A radically honest and uplifting memoir about defying death and learning to live. Juno Roche was born into a working-class family in London in the sixties, who dabbled in minor crime. For their father, violence and love lived together; for their mother, addiction was the only way to survive. School was a respite, but shortly after beginning their university course Juno was diagnosed with HIV, then a death sentence. Juno is a survivor; they outlived their diagnosis, got a degree and became an artist. But however hard you try to take the kid out of the family, some scars go too deep; trying to run from AIDS and their childhood threw Juno into dark years of serious drug addiction, addiction often financed by sex work. Running from home eventually took Juno across the sea to a tiny village in Spain, surrounded by mountains. Only once they found a quiet little house with an olive tree in the garden did Juno start to wonder if they had run too far, and whether they have really been searching for a family all along. In an incredibly honest and brave book, Juno takes us through the moments of their life: Mum sending Christmas cards containing Valium, drug withdrawal on a River Nile cruise, overcoming their father's violence and finding their dream house in Spain. Showing immense resilience, Juno's memoir is a book about what it means to stay alive. Emotional, tragic and incredibly funny, A Working-Class Family Ages Badly is an unforgettable must-read memoir for anyone who loves Educated, Deborah Levy and Motherwell. 'Delicate and devastating. Up there with the best of them.' HANNAH LOWE, WINNER OF THE COSTA PRIZE 'Full of heart, wit and charm. I'm obsessed with this book.' Travis Alabanza 'So gripping, I had to make myself slow down to appreciate the quality of the writing. Such a powerful story and so beautifully written.' Paul Burston 'Utterly unique. Nobody can write with warmth and confrontation the way Juno can.' Tom Rasmussen 'Compassionate, dreamlike and deeply moving.' CN Lester 'Should be read by everyone.' Irenosen Okojie 'Juno has always been a literary voice like no one else, scathingly honest and endlessly expansive.' Amelia Abraham

'I believe that children who are questioning and exploring their gender are the gender bosses that we all so desperately need. I believe that they are our future.' In this life-affirming, heartening and refreshing collection of interviews, young trans people offer valuable insight and advice into what has helped them to flourish and feel happy in their experience of growing up trans. Speaking openly and candidly about their gender, their experiences of coming out, their aspirations, and their fears - accompanied by interviews and support from their parents and carers - this book is beautiful proof of the potential for trans children to live rich and fulfilling lives when given the support and love they need. With their trademark candour and empathy, Juno Roche gives voice to a generation of gender explorers who are making gender work for them, and in the process, reveals a kinder, more accepting world, that we should all be fighting for.