YA author Andrew Joseph White, a trans man, has become known for using the monstrous to explore trans experiences and connect with trans readers, from his 2022 debut Hell Followed With Us, a William C. Morris Debut Award finalist, to his most recent novel Compound Fracture, a Printz Honor book. Last year, he made his adult debut with You Weren't Meant to Be Human, which PW called a "brilliant, page-turning piece of trans splatterpunk body horror and an earnest, heart-rending tragedy."

Ahead of his appearance at Children's Institute, and his forthcoming YA horror novel You're No Better (Peachtree Teen, Oct.), White discusses feeling at home with monsters and the joys of writing about trans youth.

What was one of the first books that you read that you felt like you saw your identity in?

I think it was Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. It was so meaningful to me, but I had no idea why at the time, and then I figured out that I was trans about four years later, and looking back clearly that's why. For the trans aspect, it has to be Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Cemetery Boys was the first book that I ever managed to get my hands on that had not only a trans boy but a queer trans boy, a gay trans boy.

Does your love of horror intersect with identity for you?

I didn't know that I was trans or autistic, but I knew that something was off and that I didn't connect to myself because of the gender dysphoria that I didn't know I was feeling, and I couldn't connect with others because of the autism. Monsters were a good way to explore that feeling of ostracization. So I ended up following monsters to horror, and as someone who was terrified of the genre, I ended up wanting to go there because that's where the monsters were, [and] that's where I saw myself the most.

Trans horror is a subgenre we’ve seen really come to the forefront in recent years. What do you love most about the subgenre and what would you like to see more of?

It feels very comforting. It is really awesome to be part of a group of people where I can describe being trans and the opportunity to change my body and to shape it into what I want. I connect so deeply with body horror, [now] I [can] write a book, and be like, “hey, [look at] this massive amount of destruction of the body,” and I see it as a good thing and everyone around me goes, “yes, exactly,” instead of being grossed out or having to justify my choices. It is a very understanding space where I can be ugly and gross and I don't have to defend myself against people who hate me.

Who are some LGBTQ+ writers that you would recommend people read?

Definitely Billy Martin as one of the [writers of] the past who absolutely gets it. I am very excited to see what other novels Grace Byron has under her belt. Herculine is huge and deserves all of the attention that it is getting. Brennon Lane wrote Time Tripping Over You, which is a very cute time travel romance with trans main characters, and it was great.

What has been the most rewarding thing about writing about young trans people?

Every time I go to an event, there is always going to be at least one kid who is so nervous walking up to me. Their eyes are so bright and shiny, and they're a little nervous, and every now and then their parents have to tap them on the back and be like, "Go on, you can talk to them, it's okay.” Every time that happens, that is another reminder of the fact that these kids needed what I'm doing, and the sort of stories that I'm writing.