I Heard Her Call My Name Summary
Lucy Sante

I Heard Her Call My Name Overview

I Heard Her Call My Name chronicles Lucy Sante's gender transition at age 67, sparked by seeing herself as a woman through the FaceTune app in 2021. The memoir weaves together her childhood as a Belgian immigrant, her bohemian years in 1970s-1980s New York, and decades of substance use and troubled relationships that she retrospectively understands as attempts to cope with gender dysphoria. Sante reveals how living inauthentically corroded her romantic partnerships and creative expression, while exploring the complex negotiations required when transitioning affects intimate relationships, particularly with her partner Mimi. The book positions her late-life transition as both a deeply personal journey and a contribution to broader cultural understanding of trans experience.