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This June, we’re celebrating Pride Month with #ReadWithPride!
We’ve put together a list of international and local LGBTQ themed books, in no particular order, that showcase its characters as well-rounded personalities, protagonists instead of supporting acts, and who tell their stories in their own words.
Add these books to your summer reading lists and celebrate Pride Month with us and the world!
1. I Am Divine. So Are You by Devdutt Pattanaik and Jerry Johnson
In 2015, a historic panel discussion took place at the global Festival of Theology held in Sweden. Its objective was to examine what the sacred texts of the Abrahamic faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – had to say about human sexuality. By bringing in perspectives from the Karmic faiths of Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism, which together represent the beliefs of almost a third of the world’s population, I Am Divine. So Are You expands this conversation between world religions and human sexuality to a truly global level. The theology of Karmic faiths is revealed at the intersection of scripture, culture, rituals and lived realities. Hence, they are dynamic and amenable to a multiplicity of perspectives. They lend themselves more easily to a recognition and acceptance of fluidity in human sexuality. This is a landmark book as it recasts religion – especially Karmic faiths – as an ally and not an adversary of queer emancipation and thus significantly informs the secular and legal movements for LGBTQ rights around the world. Get your copy here.
2. Making Gay History by Eric Marcus
From the Boy Scouts and the U.S. military to marriage and adoption, the gay civil rights movement has exploded on the national stage. Using the heart-felt stories of more than 60 people, Marcus carries us through the compelling five-decade battle that has changed the fabric of American society. The rich tapestry that emerges from Making Gay History includes the inspiring voices of teenagers and grandparents, journalists and housewives, from the little known Dr Evelyn Hooker and Morty Manford to former Vice President Al Gore, Ellen DeGeneres, and Abigail Van Buren. Together, these many stories bear witness to a time of astonishing change as gay and lesbian people have struggled against prejudice and fought for equal rights under the law. Speakers reflect changing generational views, from the assimilationist desires of elders to the in-your-face demands for acceptance by younger gays, demonstrating the shift in the movement from the early position that “we’re just like everyone else except for what we do in bed” to that of today’s gay person taking pride in his or her unique nature. Get your copy here.
3. So Now You Know by Vivek Tejuja
The year was 1991. Vivek was eight. He realized he was gay. Only he didn’t: he just figured that he wanted to be different. And that he was in love – for want of a better word – with Deepak, his best friend. Then Mast Kalandar released, with Anupam Kher playing Pinku, a stereotypical gay character. And Vivek realized he didn’t want to be Pinku. So he tried to walk differently, gesticulate differently, and speak in as gruff a voice as he could – all to avoid being Pinku. Funny, poignant, heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once, this is a memoir of growing up gay in India in the 1990s, with Bollywood, books, and the Bombay sea for company. Get your copy here.
4. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
“The acerbic coming-of-age movie is adapted from Emily M. Danforth’s novel, and stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a lesbian teen who is sent to a gay conversion therapy centre after she gets caught having sex with her friend on prom night.”
When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone, and Cam becomes an expert at both. Then Coley Talor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship, one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not quite sure who that is. Get your copy here.
5. No One Else by Siddharth Dube
The first gay memoir by a solitary author to release in Indian English, this book charts the story of Siddharth as he navigated the choppy waters of his sexuality, starting at the age of ten and onwards. As his life unfolds and he deals with the realities of being a part of a minority community after living a life of privilege, he discovers what it means to be happy in one’s own skin, and how one comes to accept themselves for who they are. Get your copy here.
6. Chelsea Girls by Eileen Myles
In this breathtakingly inventive autobiographical novel, Eileen Myles transforms life into a work of art. Told in her audacious voice, made vivid and immediate in her lyrical language, Chelsea Girls cobbles together memories of Myles’ 1960s Catholic upbringing with an alcoholic father, her volatile adolescence, her unabashed “lesbianity,” and her riotous pursuit of survival as a poet in 1970s New York. Suffused with alcohol, drugs, and sex; evocative in its depictions of the hardscrabble realities of a young artist’s life, Chelsea Girls is a funny, cool, and intimate account of a writer’s education, and a modern chronicle of how a young female writer shrugged off the chains of a rigid cultural identity meant to define her. Get your copy here.
7. A Life Misspent by Suryakant Tripathi Nirala (tr. Satti Khanna)
A memoir by one of the most celebrated Hindi writers, Nirala, talks about a Dalit homosexual, Kulli Bhat, with whom the author forges an unlikely friendship. Crossing boundaries of conventional sexuality and caste-based politics, this unputdownable book is an experience, simultaneously hilarious and touching. Get your copy here.
