12 Books I’ll Attempt to Read for Pride Month
It feels strange to write, that in 2022, LGBTQIA+ rights are under attack in a way I haven’t witnessed since my teenage years in the 1990s.
Transgender vilification and book bans are two examples of why — now more than in the past several years — we need to amplify and celebrate writers and stories that explore the experiences of the queer community.
While I won’t get to every book on this list in June, I will read them at some point this year, because each represents a facet of queer life — humor, resiliency and love — that continues to propel us forward.
Additionally, throughout June, I’ll only post reviews of predominately “gay” books, whether read this month or earlier in the year.
Finally, please continue to seek out experiences other than your own, even if you are the member of a marginalized group. It’s the only way we can ensure a safe and equitable life for everyone under the rainbow.
The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture by Grace Perry
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.99
Format: eBook (personal library)
Why I’m Reading It: Queer acceptance accelerated at a rapid pace during the aughts, and I’m curious to see how frequently my perspective of watershed moments in pop culture aligned with those of Perry, an openly gay writer.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: Perry searched for queerness in the teen cultural phenomena that the early aughts had to offer: in Lindsay Lohan’s fall from grace, Gossip Girl, Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl,” country-era Taylor Swift, and Seth Cohen jumping on a coffee cart. And, for better or worse, these touch points shaped her identity.
A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.26
Format: Audiobook (ARC)
Why I’m Reading It: I love a good genre-buster, and this historical fiction, young adult, romance, book-in-verse by trans and queer author Gow fits the bill.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: When Aaron and Oliver discover the story of two Revolutionary War soldiers who they believe to have been trans man in love, they're inspired to pay tribute to these soldiers by adopting their names and delving further into unwritten queer stories.
Brown White Black: An American Family at the Intersection of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Religion by Nishta J. Mehra
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.25
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Why I’m Reading It: Even though it was published in 2019, Mehra’s essays are as relevant today as they were then. It promises to be an honest and insightful examination of a modern family.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: “Brown, White, Black” is a look at Mehra's family: her wife, who is white; her adopted son, who is black; and their experiences dealing with America's rigid ideas of race, gender and sexuality. Both poignant and challenging, it is a remarkable portrait of a loving family on the front lines of some of the most highly charged conversations in our culture.
Deaf Utopia: A Memoir - And a Love Letter to a Way of Life by Nyle DiMarco with Robert Siebert
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.45
Format: eBook (library loan)
Why I’m Reading It: Disabled people are underrepresented in broader culture and especially within queer communities. While the sexually fluid DiMarco may not be a household name, his celebrity status will bring increased awareness to the challenges of the deaf and hard of hearing communities.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: In this memoir, DiMarco shares stories, both heartbreaking and humorous, of what it means to navigate a world built for hearing people.
Don’t Cry for Me by Daniel Black
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.35
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Why I’m Reading It: Upon its publication in February, the openly gay Black was heralded as a promising new voice in literary fiction. All the people I know who have read the novel have sung its praises.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: A Black father makes amends with his gay son through letters written on his deathbed in this wise and penetrating novel of empathy and forgiveness.
Here’s To Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.17
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Why I’m Reading It: Do I remember much of the plot from 2018’s “What If It’s Us?” Nope. Will that stop me from diving into this light-hearted young adult romance? Definitely not.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: Ben has spent his first year of college working on his fantasy manuscript. Arthur is in New York for a dream internship on Broadway. Even as the boys try to focus on their futures, they can't seem to help running into each other in the present. Is the universe forcing them to question if they’re actually meant to be?
Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s-1950s by Hugh Nini
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.73
Format: Hardcover (personal library)
Why I’m Reading It: Even when it feels like we’re moving backwards with LGBTQIA+ rights, it’s important to look at history to see how far we’ve moved forward. While not a novel, per se, this coffee table collection is one of my most anticipated reads, er, browses of Pride Month.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: This visual narrative of astonishing sensitivity brings to light an until-now-unpublished collection of hundreds of snapshots, portraits, and group photos taken in the most varied of contexts, both private and public. Taken when male partnerships were often illegal, the photos here were found at flea markets, in shoe boxes, family archives, old suitcases, and later online and at auctions.
Maurice by E.M. Forster
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.06
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Why I’m Reading It: I had little interest in this queer classic by the out Forster until Sarah Winman’s gorgeous “Still Life” had him appear as a minor character.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: Maurice is heartbroken over unrequited love, which opened his heart and mind to his own sexual identity. In order to be true to himself, he goes against the grain of society’s often unspoken rules of class, wealth and politics.
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.07
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Why I’m Reading It: Getting on the bandwagon early of what’s sure to a popular read once the Harry Styles and Emma Corrin fronted film adaptation opens this fall.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: From the moment Marion first lays eyes on Tom she is smitten. But Tom, a policeman, has another life, another equally overpowering claim on his affections. Patrick, a curator at the Brighton Museum, is also besotted with his policeman, and opens Tom's eyes to a world previously unknown to him.
Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States by Samantha Allen
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.11
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Why I’m Reading It: While much has changed since its publication in 2019, trans author Allen presents a snapshot of folx from all walks of life. As a red state gay, I’m curious to see how much their experiences mirror or diverge from my own.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: Capturing profound cultural shifts underway in unexpected places and revealing a national network of chosen family fighting for a better world, “Real Queer America” is a treasure trove of uplifting stories and a much-needed source of hope and inspiration in these divided times.
We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.78
Format: eBook (personal library)
Why I’m Reading It: As I started to dip my toe into the world of graphic novels in 2020, this one was often recommended. While an outlier on this list, since Henstra isn’t a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I’m always eager to amplify the types of stories I wish were available to me in my early teens.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: Jonathan Hopkirk and Adam "Kurl" Kurlansky are partnered in English class, writing letters to one another in a weekly pen pal assignment. With each letter, the two begin to develop a friendship that eventually grows into love. But with homophobia, bullying, and devastating family secrets, Jonathan and Kurl struggle to overcome their conflicts and hold onto their relationship...and each other.
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Goodreads Average Rating: 4.47
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Why I’m Reading It: Stuart’s “Shuggie Bain” was not one of my favorite reads of 2020, but it is certainly one that stuck with me. I’m prepared to pack the tissues for another tour through Scotland.
What It’s About [adapted from the dustjacket]: Imbuing the everyday world of its characters with rich lyricism and giving full voice to people rarely acknowledged in the literary world, “Young Mungo” is a gripping and revealing story about the bounds of masculinity, the divisions of sectarianism, the violence faced by many queer people and the dangers of loving someone too much.
