A breathtaking, exquisitely crafted memoir about a trans person’s singular journey through breaching the boundaries of gender—across generations, cultures and borders—to become his truest, most authentic self.

Nearing the age of forty, with an entire life already lived as a woman—half in Colombia, half in the US—Miles Borrero comes face to face with his father’s impending death. Suddenly realizing that he has been stalling his transition for fear of losing his family’s love, this moment catalyzes Miles’s determination to be fully known as his father’s son before it is too late.

In Beautiful Monster, Miles chronicles his unusual childhood, by turns riveting and hilarious, in ’80s and ’90s Colombia during the Pablo Escobar years, as well as his move to Salt Lake City to pursue acting and the winding trajectory that eventually lands him in the New York City yoga scene. Within these very different cultures, the realities of being queer and trans echo poignantly through the triumphs, heartbreaks, family dynamics, spiritual pursuits, and relationships that propel Miles along his path.

Sublimely nuanced and written in ravishing prose that is as unique and irresistible as its subject, Beautiful Monster is one person’s story of navigating the pressures to perform femininity while becoming a gender outlaw. Brimming with wonder, humor, and mythos, entertaining and enlightening in equal measure, this book offers a compelling case for embracing one’s true nature.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Regalo Press, October 2023 (Pre-Empt)

• Excerpt published on Kevin MD

“Borrero is by turns funny and gut-wrenching, doggedly keeping the proceedings from tipping into melodrama even when the emotional terrain gets gnarly. Readers will be captivated by this always inspiring, sometimes shattering story of self-discovery.”
—Publishers Weekly

“This poetic memoir follows the author as a child growing up in Colombia through his adult transition into manhood. Full of magical realism, Borrero brings readers along on his emotional journey back to himself.”
—Booklist

“Magic realism is, thankfully, still alive, and Miles Borrero uses his literary lineage to tell the compelling story of his own becoming. In Beautiful Monster, he artfully describes the ubiquitous anxiety, like Poe’s thumping heart under the floorboards, that comes from hiding one’s true self from his loved ones, from the world, and most poignantly—from his own culture. It’s a gift to be shepherded through this process with such deftness, humor, and pathos.”
—Alexandra Auder, author of Don’t Call Me Home

“Beautiful Monster is like a big, queer hug… exactly what the world needs.”
—Kathryn Budig

“His recent memoir, Beautiful Monster: A Becoming is the heart-wrenching story of Miles’ journey of breaching bounds of gender, cultures, and borders to become the person he truly is….Beautiful Monster brims with wonder, humor, and mythos”
—Andy Cahill/Wonderdome

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Recorded Books