8 Books to Read and 1 to Avoid for Pride Month
Each June in the United States, the LGBTQ+ community and our allies reflect on the history of gay rights and celebrate our successes in lobbying for and achieving equality in many aspects of life.
While pride celebrations are going to look different this year, reading is a social distancing-approved activity that can still help us build a sense of community through shared experiences.
Pride is something I’ve only recently come to embrace. I grew up deeply in the closet, where any perceived act of “gayness,” which to me even included watching “Will and Grace,” had to be avoided. It wasn’t until I came out in my mid-twenties that I allowed myself to appreciate the role of openly LGBTQ+ authors and/or characters in helping to drive the mindset shift for acceptance.
While this list is far from comprehensive, these are a few of the stories that have stuck with me for years – and in some cases helped change my life. I fully acknowledge it doesn’t include many stories from or about people of color or perspectives that aren’t about CIS gender gay men.
My challenge for 2020 is to diversify my reading – and I challenge you to do the same.
READ: Brokeback Mountain (Close Range: Wyoming Stories) – Annie Proulx
At a mere 55-pages Proulx nails the desperation and isolation of not living your truth. Ang Lee’s movie elicited such a strong reaction – I sobbed in the theater unable to move while the credits rolled – that I had to see if the source material did the same. And, it did. The combination of the film and the story is what prompted me to come out to family and friends. To me, Ennis and Jack were the cautionary tale I needed to recognize that I couldn’t live my life lying to others. Rating: 4/5 stars Format: Book (friend’s loan)
READ: Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies – Michael Auisello
I hadn’t read a true story about a long-term gay couple before, and there were so many aspects of their relationship that were instantly relatable. Kit and Mike had challenges beyond cancer, and Mike chronicled those with unflinching honesty that was refreshing and raw. My takeaway is that it's the little moments in a relationship that truly build the intimacy between two people. And the sum of those moments, in the end, is what builds – and sustains – a love story. Rating (story): 5/5 stars Rating (narration): 4/5 stars Format: Audiobook (SIL’s library) Multi-tasking: Can be done, but don’t be in public at the end.
READ: No House To Call My Home: Love, Family and Other Transgressions – Ryan Berg
In a time when there is urgency to change the race dynamic in America, Berg spotlights a segment of the population that has been pushed aside and misunderstood for decades – LGBTQ+-identifying, homeless youth of color. While this quasi-memoir recounts his experiences working at a group home in New York City, it’s really a story about the residents he encountered, and the thousands of other youth never given a voice but deserve it – and action. Also, check out the work Berg is now doing at Avenues for Youth in Minneapolis. Rating: 4/5 stars Format: Book (personal library)
READ: Beartown – Fredrik Backman
When something happens between the star hockey player and the coach’s daughter, the town takes sides. There are heroes and villains, but like real-life, the side you fall on depends on your own ambitions and prejudices. This is a story for the Me Too age, and it illustrates, frustratingly so, the double-standards that exist when it comes to boys and girls. It is also a sports story with a strong, unapologetic, (kinda) openly gay high school student. Man, I wish this would’ve been around when I was a teen. While Benji is a secondary character to the core story, he serves an important role. Rating (story): 5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 5/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan) Multi-tasking: Somewhat. Lots of nuance.
READ: Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution – David Carter
What would be Pride without a little history? As 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, much was written of this watershed moment. One consistent theme was the inconsistent memories of just how the nights of June 28 - July 1, 1969, went down. This isn’t a perfect account of those nights, and it is not for casual readers, but Carter’s exhaustive research and personal interviews just may be the closest we come to a definitive summary. However, it’s not without controversy as Carter doesn’t completely align to the mainstream narrative of what happened and who was involved. Rating: 3/5 stars Format: E-book (personal library)
MUST READ: A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihara
If you only have time for one book this month, pick “A Little Life.” I devoured it, and when I wasn’t listening to it, I analyzed it. At night, I tossed and turned thinking about the characters. It made me happy. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me scream. It destroyed me in a way no other piece of art has. A year after reading it, all I can say is that it tapped into almost primal emotions that I still cannot explain. Still, this isn’t for everyone — there are pages of vivid and horrendous physical and sexual abuse — but, this is not a story about abuse. It's a story about love, friendship and fidelity, and not giving up on people. Read the full review.
Rating (story): 5/5 stars Rating (narration): 5/5 stars Format: Audiobook (SIL’s library) Multi-tasking: Not recommended.
READ: The Gifts of the Body – Rebecca Brown
I have never read a book written so simply but with so much emotional heft. It’s raw and unfiltered and accessible. There are so many stories about the early days of AIDS, but none are quite like this — it almost defies description. This was a tough book to track down, but I’m glad I did. You will be too. Bring the tissues. Rating: 5/5 stars Format: Book (personal library)
READ: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Sáenz
The YA genre isn’t really for me, but this was a welcomed exception. The budding romance between Aristotle and Dante is slow-burn perfection and captures the confusion and thrill of discovering who you are (or might be). Plus, the conclusion is exactly what you'd like it to be. Rating (story): 4/5 stars Rating (narration): 5/5 stars Format: Audiobook (SIL’s library) Multi-tasking: Good to go.
AVOID: Very Recent History: An Entirely Factual Account of a Year (c. AD 2009) in a Large City – Choire Sicha
Writing a book, let alone publishing one is difficult. So I don’t like to bash someone’s passion, but the most redeeming thing I can say about this book is the pages could be used as kindling for a future fire. Where to start: 1) the writing is disjointed; 2) the characters are all vapid; 3) Sicha thought it was smart to have two main characters named John with no additional distinguishing traits; 4) It has no plot. Literally, I couldn’t even tell you what it is a about. Rating: 0/5 stars Format: Book (personal library, unfortunately)
You can find more robust reviews of these books, and other LGBTQ+ novels, on my Goodreads page.
