32 LGBTQIA+ Books To Read For Pride Month
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It's important to recognize that the struggles and triumphs of the LGBTQIA+ community exist beyond just one month each year. While June may be designated as Pride Month, it's crucial to continue to support the LGBTQIA+ community throughout the entire year. Some ways to do this are reading from authors in the community, reading stories about the experiences of queer people, supporting queer-owned bookstores (and any type of business), and helping lift queer voices.
This Pride Month book list provides an opportunity to gain insight into the experiences and perspectives of LGBTQIA+ individuals across the world and throughout time, as well as celebrate their contributions to literature. By exploring the works of LGBTQIA+ authors, readers can discover new voices, and experiences: stories that may have been previously overlooked or underrepresented in mainstream literature. You may even recognize yourself in the writing.
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Boy Erased
Garrard Conley
Through an institutionalized Twelve-Step Program heavy on Bible study, he was supposed to emerge heterosexual, ex-gay, cleansed of impure urges and stronger in his faith in God for his brush with sin. Instead, even when faced with a harrowing and brutal journey, Garrard found the strength and understanding to break out in search of his true self and forgiveness.
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Invisible Life
E. Lynn Harris
A remarkable first novel by a young, gay, Black author who fashioned a deeply moving and compelling coming of age story out of the highly controversial issues of bisexuality and AIDS.
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Luna
Julie Anne Peters
A young adult novel, Luna is the story of a transgender teen and her transition from male to female. It’s a unique look into a teen's struggle for self-identity and acceptance, told through the eyes of her sister, Regan.
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Mr. Loverman
Bernardine Evaristo
Barrington Jedidiah Walker is seventy-four and leads a double life. Born and bred in Antigua, he's lived in Hackney, London, for years. A flamboyant, wise-cracking character with a dapper taste in retro suits and a fondness for Shakespeare, Barrington is a husband, father, grandfather, and also the secret gay lover of his childhood friend, Morris.
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No Other World
Rahul Mebta
Set in rural America and India in the 1980s and ’90s, this coming-of-age story about a gay Indian American boy is also a family saga about an immigrant family’s struggles to find a sense of belonging, identity, and hope.
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Rubyfruit Jungle
Rita Mae Brown
The coming-of-age story of Molly Bolt, an adoptive daughter of a poor Southern couple, Rubyfruit Jungle gives a glimpse into growing up as as lesbian in America and being true to yourself.
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Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story
Jacob Tobia
A heartfelt memoir and reflection of self-acceptance as a gender non-conforming person, Tobia encourages us to rethink gender norms and the belief that people are easily sorted into “men” and “women.”
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Stone Butch Blues
Leslie Feinberg
This powerful, provocative, and deeply moving novel sees Jess coming full circle, as she learns to accept the complexities of being a transgender person in a world demanding simple explanations.
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The Berlin Stories
Christopher Isherwood
First published in the 1930s, The Berlin Stories contains two astonishing related novels, The Last of Mr. Norris and Goodbye to Berlin, which are recognized today as classics of modern fiction. Isherwood magnificently captures 1931 Berlin: charming, with its avenues and cafés; marvelously grotesque, with its nightlife and dreamers; dangerous, with its vice and intrigue; powerful and seedy, with its mobs and millionaires—this is the period when Hitler was beginning his move to power.
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The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Carson McCullers
Wonderfully attuned to the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition, and with a deft sense for racial tensions in the South, McCullers spins a haunting, unforgettable story that gives voice to the rejected, the forgotten, and the mistreated—and, through Mick Kelly, gives voice to the quiet, intensely personal search for beauty.
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The Hours
Michael Cunningham
The Hours tells the story of three women: Virginia Woolf, beginning to write Mrs. Dalloway as she recuperates in a London suburb with her husband in 1923; Clarissa Vaughan, beloved friend of an acclaimed poet dying from AIDS, who in modern-day New York is planning a party in his honor; and Laura Brown, in a 1949 Los Angeles suburb, who slowly begins to feel the constraints of a perfect family and home. By the end of the novel, these three stories intertwine in remarkable ways, and finally come together in an act of subtle and haunting grace.
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The Well of Loneliness
Radclyffe Hall
Stephen is an ideal child of aristocratic parents—a fencer, a horse rider and a keen scholar. Stephen grows to be a war hero, a bestselling writer and a loyal, protective lover. But Stephen is a woman, and her lovers are women. As her ambitions drive her, and society confines her, Stephen is forced into desperate actions.
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Stonewall: The Definitive Story of the LGBTQ Rights Uprising that Changed America
Martin Duberman
Stonewall chronicles the historic events of the Stonewall riots that took place in 1969 and the following rise of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in America. This book provides a thorough and compelling account of the struggle for equality, highlighting the courage and resilience of the activists who brought about lasting change. Consider it essential reading.
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Don't Call Us Dead
Danez Smith
Don't Call Us Dead is a collection of powerful and poignant poems by Danez Smith that stories themes of race, police brutality, and the human experience as a Black, queer person. Through their raw and emotional poetry, Smith gives voice to the marginalized and writes heart wrenching and shining poems. It’s one of my favorite collections of contemporary poetry.
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In The Dream House: A Memoir
Carmen Maria Machado
In The Dream House is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s inventive—with each chapter written in different genres and styles. The memoir is about the author’s queer relationship, which was both loving and abusive. Machado’s writing is precise, empowering, honest, and brave because her story is one of few queer books that sheds light on the abuse in same-sex relationships.
