Favorite Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month
Obviously, there are many, many books out there in this category, exploring so many different voices and experiences. I picked a few of the ones I’ve read and loved below but this is still a fairly random list. Let me know your faves in the comments!
Fun Home – Alison Bechtel’s graphic memoir, now a classic, about coming out as a lesbian and finding out her father was gay. Hilarious, tragic, and moving.
Camp – L.C. Rosen. Fabulous, funny YA set at a summer camp, that explores these of friendship, toxic masculinity, and self-acceptance.
The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee. This historical YA romance is about a bisexual rake, Henry “Monty” Montague, who embarks on a Grand Tour of Europe with his acerbic sister and his best friend… who he happens to be rather inconveniently in love with. Witty dialogue, grand adventure, and a surprisingly tender hand at dealing with PTSD and other trauma - this one reads like a comedy but is very bittersweet.
If You Could Be Mine - Sara Farizan. Talk about a first book killing it right out of the MFA gate (disclosure: she’s a fellow Lesley University alum). This story charts the dangerous dance between two Iranian teen girls, and is sweet, tender, and very sharp. She’s written several other books, all worth checking out.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This book, a subtle, gorgeous story about a developing relationship between two boys, won about every YA award there is, for good reason. Check it out.
Every Body Looking – Candice Iloh. Another Lesley alum wrote this novel in verse, about which Jacqueline Woodson said, Candice Iloh’s beautifully crafted narrative about family, belonging, sexuality, and telling our deepest truths in order to be whole is at once immensely readable and ultimately healing.
The Danish Girl – David Ebershoff. Inspired by the true story of Lili Elbe, the first person to undergo sex reassignment surgery in the early 20th century.
The Color Purple – Alice Walker. This one should need no introduction at this point. Still a beautiful, raw, classic.
Call Me by Your Name – Andre Aciman. Better than the movie, in my opinion.
Love is an Ex-Country – Randa Jarrar. The memoir of a “queer, Muslim, Arab-American, and proudly fat” woman’s journey across the contemporary, divided and divisive United States.
The Song of Achilles – Madeleine Miller. The story of the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles, told from Patroclus’ point of view.
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin. Classic sci-fi, set in a world without sexual preference and where everyone is gender-fluid. This was groundbreaking when it was released in 1969, and still fascinating.
The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World's Queer Frontiers – Mark Gevisser. I love this because it’s not focused on the U.S., but explores the stories of queer people around the world and how intersecting lines of geopolitics, culture, religion, and others affect their identities, struggles, and lives.
Bonus – on my To Be Read List:
Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir - Akwaeke Emezi. Haven’t read this yet but I can’t wait. The writer is a Nigerian who identifies as ogbanje – an Igbo spirit born to a human mother. This is their story told in the form of letters to family and friends, exploring sexuality, identity, spirituality, and creativity.
