This ground-breaking book foregrounds the voices of autistic trans people as they speak candidly about how their autism and gender identity intersects and the impact this has on their life. Drawing upon a wealth of interviews with transgender people on the autism spectrum, the book explores experiences of coming out, with self-discovery, healthcare, family, work, religion and community support, to help dispel common misunderstandings around gender identity and autism, whilst allowing autistic trans people to see their own neurodiverse experiences reflected in these interviews. An incisive introduction clearly sets out up-to-date research and thinking, before each chapter draws together key findings from the interviews, along with advice and support for those providing support to autistic trans individuals. Both accessible and authoritative, Trans and Autistic is an essential publication for autistic trans people, their families, and professionals wanting to understand and support their clients better.

Piano Lessons is Noah Adams's delightful and moving chronicle of his fifty-second year--a year already filled with long, fast workdays and too little spare time--as he answers at last a lifelong call: to learn to play the piano.  The twelve monthly chapters span from January--when after decades of growing affection for keyboard artists and artisans he finally plunges in and buys a piano--through December, when as a surprise Christmas present for his wife he dresses in a tuxedo and, in flickering candlelight, snow falling outside the windows, he attempts their favorite piece of music, a difficult third-year composition he's been struggling with in secret to get to this very moment.

Among the up-tempo triumphs and unexpected setbacks, Noah Adams interweaves the rich history and folklore that surround the piano.  And along the way, set between the ragtime rhythms and boogie-woogie beats, there are encounters with--and insights from--masters of the keyboard, from Glenn Gould and Leon Fleisher ("I was a bit embarrassed," he writes; "telling Leon Fleisher about my ambitions for piano lessons is like telling Julia Child about plans to make toast in the morning") to Dr. John and Tori Amos.

As a storyteller, Noah Adams has perfect pitch.  In the foreground here, like a familiar melody, are the challenges of learning a complex new skill as an adult, when enthusiasm meets the necessary repetition of tedious scales at the end of a twelve-hour workday.  Lingering in the background, like a subtle bass line, are the quiet concerns of how we spend our time and how our priorities shift as we proceed through life.  For Piano Lessons is really an adventure story filled with obstacles to overcome and grand leaps forward, eccentric geniuses and quiet moments of pre-dawn practice, as Noah Adams travels across country and keyboard, pursuing his dream and keeping the rhythm.

Over its twenty-year history National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" has become a landmark American program, a unique source of news and of voices from across the country that don't often get a hearing elsewhere. In these pages, Noah Adams captures a year in the life of "All Things Considered", and celebrates the special pleasures of the show: its original blend of frontline news reporting, commentary, and features; its spirited attention to the highways and the byways of American life; and the people - "All Things Considered" staff and listeners alike - who make it all happen. The year's stories take us from China to Romania and from Alaska to Appalachia, from the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe to a West Virginia fire department's ramp supper fundraiser. Along the way we look in on musicians, writers, farmers, and bungee jumpers; we go whale watching and lighthouse hunting; and we ride the rails from St. Paul to Seattle on the "Empire Builder" train. We see how the broadcast is put together by a team of reporters, technicians, and announcers determined to bring us the news straight from the source, without distortions and simplifications. We learn how "All Things Considered" and National Public Radio got their starts, and how Noah Adams came to join them both. And we hear a lifetime's worth of stories of radio work gone (sometimes) just right and (occasionally) hilariously wrong. Most of all we meet people on both sides of the radio who we're glad to know, listeners from all across the country and the "All Things Considered" reporters - Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg, John Hockenberry, Deborah Amos, Susan Stamberg, and others - who have become as familiar to us, and astrusted, as neighbors across the back fence. As engaging and varied as the program it chronicles, here is a must-read for every fan of what Time calls "the most literate, trenchant, and entertaining news program on the radio".

With his sharp eye and gentle wit, Noah Adams doesn't just tell stories, he lets them unfold quietly, powerfully, and eloquently. Now the beloved host of NPR's All Things Considered and bestselling author of Piano Lessons takes us on a river journey through the heart of Appalachia--a journey shared by pioneers and preachers, white-water daredevils, bluegrass musicians, and an unforgettable cast of vivid historical characters.

Noah Adams has Appalachia in his blood. A native of eastern Kentucky, he comes to the headwaters of the New River not just in search of adventure but to better understand his own unique heritage. Following the New River from its mile-high source on North Carolina's Snake Mountain to its West Virginia mouth, Adams travels by Jeep and by bicycle, by foot and, most thrillingly, by white-water raft to explore the history, natural beauty, and fascinating characters waiting around every bend and turn.

Distilling history from legend, Adams tells of men and women whose lives crossed the New River before him: Daniel Boone, fleeing his farming family in search of wilderness; Cherokee Indians driven west on their Trail of Tears; and the ill-fated men who traveled thousands of miles to work on the Hawk's Nest Tunnel, making a fortune for a company while their lungs filled with deadly silica dust. And along the way Adams follows the echoes of his own distant heritage, interweaving his river journey through Appalachia with yet another voyage, thousands of miles away.

With eloquence and compassion, Noah Adams paints a luminous portrait of a land and a people as richly vital and complex as America itself. At the same time, his quietly personal chronicle captures the sheer magic of the flowing waters: their sound, their eddies, their utter unpredictability. A vibrant and unforgettable read, Far Appalachia mesmerizes and haunts like the bluegrass music that still rings through the mountains and valleys in which it was born.

The Saint Croix River Valley is a remarkable part of Minnesota and Wisconsin that combines stunning natural beauty with small-town life. Here, Noah Adams reflects with humor and pathos on the small things that add up to the good life -- watching a Christmas pageant, spotting eagles, listening to ghost stories, and paddling down the Saint Croix River. This collection, originally written for broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio's Good Evening, is one to cherish and reread.