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.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

by Carol Rifka Brunt

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Friendship, Conflict, Forgiveness, Family, Siblings, Art, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, LGBTQ+

Tell the Wolves I’m Home is the 2012 debut novel of author Carol Rifka Brunt. In it, 14-year-old narrator June Elbus wrestles with her grief over the death of her uncle Finn Weiss, who died of AIDS. Set in 1987 New York at the height of the AIDS crisis, the novel confronts the stigmas surrounding the disease through June’s parents and sister, who blame Finn’s long-term partner, Toby Aldshaw, for transmitting AIDS to Finn. As... Read Tell the Wolves I'm Home Summary

That's Not What Happened

by Kody Keplinger

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Guilt, Grief, Self Discovery, Religion & Spirituality, Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Regret, Coming of Age, Death, Education, Politics & Government, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, LGBTQ+

... Read That's Not What Happened Summary

The 57 Bus

by Dashka Slater

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Crime & Law, Race & Racism, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Social Justice

The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives (2017) is a work of narrative nonfiction by Dashka Slater, a journalist and children’s book author. The book covers an event that happened on November 4, 2013, when two high school students were riding the same city bus and one set the other on fire.The interaction between these two teenagers lasts just a matter of minutes, but the events... Read The 57 Bus Summary

The Argonauts

by Maggie Nelson

Publication year 2015

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mothers

Tags LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Biography

Writer and professor Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts, originally published in 2015, is a work of “autotheory”— it combines Nelson’s personal experiences of marriage and motherhood with reflections on the writing process, queer and feminist theory, and psychoanalysis and developmental psychology. This blending of genres gives the book its unconventional form; unlike a more traditional memoir, The Argonauts jumps backwards and forwards in Nelson’s life as she explores ideas and images related to pregnancy, sexuality, identity... Read The Argonauts Summary

The Atlas Paradox

by Olivie Blake

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Friendship, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, New Age, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Relationships, Science & Nature, Social Justice, Education, Philosophy

... Read The Atlas Paradox Summary

The Ballad Of Reading Gaol

by Oscar Wilde

Publication year 1896

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Justice, Teamwork, Death, Shame & Pride, Regret, Forgiveness

Tags Narrative Poem, Incarceration, Grief & Death, European History, LGBTQ+, Religion & Spirituality, British Literature, Victorian Period, Horror & Suspense, Victorian Era, World History, Irish Literature, Classic Fiction

... Read The Ballad Of Reading Gaol Summary

The Beet Queen

by Louise Erdrich

Publication year 1986

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Indigenous Identity, Family, Religion & Spirituality, Community

Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Relationships, Depression & Suicide, LGBTQ+, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality

Louise Erdrich’s The Beet Queen, published in 1986, is a sequel to her award-winning debut novel, Love Medicine. The Beet Queen was followed by two other novels in the series, Tracks and The Bingo Palace. Though most of The Beet Queen’s characters are non-Indigenous, the series as a whole is concerned with issues facing Indigenous Americans, particularly those living on tribal lands in Minnesota and North Dakota. Characters and storylines are woven throughout the four... Read The Beet Queen Summary

The Bell

by Iris Murdoch

Publication year 1958

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Sexual Identity

Tags Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, LGBTQ+, British Literature, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy

... Read The Bell Summary

The Best at It

by Maulik Pancholy

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Family, Self Discovery, Community, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+

... Read The Best at It Summary

The Book of Salt

by Monique Truong

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags French Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Food

The Book of Salt is a 2003 novel by Monique Truong. Set in the 1920s and 1930s, the novel focuses on Binh, a young, gay Vietnamese cook in French-colonized Vietnam. Binh flees Saigon, and after spending time at sea as a cook, he lands in Paris and eventually answers an ad for a position in the household of Gertrude Stein and her lover/companion, Alice B. Toklas.Binh navigates the limitations of colonialism while exploring his emerging... Read The Book of Salt Summary

The Buddha of Suburbia

by Hanif Kureishi

Publication year 1990

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music

Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Indian Literature, LGBTQ+

The Buddha of Suburbia, by Hanif Kureishi, is a coming-of-age novel that explores significant themes of identity, class, and race in 1970s London. Karim Amir, the protagonist and narrator, tells the story of his maturation against a backdrop of political and social change, as he attempts to create himself, discover his place in life, and grow up. Told in the first person, Karim narrates his life from age 17 to about age 23.The Buddha of... Read The Buddha of Suburbia Summary

The Cancer Journals

by Audre Lorde

Publication year 1980

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Death, Community

Tags Health, Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Women`s Studies, Disability, Biography

Audre Lorde was a poet, essayist, activist, and memoirist whose writings on lesbian feminism and race were integral to second-wave feminism. Lorde was born in New York City on February 18, 1934 to Grenadian immigrant parents. She attended Hunter High School, where she edited the school’s literary magazine. She published her first poem, which had been rejected by an English teacher, in Seventeen magazine. She later attended Hunter College, where she trained to become a... Read The Cancer Journals Summary