This is a less than chronological telling of the life and legend of Marsha P. Johnson, an activist, artist, and performer. Marsha gave life to everyone and everything around her. Tourmaline penned an extremely personal rendition of Marsha from childhood exploration of sex and sexuality to making a name for herself in the streets of New York to battling the oppression faced by the queer community and the ostracizing within the community itself. Marsha’s life is a wild ride but expresses the value in being yourself and living your truth fully and unapologetically.

Add this book to your TBR. You will experience a great piece of queer history. Try to keep up with the read as the timeline tends to be a bit sporadic, there is an abundance of name dropping (in a good way), and some events are recapped multiple times throughout the read from different perspectives.

Tourmaline treated Marsha with such care and honor, it truly shows in the diligent research and graceful prose. Marsha's life is such an inspiration for community, organizing, and that unbreakable spirit of resisting oppression. She didn't wait to be rescued, but instead declared her own freedom and expected everyone else to catch up. Even in the face of some truly harsh circumstances, Marsha was intentionally kind and cultivated beauty in every way she could.

It's both unsurprising and also mind blowing that this is the first official record of Marsha as one of the primary actors in the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Our review of history repeatedly overlooks Stonewall, and the degree of violence LGBTQ+ individuals faced (same ten-fold for those of color during integration). Marsha was an advocate, and deserves to have her voice accurately heard rather than all of the political virtue-signaling about her death.

**Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the eArc**

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book!

Honestly, I think this book changed my life a little bit. Tourmaline is a fantastic author and treats Marsha with care and thoughtfulness. She also doesn't shy away from the harder aspects of Marsha's life. Marsha's spirit comes through so clearly, and the tragedy of her early death can be felt. The way Marsha was able to create community was just beautiful - I love that Tourmaline does focus on the care-taking nature that Marsha had, but also brought forth the idea that while it may have come naturally to Marsha, that didn't make it easy.
Reading about Marsha's care for her friends (and even strangers) was mesmerizing. Reading about how she made the most (and such true beauty) of ANYTHING she had was beautiful. It was also sad and provoking to see how hard life was for her. She very rarely had stability in her life, and to think of what could have been if she had more stability is a little bit heartbreaking. She deserved so much more than life gave her. and while we've definitely made some strides towards Marsha's dream, there is still so far to go.
Possibly my favorite thing, or at least the thing that probably moved me the most, was how Marsha talked and thought about death. As just another phase. When she died, she wouldn't really be gone, just changed in shape/presence. That was a really comforting thought to me.
Marsha embodied freedom, and she freed those around her to do the same. We can all learn from Marsha, and we should all read this book!

Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline is nothing short of a triumph—a stunning, soulful biography that finally gives Marsha P. Johnson the vibrant, complex, and joyful portrait she deserves. Tourmaline doesn’t just recount Marsha’s life; she invites readers to walk beside Marsha through the dazzling highs and devastating lows of her existence, capturing the essence of a woman who changed history with equal parts courage and grace.

Marsha was more than a legend—she was a movement unto herself. Tourmaline breathes life into her story, balancing rich historical context with personal moments that paint Marsha as not only an icon but a deeply human, tender-hearted artist and activist. From the spark of rebellion at Stonewall to her days performing with the Hot Peaches drag troupe, the book captures the dazzling breadth of Marsha’s life with such reverence and energy that you can practically hear her laugh, see the flowers in her crown, and feel the fire of her relentless fight for freedom.

What sets this biography apart is its refusal to flatten Marsha into a one-dimensional figure or a tragic symbol. Yes, Tourmaline addresses the painful realities of systemic oppression, homelessness, and the violence trans women of color face—Marsha’s life wasn’t easy. But the focus never lingers in sorrow for too long. Instead, Tourmaline foregrounds Marsha’s joy, her resilience, her creativity, and her immense capacity for love. We see her celebrated not just as a victim or martyr but as a leader who knew the power of her own beauty, both inside and out. The anecdote about Marsha fixing her makeup after allegedly throwing the first brick at Stonewall is both iconic and emblematic of her ethos: survival and self-expression as revolutionary acts.

Tourmaline also beautifully weaves Marsha’s story into the broader cultural tapestry of the time. We meet RuPaul before superstardom, we see Marsha as a muse to Andy Warhol, and we glimpse how she helped plant the seeds of what would become today’s LGBTQ+ rights movement. Tourmaline’s prose is lyrical without losing its precision—each chapter feels like an elegy and a love song rolled into one.

Perhaps the most powerful element of this book is its invitation to the reader: to live boldly, freely, and authentically in honor of Marsha’s legacy. Tourmaline’s portrayal of Marsha reminds us that liberation isn’t something we wait for—it’s something we declare for ourselves, even if the world isn’t ready.

At 5 stars, Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson is essential reading. It’s more than a biography—it’s an act of resurrection, celebration, and defiance. Whether you’re familiar with Marsha’s legacy or learning about her for the first time, this book will move you, challenge you, and inspire you to live your fullest, most unapologetic life. As Marsha herself would say, “Thank god the revolution has begun, honey.”

***A big thank you to Penguin Press Dutton and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC copy of this book.***

The publisher has asked not to give details or descriptions of this book just yet. Once authorized, I will give my honest review of this book!

This was a brilliant dive into the life of Marsha P. Johnson. I knew generics about her, but no details. I never realized her constant activism. The author does an amazing job of not shying away from the darker parts of Johnson’s life, but using them to create a whole story and show Johnson as a complete person. The author also highlights how Johnson’s life affected the lives around her, and the community as a whole. I have always adored Johnson just based on the little I knew, but now, I am ashamed I didn’t know all of this. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

I had watched a documentary on Netflix awhile back and was intrigued by this interesting, colorful and amazing woman - so I just had to read this book. This book is a testament to someone that despite all the crap that life threw at her (and man was it a lot) she faced it all with her amazing smile. Although the majority of her life she went without, she always found a way to help others. Marsha is the epitome of the Billy Joel song "Only the good die young." The author truly gave Marsha her voice back in a way that she will be remembered for all that she did for her community and not the suspicions that continue to surround her untimely death even today. Brava! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was an absolutely love read about the amazing and brace Marsha. I feel like she hasn't really gotten the flowers she deserves in terms of her contributions to the LGBTQA+ community, so seeing this book, which has some wider audience appeal, is amazing!

This is a well researched homage to the amazing Marsha Johnson.
So much can be learned about resilience by viewing her life. She used her voice and day to day experiences to find not only a purpose but to make a murky situation into one that she could fine tune and make better. One she could use and sculpt to make life for those scorned and unwanted better.
From Stonewall to her untimely death, Marsha was activist, supporter, fighter, organizer and stage performer, she would use the stage as a platform and her voice still resonates today.
Marsha not only left a legacy but perhaps unbeknownst to us, she laid the ground work, paved the path and passed a torch to us. Her force was endless, boundless. What we have learned, what we know and what we fight for today is Marsha’s gift to us.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.