--- description: Find out why "None of the Above" by Travis Alabanza is on TIME's list of the must-read books of the year. title: 'None of the Above' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d81c49bdf2c9845/698a42004ee262119431bea1/NoneOfTheAbove.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 14, 2023 # None of the Above by Travis Alabanza by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  In _None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary_, Travis Alabanza unpacks a series of seven phrases people have said to them throughout their life, like, about their gender identity, “So when did you know?” Alabanza dives deep into their lived experience as a Black, mixed-race, working class, nonbinary trans person in a society where visibility doesn’t guarantee safety. Their memoir is a reflection on the [gender binary](https://time.com/6287271/coding-beyond-gender-binary/ "undefined")—and how it’s upheld—as well as a vision of a life beyond it. Alabanza asserts that they are not trans because they were born different; “I am trans because the world made me so,” they write. In _None of the Above_, the author challenges the status quo with searing social commentary peppered with personal anecdotes, even exploring their own uncertainty regarding their gender identity. By being radically honest about their doubt, they challenge the very idea of the gender binary—and how its rigidity impacts those who exist outside of it. —_Meg Zukin_ **Buy Now:** _None of the Above_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781558610347 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/49nB6SW "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332673/none-of-the-above/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332673/none-of-the-above/"},"headline":"None of the Above","datePublished":"2023-11-14T12:30:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:25:51.529Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332673/none-of-the-above/","keywords":["Books","list","best books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d81c49bdf2c9845/698a42004ee262119431bea1/NoneOfTheAbove.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8d81c49bdf2c9845/698a42004ee262119431bea1/NoneOfTheAbove.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332673/none-of-the-above/","name":"None of the Above"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WppeqCEz/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-11-13T19:20:52.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WppeqCEz.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332673/none-of-the-above/","duration":"PT1M28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332673/none-of-the-above/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```