Alison Li B&W

Alison Li is an historian of science and medicine. She writes about hormones and the culture in which they are shaped. Her latest work is Wondrous Transformations available now from University of North Carolina Press.

I’ve been hoping for a long time that somebody would write this book. Alison Li has produced a highly readable, authoritatively researched biography of Harry Benjamin, whose contributions to transgender medicine are not as widely known as they should be. A much-needed corrective.

Susan Stryker, Author of Transgender History

Wondrous Transformations

Wondrous Transformations: A maverick physician, the science of hormones, and the birth of the transgender revolution

“a smart and highly readable contribution to transgender studies.”
– Publishers Weekly

Wondrous Transformations is the story of Dr. Harry Benjamin (1885-1986), endocrinologist and sexologist best known for his contributions to transgender medicine. Read more

Available now from your favourite bookseller. Use discount code 01SOCIAL30 for a 30% discount at UNC Press.


Upcoming Events

NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project
Virtual Conversation
Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Time: 6:30 pm EST

Arts & Letters Club of Toronto – Literary Lunch
Date: Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Time: 12-2 pm
Location: The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto, 14 Elm Street, Toronto, ON M5G 1G7

2024 MacLennan Lecture, University of King’s College
MacLennan Visiting Lectureship
Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Location: University of King’s College, Halifax, NS

Interviews & Reviews

“Howl”, CIUT 89.5 FM with Valentino Assenza

CBC Radio One – Fresh Air with Ismaila Alfa

Breakfast Television with Tammie Sutherland

NewsTalk 1010 Radio interview with Reshmi Nair on The Rush

Publishers Weekly Review

Quill & Quire Author Profile

Books Q&A with Deborah Kalb

The Reminiscences of a One-Hundred-and-One-Year-Old Man,” my guest blog post at UNCPress.