Book Description
For readers of All the Light We Cannot See and In Memoriam, a moving and deeply humane story about a trans man who must relinquish the freedoms of prewar Berlin to survive first the Nazis then the Allies while protecting the ones he loves
In 1932 Berlin, Bertie, a trans man, and his friends spend carefree nights at the Eldorado Club, the epicenter of Berlin’s thriving queer community. An employee of the renowned Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld at the Institute of Sexual Science, Bertie works to improve queer rights in Germany and beyond, but everything changes when Hitler rises to power. The institute is raided, the Eldorado is shuttered, and queer people are rounded up. Bertie barely escapes with his girlfriend, Sofie, to a nearby farm. There they take on the identities of an elderly couple and live for more than a decade in isolation.
In the final days of the war, with their freedom in sight, Bertie and Sofie find a young trans man collapsed on their property, still dressed in Holocaust prison clothes. They vow to protect him—not from the Nazis, but from the Allied forces who are arresting queer prisoners while liberating the rest of the country. Ironically, as the Allies’ vise grip closes on Bertie and his family, their only salvation becomes fleeing to the United States.
Brimming with hope, resilience, and the enduring power of community, The Lilac People tells an extraordinary story inspired by real events and recovers an occluded moment of trans history.
Praise For This Book
LGBTQ+ Reads, A Most Anticipated Book"Not only is The Lilac People a moving story, it might also be a roadmap of how we move forward." —Michelle Hart, Electric Literature
"From its thrilling first pages to its elegiac yet buoyant close, The Lilac People is a fully immersive reading experience filled with indelible and achingly human characters. A masterful debut, and a treasure of a novel." ––Christopher Castellani, author of Leading Men
"Through deft world-building and astute characterization, Milo Todd’s The Lilac People transports readers to WWII-era Germany, where queer and trans people were subjected to a world that worked overtime to snuff them out, eerily similar to the world we live in today. Through this book, I was reminded of the timely history that it depicts, and I was delighted by Todd’s intentional, careful prose. If you want to read a book that accurately depicts trans people of this period wholly, pick up this book." —KB Brookins, award-winning author of Pretty
"Remarkable and urgently needed. Milo Todd breathes life into erased histories, resurrecting trans history with heart, humor, and love, showing not only how people survived, but offering hope for how we will today. Meticulously researched and enchantingly written, The Lilac People is a book I will cherish." ––Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, award-winning author of The Fact of a Body
"The Lilac People is at once a poignant ode, a powerful testimony, a rousing anthem, a timely warning, and a gripping heart-in-throat novel that is as richly rendered as it is urgent. All fiction should aspire to as much." —Nawaaz Ahmed, author of PEN/Faulkner finalist Radiant Fugitives
“With The Lilac People, Milo Todd brings to life an almost-forgotten chapter of World War II. With this remarkable story rooted in history, the author speaks to the urgency of our times where the rights of trans individuals are steadily being robbed by right-wing extremists. It’s a stunning feat of storytelling.” —S. Kirk Walsh, nationally bestselling author of The Elephant of Belfast
"Todd’s debut is a moving and poignant reminder that, even if we imagine ourselves finished with history, history is never finished with us. The Lilac People is a bravely, brutally perfect companion for those desperate to survive our darkening century.” —Patrick Nathan, author of The Future Was Color
"With exquisite attention to historical detail and deep compassion, Milo Todd brings to life a story that feels both urgent and timeless. From the streets of pre-war Berlin to the isolation of rural survival, we follow characters forced to choose daily between truth and safety. Through Bertie’s eyes, we witness how quickly hard-won freedoms can vanish, and how the bonds of chosen family become both sanctuary and salvation. A profound and riveting story of identity and resilience, The Lilac People reclaims a powerful piece of trans history.” —Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
"In The Lilac People, Milo Todd brings to life the hope, joy, and complexities of trans identity and community in Weimar Berlin and beyond. At once a celebration of what becomes possible when humans truly accept one another and a stark reminder of the precipice between personal freedom and catastrophe, the story of Bertie Durchdenwald’s fight for autonomy, dignity, and love cuts through history to underline what’s at stake in our present moment." —Jason Lutes, creator of Berlin
