Books: 795

“The Uninvited Passenger”
Isabella Tousignant
Hezzie Mae
$19.97

To his mother’s question about a Halloween costume, the boy answered “Gypsy girl,” and felt fully himself. A child doesn’t have to know psychological terms to know themselves. It’s not a whim, it’s not pretend. But often, when “inner” isn’t congruent with society’s eye, inner is suppressed, becoming an “uninvited passenger.” Catholic school reared, Tousignant matured, met a young woman; they loved, remained married for 30 years, but the “passenger” finally reached the station. Tousignant’s memoir gives insight into the struggles trans people face; how to communicate with one’s partner, yet emerge in one’s full humanity. A fierce, honest response to many misconceptions about transgender individuals, and a shout-out for honest discussion and openness with one’s loved ones, with society and with one’s self.

“Beard: A Memoir of a Marriage”
Kelly Foster Lundquist
Eerdmans
$28.99

From the reader’s safe vantage point, it’s all too easy to exclaim, “What? You had no clue?” But consider the couple’s rigid religious upbringing. Lundquist was just 19 when she met Devin at a church camp, an atmosphere that allowed for no nuances in gender or sexuality. The two clicked, eventually married, and over the following five years, shared many tender moments. Divorced now for 20 years, Lundquist is able to assess the harm done both to herself and Devin, who, while he could be perceived as devious and manipulative, was struggling to conform to his own religious upbringing and to deny his inner self. Writing with humor and distance, Lundquist details how a straight girl could, indeed, become an unwitting beard for a gay husband.

“Not Our Crowd, Darling”
Michael Craft
Questover Press
$29.99

Craft, who dazzled with his Dante & Jazz mysteries, introduces Meghan Auric. Following a youthful malfeasance, coerced into marriage by the elderly holder of her secret, she’s been confined in a gilded penthouse. His demise now makes her the wealthiest woman in the state in this small city of Great Plains, at the apex of the “Our Crowd” of the title. Her wishes to do well with her sudden bounty are threatened by a special election that may not only threaten her good intentions (and wishes for revenge) but leave her penniless. That simply won’t do. The wit, suspense and human veniality found in Craft’s oeuvre are embodied in Meghan. Sly, scared and more savvy than her enemies realize, she plays a deep game.

“Spy’s Mate”
Brad Buchanan
Thinkers Publishing
$28

You needn’t play chess to enjoy “Spy’s Mate,” but it wouldn’t hurt — and there are illustrations. We follow the path of young Armenian chess prodigy Yasha Basmajian, who has taken up and is being propelled up through the ranks of the Soviet (it’s late Cold War-era) chess hierarchy. It’s not a proud march to the top, however. While, like a wide-eyed Candide, Yasha only wants to cultivate his chess skills, he’s surrounded by KGB operatives, double crossers, jealous fading has-beens, and tempting love interests, each of whom has his or her own agendas or is themselves manipulated by powers above. Threatened from all sides, Yasha strategizes with a renegade coach and two anti-establishment grandmasters. A final confrontation determines the champion, if the winner lives to wear the crown.