We’re through the first week of Pride Month and it’s high time we celebrate all the colours of the LGBTQIA+ rainbow. And, what better way than to pick out and add some of our essential must-read books on our reading list? Whether you’re into non-fiction, romance, literary fiction or poetry, you can find a book suited for your mood here. The beauty of these books is that most of them cover a broad spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community, ranging from immigrants, the elderly, people of colour, and more. So, let’s get started, shall we?
1. We Are Everywhere, by Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown
Genre: History
Release Date: 7th May 2019
What it’s about: A photographic history of the Queer Liberation Movement of the 1960s, released just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that took place in New York.
2. Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, by T Kira Madden
Genre: Autobiography
Release Date: 5th March 2019
What it’s about: The story of the author as a queer, biracial teenager in conservative Florida—a place where she found cult-like privilege, saddening racial disparities, white-collar crime and more.
3. We Set the Dark on Fire, by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction
Release Date: 26th February 2019
What it’s about: Amidst a school in the dystopian future, where young women are trained to take care of their future husband’s household, young Daniela Vargas faces choices.. and some of those are dark and forbidden.
4. Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky Albertalli
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Release Date: 7th April 2015
What it’s about: The story of a charming 16-year-old closeted high school student, and his adventures leading him to find his true, authentic self, along with love.
5. Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens, by Tanya Boteju
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxKPrP6nplw/
Genre: Romance
Release Date: 7th May 2019
What it’s about: After stumbling upon it at a local festival, Nima finds herself suddenly immersed in the drag scene. This contemporary LGBT is about finding yourself fitting in for the first time, through all sorts of struggles.
6. Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard, by Alex Bertie
Genre: Memoir
Release Date: 2nd November 2017
What it’s about: The story of an ordinary teenager, as he struggles to go through puberty, bullying and other changes while realising that he is trapped in the wrong body.
7. I Wish You All the Best, by Mason Deaver
Genre: Romance
Release Date: 14th May 2019
What it’s about: Kicked out of the house when they come out as non-binary to their parents, Ben finds themselves moving in with their aunts and starting school at a new place. Enter a cute boy at school, Nathan, and their friendship starts to blossom into something more…
8. Naturally Tan, by Tan France
Genre: Autobiography
Release Date: 4th June 2019
What it’s about: Our favourite Netflix show, Queer Eye’s Tan France details his life as he grew up, queer, Muslim and a person of colour in England.
9. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: 4th June 2019
What it’s about: Written as a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read, the author unearths a family’s history in Vietnam and a place he now calls home in America.
10. The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali, by Sabina Khan
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 29th January 2019
What it’s about: Arranged marriages and hiding in the proverbial closet, this book tells the story of Rukhsana Ali and her struggles with growing up in a conservative community where there is a lot more at stake than her identity…
Obviously, given the diversity that exists within the LGBTQ+ community, it is hard to cover all gender identities, sexualities and more. Hence, if you have any more recommendations, feel free to let us know in the comments below!
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