Here are ten books that should be on your Pride Month reading list…
If you’ve fallen behind on your New Years’ Resolution to read more, don’t fret. With Pride Month upon us, it’s the perfect occasion for a mid-year refresh, so be sure to celebrate by picking up one of these must-read new books. Whether you’re looking for a thought-provoking and haunting social commentary on LGBTQ teen homelessness, a gripping historical murder mystery, or a hardcover glossy featuring glamorous RuPaul images, we’ve got something for every reader.
So happy reading, and happy Pride Month!
Patsy
By Nicole Dennis-Benn
This stunning novel tells two interwoven stories: of Patsy, a Jamaican woman who, after years waiting, is finally granted her visa to America so she can be reunited with the woman she loved when she was young; and her daughter, Tru, who is left behind in Jamaica and struggles to build a relationship with her father and forgive her mother, while questioning her own sexuality and identity.
Get it here: Amazon | Indigo
We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation
By Matthew Riemer & Leighton Brown
This book, released on time for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, offers an impressive introduction to the history of the Queer Liberation Movement. The Instagrammers behind the uber-popular @lgbt_history account wrote this book in an effort to trace activist activity from late 19th-century Europe up to today through a lens of inclusivity, rejecting assumptions that mainstream LGBTQ history books have taken in the past.
Get it here: Amazon | Indigo
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
By Ocean Vuong
This novel is written by a poet in epistolary prose, which makes for an innovative and experimental read. It is structured as a letter from a Vietnamese-American to his mother, in which he recounts his family history, leading into a period of his life that she does not know about yet. It explores the body, immigration, queer identity, and violence, and is one of the most talked-about books of the year.
Get it here: Amazon | Indigo
Queer x Design: 50 Years of Signs, Symbols, Banners, Logos, and Graphic Art of LGBTQ
By Andyre Eve Campbell
If you’re a visual learner, this one is for you. This illustrated history starts with Gilbert Baker’s iconic 1978 rainbow flag and walks readers through decades of LGBTQ-related design, including flags, t-shirts, posters, and more.
Get it here: Amazon | Indigo
The Tradition
By Jericho Brown
If you’re looking for a different reading experience, consider poetry instead of prose. This collection of lyrical poems by Jericho Brown explore themes of safety, survival, queerness, blackness, worship, fatherhood, freedom, and more. Read one per sitting or settle into your cozy reading chair and go through them all at once.
Get it here: Amazon | Indigo
The Black Condition ft. Narcissus
By jay dodd
Looking for more poetry? This collection features meditations on living life as a blxk trans womxn, exploring topics such as gender transition, politics, and identity. It follows the timeline of dodd’s own transition, paralleling the inauguration of the current Administration, and addresses important issues of our time.
Get it here: Amazon | Indigo
GuRu: RuPaul Wisdom
By RuPaul
This hefty hardcover tome does a deep dive into the world of RuPaul, featuring over 80 high resolution photographs and countless truth bombs. Pick up a copy and learn RuPaul’s secret to success in show business and in achieving personal fulfilment.
Get it here: Amazon | Indigo
The Confessions of Frannie Langton
By Sara Collins
After Frannie Langton, a former slave from a Jamaican plantation, crosses the Atlantic, she finds employment as a domestic servant in a wealthy English household. This brings us to the opening of the novel: it is 1826 and she is in court, accused of murdering both the master and mistress of the house, one of whom she had a forbidden affair with.
Get it here: Amazon | Indigo
No House to Call My Home: Love, Family, and Other Transgressions
By Ryan Berg
This book uncovers the heartbreaking prevalence of LGBTQ homelessness, moving behind the statistics and going into intimate and tell-all case studies of eight real teens in New York City who have experienced homelessness and disownment. In each of the eight stories the circumstances are unique, yet they all share common threads of struggle, survival, and hope.
Get it here: Amazon | Indigo
You Will Be Safe Here
By Danian Barr
This novel is fictional but inspired by real events. It brings together two narrative threads: in 1901 South Africa, during the Second Boer War, a mother and son are taken to a British concentration camp; and in 2010, a South African teen, mocked for being gay, is sent to a boys training camp.
Get it here: Amazon | Indigo
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