LGBTQ Literature

From Christopher Isherwood's enduring 20th-century classic Goodbye to Berlin to contemporary titles like Janet Mock's Redefining Realness, the titles in this study guide collection explore a range of ideas, issues, genres, and forms that speak to the LGBTQ community.

Lily and Dunkin

by Donna Gephart

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Friendship

Tags LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart was originally published in 2016. A coming-of-age novel set in contemporary America, the book tells the stories of two unique and inspiring teenagers who find themselves and each other. Lily and Dunkin was named one of NPR’s Best Kids’ Books of 2016, one of Amazon’s Top 20 Children’s Books of 2016, and one of YALSA’s picks for Best Fiction for Young Adults in 2017. This guide is based on... Read Lily and Dunkin Summary

Little Rot

by Akwaeke Emezi

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Regret, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction, Literary Fiction

... Read Little Rot Summary

Living a Feminist Life

by Sara Ahmed

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Power & Greed, Justice, Gender Identity, Race, Equality

Tags Philosophy, Gender & Feminism, Politics & Government, Women`s Studies, Social Justice, Education, Education, LGBTQ+, Philosophy

... Read Living a Feminist Life Summary

Loveless

by Alice Oseman

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Love, Sexual Identity, Community, Friendship, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Loveless Summary

Mad Honey

by Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Gender Identity, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Justice, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Romance, LGBTQ+, Bullying, Depression & Suicide, Parenting, Love & Sexuality, Social Justice, Coming of Age, Diversity, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Mad Honey Summary

Masters of Death

by Olivie Blake

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Death, Future, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Masters of Death Summary

Matrix

by Lauren Groff

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, Femininity

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Medieval, Gender & Feminism, World History, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Matrix Summary

Maurice

by E. M. Forster

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Shame & Pride, Social Class

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Arts & Culture, Social Class, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Maurice (1971) is a coming-of-age novel and love story by English author E. M. Forster. Like much of Forster’s work, it straddles the realist and modernist eras; stylistically, it resembles the literature of the 19th century, but its themes—in particular, its depiction of unconscious experience—anticipate the work of writers like Virginia Woolf and D. H. Lawrence. Drafted between 1913 and 1914, it was not published until 1971—one year after Forster’s death—because of its subject matter;... Read Maurice Summary

M. Butterfly

by David Henry Hwang

Publication year 1988

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Beauty, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Drama

Originally published in 1988, M. Butterfly is a postmodern play by Chinese-American dramatist David Henry Hwang, who also wrote Yellow Face and Bondage. Hwang drew from two sources to compose his text: the 1904 opera Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini and the historical espionage scandal involving French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu. The play became Hwang’s best-known work and subsequently received the Tony Award for Best Play in the year... Read M. Butterfly Summary

Middlesex

by Jeffrey Eugenides

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Guilt, Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Community, Immigration, Equality, Justice, Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

Middlesex is a 2002 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides that tells a multigenerational, epic tale of a Greek family who immigrates to the US. The narrator, Calliope (or Cal) tells the story of how his grandparents, Lefty and Desdemona Stephanides, flee their homeland during a time of war and uncertainty, settling in the US. They harbor a family secret that changes the course of the narrator’s life: They’re brother and sister, and carry a genetic mutation... Read Middlesex Summary

More Happy Than Not

by Adam Silvera

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Memory

Tags LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

More Happy Than Not (2015) is Adam Silvera’s debut novel. It was well received and marked Silvera’s entrance into the growing field of queer young adult fiction. In the Author’s Note, Silvera speaks about his own sexuality and the difficulty of feeling “wrong” when surrounded by his straight friends. This insight and a deft writing hand have allowed him to produce several books featuring young queer protagonists, such as the acclaimed They Both Die at... Read More Happy Than Not Summary

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

by Emil Ferris

Publication year 2017

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Coming of Age, Social Class, Sexual Identity, Community, Friendship, Safety & Danger, Siblings, Family, Art, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Race, Fear, Conflict, Beauty, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Loneliness, Grief, Fathers

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Arts & Culture

... Read My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Summary