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The House in the Cerulean Sea
TJ Klune
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a 2020 fantasy novel by TJ Klune that tells the story of Linus Baker, a by-the-book caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. Linus is sent on a mission to investigate an orphanage on a remote island, and he meets a group of magical children and their enigmatic caretaker, Arthur. The novel explores themes of acceptance, love, and friendship, and has been named one of the best LGBTQ books.
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Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen
Jazz Jennings
Being Jazz is the memoir of Jazz Jennings, in which she shares her experiences as a transgender teenager and her journey to self-discovery. The book delves into various aspects of her life, such as coming out to her family, navigating school and social life, and how she emerged as an advocate for the trans community. Through her story, Jazz sheds light on the challenges and victories of being a part of the trans community.
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Giovanni's Room
James Baldwin
Giovanni’s Room is a quintessential queer novel that often tops course syllabi for classes about human sexuality, intersectionality, and the Black experience. Baldwin tells the story of a young American man named David who is living in Paris and struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. The novel covers themes of love, desire, identity, and the societal pressures and prejudices that often complicate them. The novel is considered a classic and a landmark work for its portrayal of gay relationships in the 1950s.
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Detransition, Baby: A Novel
Torrey Peters
Detransition, Baby is a novel by Torrey Peters that explores the complexities of gender identity and motherhood. It tells the story of three people navigating their relationships and the challenges of transitioning and detransitioning.
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808s & Otherworlds
Sean Avery Medlin
808s & Otherworlds is a collection of poems by Sean Avery Medlin, detailing themes of love, loss, and loneliness through a blend of personal experience and science fiction. The poems offer a unique perspective on relationships, technology, and the human condition, and are characterized by their imaginative language and emotional depth. You can even buy this from Unabridged Bookstore—Chicago’s “go-to-bookstore for LGBTQ literature.”
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Call Me By Your Name
André Aciman
Call Me By Your Name tells the story of Elio, a 17-year-old boy living in Italy, who falls in love with Oliver, a graduate student who comes to stay with Elio's family over the summer. The novel shows the complexities of desire, intimacy, and self-discovery as the two men navigate their relationship and its inevitable end as summer closes. Follow your reading up by watching the lush, evocative movie from 2017.
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What Belongs to You: A Novel
Garth Greenwell
What Belongs to You is a novel by Garth Greenwell that tells the story of a gay American teacher living in Bulgaria who becomes involved with a young male prostitute. It explores themes of desire, identity, and power in a complex and emotional narrative.
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You Better Be Lightning
Andrea Gibson
Andrea Gibson is one of the most popular spoken word poets, known for their powerful performances on topics like gender, sexuality, mental health, and social justice. You Better Be Lightning is a 2021 poetry collection that is vulnerable in its approach to themes of family, loss, and social issues.
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Queer: A Graphic History
Dr. Meg-John Barker (Author), Jules Scheele (Illustrator)
Queer: A Graphic History is a non-fiction, illustrated book about the history, theory, and politics of queer identity and culture. The book uses a graphic format to share topics, such as the construction of gender and sexuality, the history of queer activism and social movements, and the intersection of queerness with race, class, and other identities.
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How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir
Saeed Jones
This memoir by Saeed Jones details his coming-of-age as a gay, Black man in the American South and his journey towards self-discovery and acceptance. The book is a powerful and poignant reflection on identity, family, and the struggle for belonging.
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Zami: A New Spelling of My Name - A Biomythography
Audre Lorde
Zam is a book that combines memoir, fiction, and poetry to create a genre Lorde calls “Biomythography.” The story is about the coming-of-age of a Black, lesbian woman in the United States. The book explores themes of identity, race, gender, and sexuality, and reflects on Lorde's experiences with love, loss, and self-discovery. Audre Lorde is a notable queer author, and Zami is one of her most innovative and popular works.
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Space Struck
Paige Lewis
Paige Lewis is an award-winning poet and writer whose writing is inventive, emotional, relatable, and deep all at once. Space Struck is a powerful collection of poems about relationships, love, outer space, identity, and folklore.
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Sappho 2nd Edition
Sappho
If you’re searching for emotive language about female desire, read Sappho. She was a poet who lived on the island of Lesbos in the 7th century BCE, and the poems in this collection have been translated from the original Greek. While much of Sappho's poetry has been lost to time, the surviving fragments offer a glimpse into her poetic vision and the world she inhabited.
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Tomorrow Will Be Different
Sarah McBride
Another memoir is this one by Sarah McBride, an LGBTQ+ activist who shares her personal journey as a transgender woman and her advocacy work for transgender rights.
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Out
Out magazine is a popular LGBTQ lifestyle and fashion magazine that covers topics such as fashion, travel, entertainment, politics, and culture from a queer perspective. It has been in print since 1992 and has since become one of the most widely-read and influential LGBTQ publications in the United States. Grab a recent copy if you’re more of an essay and article person.
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I Know You Know Who I Am
Peter Kispert
I Know You Know Who I Am is a collection of short stories that explores the theme of identity and the various ways in which people construct and perform themselves in different contexts, often with unexpected or even tragic consequences.
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Meaty
Samantha Irby
Meaty is a collection of humorous essays that offer a raw and unfiltered look at Irby’s experiences as a Black, queer woman, covering topics such as dating, illness, and family relationships. Her essays are wildly humorous and honest, making them popular among many.