I Am Tshiamo: My Transition to Self-acceptance and Womanhood by Tshiamo Modisane is out now from Penguin Random House!

‘As a child I would often lie awake at night, praying that through some miracle I would be woken up by people who had come to take me back to my rightful family, and that those I had come to know as my parents would tell me the truth: that I was, in fact, adopted and had been born a girl and they had had a doctor operate on me.’

Growing up as Kgositsile, meaning ‘king’, Tshiamo Modisane always knew that she was a girl despite her assigned birth gender.

This talented child of a pastor from KwaThema and Daveyton townships near Johannesburg was expected to conform to conservative black culture’s expectations for a male, and would endure censure and even abuse from family, friends, peers and strangers into adulthood.

Yet Tshiamo began making courageous choices at the age of five, a journey of both self-doubt and self-belief that culminated in gender-affirmation surgery in her thirties.

With sass, faith and baked-in confidence from her family ties to the entertainment world, she successfully transitioned from male to female while navigating a career as an actress, celebrity stylist and Lux’s first gender-non-conforming brand ambassador.

As admirable as it is affirming, this poignant memoir examines past hurts and present truths, and opens up a sorely needed discussion about unconditional acceptance.

About the author

Tshiamo Modisane is an award-winning producer, actress and fashion and celebrity stylist. She began her career in entertainment as a wardrobe stylist intern, has worked for True Love, Move! and Drum magazines, written a lifestyle and entertainment column for The Citizen, and starred in television series African Dreams and House of Zwide. Accolades include being named the 2022 Sowetan SMag Woman of the Year in Fashion and Beauty, Hot Chick of the Year at the 2019 Feather Awards, and being the first gender-non-conforming brand ambassador for global brand Lux. Since her transition in 2018, Modisane has graced several magazine covers, produced her own podcast and, in 2021, after surviving being sexually assaulted, established the Linzy-Linsay Foundation to create a safe space for people like her to develop skills and make a greater contribution to society.

Categories Lifestyle Non-fiction South Africa

Tags I Am Tshiamo New books New releases Penguin Random House SA Tshiamo Modisane