The most inspiring book I've read is "Transgender Warriors" by Leslie Feinberg. What many outside the trans and LGBT community at large may fail to understand is the impact the AIDS crisis has on the generations that came after it. I grew up in the early 2000s and knew very few openly gay or lesbian people, and didn't even know about transgender people until I was in high school- despite living in a densely urban and "progressive" area. The vast amount of lives, memories, and history that was lost during the AIDS crisis has left my generation of queer and trans youth with a huge need to be filled. Many people my age do not know about the history of our own people, but Leslie Feinberg has fearlessly documented what has almost been lost to time. The book is inspiring to me because when you grow up not seeing facets of yourself reflected in media, books, social life, or history, it's easy to wonder if you have a place in the world at the intersection of your identities. I felt the need to compartmentalize myself to become palatable, worried I was unworthy of love at my fullest and happiest self. This book at the knowledge that transgender people have and will continue to live full lives in the face of persecution and hardship has immensely improved my quality of life by showing me that I am capable of these things as well. I've been inspired to share the text with other transgender people in my life, and I have seen the ways that this book inspires others to accept and love themselves. This book has lifted me out of a dark place in my life, and I continue to read it when I am feeling in need of inspiration.