When I first learned of Salinas and Marisol Leva's memoir, my sister, how one sibling's transition changed us both. I assume the title sort of said it all.

But Salinas, who you know and love from her roles on Orange's The New Black and Diary of a Future

President and Marisol, a model, a cook, activist, well, they could fill volumes with their stories.

For Marisol, identifying as trans and loving herself through her gender transition

did not come easily.

For Salinas, her unconditional love for her sister was tested by her own battle with depression

and a career that often felt like it was going nowhere.

Theirs is a story for anyone who has ever fought to live life on their own terms.

This foster child comes into your home, comes into your life, baby Jose.

What do you remember about Jose as a child?

I loved babies. Like, you know, everything baby was like amazing to me. And this little baby came in

and I just wanted to hold that baby. Baby Jose so much. Like that was my thing. But one of the things that stood out was because I had already had

forced to children around me and other siblings and family members, I knew the sound of the cries,

you know, babies cry a certain way. And what struck me immediately about this particular baby

was that the cry was desperate, almost like an agony somehow.

And that was because of the withdrawal, because the baby was born to a mother who was addicted to

drugs. So I wanted to shower this baby with the love that I felt that it didn't have from the start.

Marisol, how do you remember your sister?

Always loving, caring, supportive, accepting, always let me live my truth when I was around her.

Strong, powerful, kind.

Like, my sister's everything to me, you know. She's always been there for me from the very beginning. I've been attached to her as we discuss in the book since day one. Marisol, you say you

knew very young that you were different. How did that show up for you? I always dreamed of

...