Testimony of a Shifter

By Emma Pérez

Imprisoned by the totalitarian government, Dr. Benito Espinoza practices for his weekly interrogations by recounting his story to his thirteen-year-old daughter. He tells her about turning his back on his ability to shift his gender from male to female-to Alejandra-to become a scholar in the Grand Library. Most academics are Residents who inherited their seats and believe Descendants like Ben don't have the intellectual ability to be a person of letters. Ben conforms to the laws against transmuting, so he manages to secure a place in the library. His life's purpose is to prove Descendants are as capable as Residents. But an encounter with a clever, beautiful Descendant leads to his unwitting participation in the rebellion against the Impresario and his White Guards. Soon the shifter is involved with the Rebels, trying to save a younger generation of Descendants and shifters from the horrific experiments and violence perpetrated against them.In a non-linear narrative in which "time is false," author and scholar Emma Pérez offers a fascinating speculative novel about alternate histories, while pondering race, discrimination and transgender people.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558859799
• ISBN13: 9781558859791
• Release Date: October 2023
• Publisher: Arte Publico Press
• Length: 198 Pages
• Weight: 3.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.6" x 8.5"