Laverne Cox memoir 'Transcendent' details upbringing in Alabama and acting career

The memoir describes Cox's experiences as a gender-nonconforming child and her path to success in "Orange Is the New Black."

• When Cox was eight, her teacher scolded her for using a geisha fan, and her mother called her slurs and enrolled her in conversion therapy.
• Cox attempted suicide at age 11 after relatives and teachers repeatedly called her homophobic slurs.
• Cox and her twin brother were abandoned by their mother to their father, who called them "freaks," and then spent a month in an orphanage.
• Cox said she remained constantly alert for signs of hostility in public and would run if she sensed danger.