Kevin Hogan, Editor of I Rise and Boston High School Coach/Teacher, Gives Editorial Review of I Rise

Dec. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- On April 14, 2011 the U.S. Library of Congress recorded the title of the first memoir written by a member of the African American transgender community, and made I Rise – The Transformation of Toni Newman a literary first. Fortunately, in the style of all firsts worthy of note, I Rise is a gem – a rare combination of undaunted pioneer spirit and careful attention to craft. Dr. Marc Weiss, former Columbia University professor, and author of the memoir’s foreword, notes, “Toni’s book, perhaps for the first time in most readers’ lives, offers a genuine window into the mind and heart of a person who faces extraordinary challenges in following a life path that comes from deep inside one’s character and soul. ”With a voice as full of conflict and pride as it is compassion and humor, Toni Newman narrates her transformational true story as “a different bird born in the wrong body.”

From being the eldest male of a strict Christian family to living homeless as a New York City prostitute working for hormone money, Toni never flinches in telling us exactly how she feels and what she thinks along her astonishing journey. By the time she leaves the streets of New York to become an L.A. dominatrix to Hollywood’s A-list, you know you’re in for the ride of a lifetime. And what informs her decisions to remain a preoperative transsexual and attend law school in order to help other transgenders in need will leave you breathlessly turning one gut-wrenching page after another. In dazzling color photos and stiletto-like prose, I Rise is a memoir worthy of its cover price as readers recognize the transformations they all go through to be comfortable in their own identities.

Thanks to Toni Newman’s courage and discipline to painstakingly record over twenty-five years of her life onto dozens of yellow legal pads and then hire an editor to help her prepare the manuscript for publication, a minority community that struggles every day to be comfortable in their own skins may finally be encouraged to spread their own wings. And that, in itself, is priceless.

I Rise – The Transformation of Toni Newman, By Author Toni Newman, Editor Kevin Hogan, Cover Photographer Eric Scot,  Assistant Alton Demore, Foreword Dr. Marc Weiss.
Illustrated. Full Color with 42 pics, 232 pages. Amazon $35.39. Amazon Kindle edition$9.99, Nook $9.99, IPad $9.99, Kobo $9.99, and Reader $9.99.

Support the Efforts of Editor Kevin Hogan and Author Toni Newman.  The publicist to the book is Kayo Anderson at Kayo@ohyeahnetworks.com. 310.405.9839