Books like The last time I wore a dress by Daphne Scholinski

The Bell Jar is the sole novel by Sylvia Plath, a psychologically intense and autobiographical look at a young woman’s decline into mental illness.

Eighteen‑year‑old Susanna Kaysen is admitted to McLean Hospital in 1967, where she documents life in the psychiatric ward, exploring mental illness, recovery, and the cultural landscape of the late 1960s.

xxxv, 338 pages ; 21 cm

An intimate memoir in which Ilene Beckerman traces her life story through the garments she wore, from a Brownie uniform to a Diane von Furstenberg wrap, revealing how clothes keep us connected to memories and emotions.

From Kay Redfield Jamison - an international authority on manic-depressive illness, and one of the few women who are full professors of medicine at American universities - a remarkable personal testimony: the revelation of her own struggle since adolescence with manic-depression, and how it has shaped her life. Vividly, directly, with candor, wit, and simplicity, she takes us into the fascinating and dangerous territory of this form of madness - a world in which one pole can be the alluring dark land ruled by what Byron called the "melancholy star of the imagination," and the other a desert of depression and, all too frequently, death. A moving and exhilarating memoir by a woman whose furious determination to learn the enemy, to use her gifts of intellect to make a difference, led her to become, by the time she was forty, a world authority on manic-depression, and whose work has helped save countless lives.

Thomas Page McBee’s memoir follows his transition from female to male while wrestling with painful memories of his abusive father and a life‑changing encounter with a mugger, exploring the broader struggles of identity, legacy, and forgiveness.

Grace Henderson, a Brooklyn tailor who vows not to date clients, faces temptation when Dakota Lane—an outspoken bicycle messenger and male model—asks for a custom suit for her sister’s wedding, sparking an unexpected romance between two African American lesbians.

A tender and lyrical memoir of a gay man's love story, winner of the Lambda Literary Award and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Robert Whitaker’s investigative history of mental‑health treatment traces how practices from the 18th century to today have often worsened, rather than improved, the lives of severe mental‑illness patients.

A meticulously researched biography of Patricia Highsmith, revealing the hidden life behind her famous suspense novels and her complex identity as a lesbian writer.

Joan Nestle’s collection examines the intimate and historical "fragile unions" of contemporary lesbian life, blending personal narratives with feminist history to illuminate LGBTQ experience in America.

A photographic journey through late‑1980s America that captures the varied lives of gay and lesbian communities, illustrating their efforts to form families, reconcile faith, and confront both racism and homophobia.

A candid memoir charting the journey of Jennifer Finney Boylan from James to Jenny, detailing personal transformation, changing friendships, and a resilient marriage of love and family.

Cancer in Two Voices is a collaborative memoir where Barbara Rosenblum and Sandra Butler chronicle the experience of breast cancer and its impact on a lesbian partnership, blending journal entries and letters into a candid, personal narrative.

A memoir exploring the intersection of Christian Science, religion, and family in 20th-century America.

Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s memoir traces her journey from fledgling queer activist to bold radical writer, chronicling the formative years of San Francisco’s contemporary LGBTQ movement.

Trisha Low’s autobiographical essay explores her westward journey, the collapse of personal relationships, and the challenges of reconciling radical politics with identity in a society rife with racism, sexism, and homophobia.

A compelling story of four trans girls forming a community in Los Angeles, with a memorable author's reporting style.

A Chinese transgender man's journey to self-acceptance and understanding of gender identity through a series of harrowing experiences and revelations about his true self and the world around him.