This book is a complete anthology of the Soul in Words series: Beyond Description, Subsection Hope, and To Where We Walk.
Embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery with Joy Realized by Emily Tiffany Joy, a personal journal spanning years of real-time interactive online writing. This captivating memoir offers a raw and unfiltered glimpse into the author’s profound experiences, from navigating her gender transition to overcoming personal struggles. Through heartfelt prose and candid reflections, Emily’s resilience and pursuit of authenticity will inspire and uplift readers. Joy Realized is a memoir dedicated to the celebration of the human spirit, inviting you to find hope, joy, and genuine connections in unexpected places. Dive into this compelling narrative and discover the transformative power of resilience and self-realization.
Highlights from the memoir:
“If I live for others, I will discover that by bringing them joy, I will have lived for myself all along!”
“Loss creates space for new beginnings. And that is the beauty of it.”
“From nothing comes all. To nothing returns all. But the span between is everything. Make it meaningful.”
“For your ending deserves a story preceding worthy of shocking redemption from all the fear that holds you from a life worth living.”
“Every moment is mine. I own it all. Whether it uplifts me or throws me to the rocky shores, I will die for the truth.”
Featured Excerpts:
"I am a patient-patient in this world. A patient-patient looking for other patient-patients. My recovery will lead to recovery for others. This is why I still breathe. It is why I continue to type. And it is now the main reason I still exist. It is my true meaning of life; the sacred one I have determined will keep me alive. Not for the longest length of time possible, but for everyone I have ever known or will know to thrive, for everyone to know exactly who I am and what I can make powerfully real for them."
"I do not write words with my mind through my fingers. I release warm bright white air from my shimmering soul's powerful lungs and allow its vapor to appear as the vivid inspiration upon which these fiery passionate letters form..."
"For I would never want a mind that could not forget sorrow. With that comes forgetting joy, but the beauty of joy is it begets itself. If you bring others joy, it returns to you over and over again... If I had to forget anything, I would let go of the times I lived only for myself. I would embrace the memories of love for others instead. That is a reminiscence I can stand behind. Those are memories worth reliving."
"We are more than what we believe. The self transcends it. The refuge from thinking is feeling. Smiling, crying, laughing, yearning, loving, all beyond mere positions on life. For while beliefs divide us, emotions are universal. Emotions communicate what cannot be faithfully translated into words... My truth is not laid on a lattice of beliefs. It is upon the wisdom of empathy. It is on what I see reflected back at me when I gaze upon your eyes."
Table of Contents
Foreword 4
Part 1: Beyond Description 5
Chapter 1: This Book Is Like a Manual To Smile 6
Chapter 2: My Joyous Transgender Transformation 13
Chapter 3: No More Fighting, No More Wars 21
Chapter 4: Cool Prefixes for Time 28
Chapter 5: Who I Used to Be 36
Chapter 6: Music Tears Me Apart 43
Chapter 7: Hope Is A Ghost Condemned To Wander 50
Chapter 8: Worst You Have Ever Felt for A Nanosecond 56
Chapter 9: If I Could Tell You Everything You Mean To Me 64
Chapter 10: There Was Once A Skittish Girl 70
Chapter 11: Every Combination You Can Fathom 78
Chapter 12: You Will Survive 86
Part 2: Subsection Hope 95
Chapter 1: Let Your Influence In The World Be Positive 96
Chapter 2: I Dream Of A Pistol That Fires Small Flowers 105
Chapter 3: No Afterlife Would Be Safe If I Lied 114
Chapter 4: I Cast Them To The Universe 123
Chapter 5: In A Space Shuttle To Venus 131
Chapter 6: I Want My Intuition To Guide Me 140
Chapter 7: Just Bring Her Joy 149
Chapter 8: Live To Love Another Day 157
Chapter 9: You Realize You Have Another Chance 165
Chapter 10: I Will Not Die In Vain 174
Chapter 11: This Is Trauma 183
Chapter 12: Love Is The Goal, Always The Goal 193
Chapter 13: Truth Is Intoxicating 204
Chapter 14: How Many Tears Will Solve It 213
Part 3: To Where We Walk 222
Chapter 1: Dreams Do Not Denote My Soul 223
Chapter 2: A Life Led to Happiness 230
Chapter 3: Nothing Compares to Actualization 238
Chapter 4: Aching For Completeness 245
Chapter 5: Vibrant Swirling Chaos 253
Chapter 6: Love Is the Story Most Salient 259
Chapter 7: Telepresence Conservatory of One 265
Chapter 8: That Is All We Will Ever Know 272
Chapter 9: Chaos Archery 279
Chapter 10: To Where We Walk Determines All 287
Chapter 11: Use Caution, Always Use Caution 295
Chapter 12: Even These Words Will Not Do 301
Chapter 13: Would You Fear Writing It All Down 307
Chapter 14: Mystery Is What Makes the Future 314
Chapter 15: We Will Make New Memories 321
Release Metadata
Title: Joy Realized
Author: Emily Tiffany Joy
Publisher: Independently Published
Publication Date: 2024-08-05
Word Length: ~82,000 words
Paperback Length: 328 pages (Amazon edition)
ISBN-13: 979-8335417099
Kindle ASIN: B0DC87THDL (Kindle eBook, Kindle Unlimited enabled, Whispersync for Voice enabled)
Audiobook ASIN: B0FHJ97MYB (~9 hours and 34 minutes runtime, Narrated by Sarah Decker, distributed on iTunes, Amazon, and Audible, Unabridged)
Language: English
Reading Level: Mature
Genres: LGBT memoir, creative non-fiction, existential philosophy
Last Updated: January 16, 2026