The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation

A passionate, powerful memoir by a trailblazing Black transgender activist, tracing her life of transformation and her work towards collective liberation.

In 2017, Raquel Willis took to the National Women's March podium just after the presidential election of Donald Trump, primed to tell her story as a young Black transgender woman from the South. Despite having her speaking time cut short, the appearance only deepened her commitment to speaking up for communities on the margins.

Born in Augusta, Georgia, to Black Catholic parents, Raquel spent years feeling isolated, even within a loving, close-knit family. There was little access to understanding what it meant to be queer and transgender. It wasn't until she went to the University of Georgia that she found the LGBTQ+ community, fell in love, and explored her gender for the first time. But the unexpected death of her father forced her to examine her relationship with herself and those she loved. These years of grief, misunderstanding, and hard-won epiphanies seeped into the soil of her life, serving as fertilizer for growth and allowing her to bloom within.

Upon graduation, Raquel entered a career in journalism against the backdrop of the burgeoning Movement for Black Lives, intersectional feminism going mainstream, and unprecedented visibility of the trans community. After hiding her identity as a newspaper reporter, her increasing awareness of the epidemic of violence plaguing trans women of color and the heightened suicide of trans teens inspired her to come out publicly. Within just a few short years of community organizing in Atlanta, Oakland, and New York, Raquel emerged as one of the most formidable Black trans activists in history.

In The Risk It Takes to Bloom, Raquel Willis recounts with passion and candor her experiences straddling the Obama and Trump eras, the possibility of transformation after tragedy, and how complex moments can push us all to take necessary risks and bloom toward collective liberation.

"A promising debut memoir from a young activist with an already impressive career." Kirkus Reviews

"This pleasantly conversational memoir mixes somber activism and youthful levity, combining glittering details of a buoyant social life with sorrowful reflections on violence against trans people. It's an inspiring account." Publisher's Weekly

“A deeply moving memoir….Willis' voice shines in this poignant debut, which is nothing short of inspirational.” Booklist

"There are too few works written by and for Black trans people, and with The Risk It Takes to Bloom Raquel Willis offers a moving and generous testimony that is as personal as it is political. This memoir is proof that our most ardent and committed leaders put their whole hearts on the frontlines of liberation." Janet Mock, New York Times bestselling author of Redefining Realness & Surpassing Certainty

"With an unmistakable Southern charm and clarity, Raquel Willis generously exalts the Black trans experience with The Risk It Takes to Bloom. She weaves a personal journey of the body and identity with that of a society reckoning with a changing world." Janelle Monae, entertainer and author of The Memory Librarian

"A monumental debut memoir that serves as a vital call to action for this era, and a powerful reminder of what it takes to bloom into your most authentic, vibrant self." Amber Tamblyn, bestselling author of Listening in the Dark: Women Reclaiming the Power of Intuition

"A bold, brave, poignant story of the courage to live on one's own terms." Alicia Garza, co-founder, Black Lives Matter Global Network; host, Lady Don't Take No podcast; Principal, Black Futures Lab

"This book is essential reading. Raquel Willis uses her life story as a means to inspire and encourage us to step into our full selves. Deeply engaging with searing honesty and compassion." Elliot Page, actor and author of Page Boy

"Raquel's story matters. Representation matters. This book will inspire anyone struggling to find their authentic life. I am so proud of Raquel's continued willingness to be vulnerable and outspoken." Selena Gomez, entertainer and producer

Raquel Willis (she/her) is an award-winning writer, activist, and media strategist dedicated to Black transgender liberation. She has been the communications director for Ms. Foundation for Women, executive editor of Out magazine, and national organizer for the Transgender Law Center. Her writing has been published in Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham, and Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619- 2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blain, and within many media outlets. The Risk It Takes to Bloom is her first book.