Author, columnist, and national speaker on human inclusivity, Ellen (Ellie) Krug has published her long-awaited second book, Being Ellen: A Second Chance at Life (Stepladder Press), which details Ellie’s fifteen-year “womanhood journey” following her gender transition in 2009.
The book is about Ellie’s “second-chance life” of finally living as a woman, where she finds acceptance by family, friends, and younger female mentees. However, not all is rosy—Ellie faces rejection too, including by her oldest daughter Emily, and she encounters repeated marginalization when attempting to date men.
The arc of Being Ellen is about finding one’s “chosen family” and how Thap, her best friend from eighth grade, never wavers in his support. That support is reciprocal—Ellie is there for Thap and his wife Bebo when they experience the death of an adult child. She also becomes an “aunt” to Nisty, Thap’s daughter and a budding artist.
Additionally, Being Ellen chronicles Ellie’s idealistic attempt—inspired by the words of Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy—to spread compassion and kindness across the world. It’s an improbable story of a transgender woman with a man’s voice who somehow touches the hearts of even the most hardened. Indeed, the book offers hope at this desperate time in which America finds itself, and the book will leave the reader inspired to offer others greater compassion and kindness as they go forward in their own lives!
Being Ellen follows Ellie’s initial book, Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change (Stepladder Press). Published in 2013, Getting to Ellen documents Ellie’s struggle to come out as her true self at age fifty-two. That book has almost a five-star rating on Amazon and has received incredibly favorable reviews from everyday readers. Reviews of Being Ellen: A Second Chance at Life have been impressive. Author Reid Forgrave writes, “In a brand-centric age when true authenticity is in short supply, Ellie Krug’s raw rendering of her journey to become her true self is a breath of fresh air. Telling her story with equal parts intimacy, humor, and heartbreak, Krug’s tale transcends the typical coming-of-age memoir and delivers a fearless tale that brings a dose of empathy
to a politically divided world.”
From another reader: “While reading Being Ellen I was moved from tears to chills and back again. This is a story about many things, including second chances, chosen family, and the importance of compassion always...This book illustrates the courage, heartache, and love involved with fighting to live authentically in a world that often resists without
reason. I found myself folding into the story and its reminders of our shared humanity. Share this book with someone you love.”
Ellen will share her story on Thursday, September 4 at 6:30pm in Whipple Auditorium at the Cedar Rapids Public Library. The event is co-sponsored by Next Page Books of Cedar Rapids and Cedar Rapids Pride. Copies of Being Ellen will be available for purchase before and after the event. For more information, contact Next Page Books.