8. This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender
Nathan Bird doesn’t believe in happy endings. Although he’s the ultimate film buff and an aspiring screenwriter, Nate’s seen the demise of too many relationships to believe that happy endings exist in real life.
Playing it safe to avoid a broken heart has been his MO ever since his father died and left his mom to unravel—but this strategy is not without fault. His best-friend-turned-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-again, Florence, is set on making sure Nate finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com-worthy, someone does come along: Oliver James Hernández, his childhood best friend.
After a painful mix-up when they were little, Nate finally has the chance to tell Ollie the truth about his feelings. But can Nate find the courage to pursue his own happily ever after? Get your copy here.
9. Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy and others as a girl. However, Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for re-election in über-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s life.
On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s really like to be a gender-fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. And Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out and risk everything. Get your copy here.
10. It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Saguira
Sixteen-year-old Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don’t invite her to parties. Some are big, like the fact that her father may be having an affair. And then there’s the one that she can barely even admit to herself—the one about how she might have a crush on her best friend.
When Sana and her family move to California, she begins to wonder if it’s finally time for some honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez. Jamie is beautiful and smart and unlike anyone Sana’s ever known.
There are just a few problems: Sana’s new friends don’t trust Jamie’s crowd; Jamie’s friends clearly don’t want her around anyway; and a sweet guy named Caleb seems to have more-than-friendly feelings for her. Meanwhile, her dad’s affair is becoming too obvious to ignore.
Sana always figured that the hardest thing would be to tell people that she wants to date a girl, but as she quickly learns, telling the truth is easy…what comes after it, though, is a whole lot more complicated. Get your copy here.
11. Mohanaswamy by Vasudhendra (tr. Rashi Terdal)
A dangerously blunt book that deals with loss of love and bullying, Mohanaswamy ties together Karnataka and the beliefs of the western world, as Mohanaswamy deals with losing a male lover to a woman and wanting to lead the simple life he sees the ‘normal’ people around him lead. Get your copy here.
12. The Book of Pride by Mason Funk
THE BOOK OF PRIDE captures the true story of the gay rights movement from the 1960s to the present, through richly detailed, stunning interviews with the leaders, activists, and ordinary people who witnessed the movement and made it happen. These individuals fought battles both personal and political, often without the support of family or friends, frequently under the threat of violence and persecution. By shining a light on these remarkable stories of bravery and determination, THE BOOK OF PRIDE not only honours an important chapter in American history but also empowers young people today (both LGBTQ and straight) to discover their own courage in order to create positive change. Furthermore, it serves a critically important role in ensuring the history of the LGBTQ movement can never be erased, inspiring us to resist all forms of oppression with ferocity, community, and, most importantly, pride. Get your copy here.
13. My Magical Palace by Kunal Mukherjee
Threading together India and America, a new world and an old, My Magical Palace tells the story of a closeted Indian man, in love with an American man, who is seeing sanskari women fit for an arranged marriage. Set in 1970s San Francisco, the story deals with acceptance and love for oneself over others, and the idea of attaining and maintaining internal peace and harmony, rather than pleasing everyone else. Get your copy here.
14. Fifty Shades of Gay by Jeffery Self
This is Fifty Shades of Grey, but with all-male characters. Deeply inspired by the themes and plot-line of FSOG, the book weaves a tale very, very similar to the original, with subtle nuance and engaging prose. Get your copy here.
15. The Exiles by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla
A story different from the others on this list, this book is divided into three points of view: those of a man, his wife, and his male lover. The book explains, lyrically, the joy and damnation of love, its beauty and exquisiteness, and the destruction that follows. No one is ever truly free from the clutches of love and heartbreak, neither physically nor emotionally. Get your copy here.
16. Queer, There and Everywhere by Sarah Prager
Queer author and activist Sarah Prager delves deep into the lives of 23 people who fought, created, and loved on their own terms. From high-profile figures like Abraham Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt to the trailblazing gender-ambiguous Queen of Sweden and a bisexual blues singer who didn’t make it into your history books, these astonishing true stories uncover a rich queer heritage that encompasses every culture, in every era.
By turns hilarious and inspiring, the beautifully illustrated Queer, There, and Everywhere is for anyone who wants the real story of the queer rights movement. Get your copy here.
17. The Dancing Boy by Ishani Kar-Purkayastha
A tale of finding friendship in the most unlikely place, The Dancing Boy is the story of a young boy who likes to wear saris and makeup, is teased and misunderstood and is abandoned even by his own mother. On befriending his neighbour, he soon learns to accept himself and importantly, to accept friendship. Get your copy here.
