In Transparent she introduces four of them -- Christina, Domineque, Foxxjazell, and Ariel. As she earns their trust she shows us their world, a dizzying mix of familiar teenage drama and far less familiar changes like how to morph your body on a few dollars a day. Funny, heartbreaking, defiant, and sometimes defeated, the girls form a singular community. But they struggle valiantly to resolve the gap between the way they feel inside and the way the world sees them -- and who among us can't identify with that?

Beam's astute reporting, sensitive writing, and passionate engagement with her characters place Transparent in the ranks of the very best narrative nonfiction.