18. The Gay Agenda by Ashley Molesso and Chessie Needham
The Gay Agenda is a nostalgic look back for older generations, an archive for younger people, and a helpful introduction for those interested in learning more about the community and its contributions. From James Baldwin and Emma Goldman to Marsha P. Johnson and Jodie Foster; the Pink Triangle and the Rainbow Flag to Stonewall and the AIDS crisis; Matthew Shepard and Pulse Nightclub to Sodomy Laws and Obergefell; Drag and Transitioning to The L Word and The Kinsey Scale, Freddie Mercury and Ellen Degeneres to Laverne Cox and David Bowie, this magnificent digest is a keepsake honoring all LGBTQ+, and the ongoing fight to gain—and maintain—equality for all. Get the ebook here.
19. Selection Day by Aravind Adiga
Dealing with pressures both external and internal, fourteen-year-old Manjunath Kumar is lost. He is aware of what people want him to be, but he doesn’t know if that is who he really is, or who he wants to be. He plays cricket — although not as well as his older brother Radha — but when he begins to know Radha’s rival, a boy as privileged and confident as Manju is not, everything in Manju’s world begins to change and he is faced with decisions that challenge both his sense of self and of the world around him. Get your copy here.
20. Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens
As the tomboy daughter of the town’s preacher, Billie McCaffrey has always struggled with fitting the mold of what everyone says she should be.
But when Janie Lee confesses to Billie that she’s in love with Woods, Billie’s filled with a nagging sadness as she realizes that she is also in love with Woods…and maybe with Janie Lee, too.
Except it’s not just about keeping the peace, it’s about understanding love on her terms—this thing that has always been defined as a boy and a girl falling in love and living happily ever after. For Billie—a box-defying dynamo—it’s not that simple.
Readers will be drawn to Billie as she comes to terms with the grey areas of love, gender, and friendship, in this John Hughes-esque exploration of sexual fluidity. Get your copy here.
21. Behold, I Make All Things New by Devdutt Pattanaik and Lorraine Tulleken
In 2015, a historic panel discussion took place at the global Festival of Theology held in Sweden. Its objective was to examine what the sacred texts of the Abrahamic faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – had to say about human sexuality. Behold, I Make All Things New is the outcome of the effort. This is a landmark work that recasts religion – especially Abrahamic faiths – as an ally and not an adversary of queer emancipation, and thus significantly informs the secular and legal movements for LGBTQ rights around the world. It follows in the same vein as I Am Divine, So Are You (2017), which put forth perspectives on sexuality from the Karmic faiths of Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism, and played a small but significant role in the reading down of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. Taken together, the two groundbreaking books expand the conversation between world religions and human sexuality to a truly global level. Get your copy here.
22. Kari by Amruta Patil
Amruta Patil’s graphic novel tells the story of Kari, recently single and still reeling from her breakup with Ruth as she navigates life in cosmopolitan Mumbai. While on dates with men, Kari hooks up with women in the bathroom, shaves all her hair off in support of a friend while attempting selling shampoo and answers back every time she’s asked if she really is gay. Get your copy here.
23. Unicorn: The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen by Amrou Al-Khadi
From a god-fearing Muslim boy enraptured with their mother to a vocal, queer drag queen estranged from their family, this is a heart-breaking and hilarious memoir about the author’s fight to be true to themself. Get your copy here.
24. Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy
From Julie Murphy, bestselling author of Dumplin’, comes another fearless heroine, Ramona Blue, in a gorgeously evocative novel about family, friendship, and how sometimes love can be more fluid than you first think. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But, with her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke. Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem. Get your copy here.
25. The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin Brown
Before: Jess has always struggled with the fire inside her. But when she meets Vivi, everything changes. As they fall for each other, Vivi helps Jess deal with her anger and pain and encourages her to embrace her artistic talent. And suddenly Jess’s future is a blank canvas, filled with possibilities.
After: When Vivi unexpectedly dies, Jess’s perfect world is erased. As she spirals out of control, Jess pushes away everyone around her and throws out her plans for art school. Because art is Vivi and Vivi is gone forever. Right when Jess feels at her lowest, she makes a surprising friend who just might be able to show her a new way to channel her rage, passion, and creativity. But will Jess ever be able to forge a new path for herself without Vivi?
A beautiful exploration of first love and first loss, this novel effortlessly weaves together past and present to tell a profound story about how you can become whole again when it seems like you’ve lost the most important part of yourself. Get your copy here.
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