Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Gender Identity, Love, Fear
Tags Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, World History
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.
The Mercies
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
The Misfits
The Night She Disappeared
The Once and Future Witches
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot
The Pairing
The Paris Bookseller
The Passion
The Paying Guests
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Poet X
The Power of the Dog
The Price of Salt
The Prince and the Dressmaker
The Prince of Los Cocuyos
The Priory of the Orange Tree
The Pull of the Stars
The Rachel Incident
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Gender Identity, Love, Fear
Tags Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, World History
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Sexual Identity, Coming of Age
Tags LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance
Written by Emily M. Danforth and published in 2012, The Miseducation of Cameron Post depicts lesbian teen Cameron Post’s coming of age in Miles City, Montana. The book, which comprises three parts—“Summer 1989,” “High School 1991-1992,” and “God’s Promise 1992-1993”—explores themes of homosexuality, grief, and religion. Danforth, who grew up in Miles City, draws from her own experiences of “growing up gay in the 1990s.” In 2018, LGBTQ culture advocate Desiree Akhavan directed the YA... Read The Miseducation of Cameron Post Summary
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Sexual Identity, Race, Coming of Age
Tags Humor, Coming of Age, Satirical Literature, Bullying, Diversity, LGBTQ+, Education, Modernism, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
The Misfits is a young adult novel by bestselling American author James Howe. The first of four in The Misfits series, the novel chronicles a group of unpopular seventh graders’ participation in a contentious student council election. The series inspired No-Name Calling Week, a bullying-prevention initiative that has been held by schools across the country.Plot SummaryThe Misfits is told from the perspective of Bobby Godspeed, a seventh grader living in Paintbrush Falls, New York. Bobby... Read The Misfits Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Grief, Mothers, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies
Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Finance, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Parenting, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Grief & Death, Social Class, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fate, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Wins & Losses, Love, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Siblings
Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Science Fiction, World History, Religion & Spirituality
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Community, Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Hope, Joy, Death, Self Discovery, Art, Truth & Lies, Guilt
Tags LGBTQ+, Romance, Arts & Culture, Grief & Death, Health, Love & Sexuality, Mental Illness, Parenting, Relationships, Religion & Spirituality, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Trust & Doubt, Love, Gender Identity
Tags Romance, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Humor
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Literature, Community, Friendship
Tags Historical Fiction, The Lost Generation, LGBTQ+, Women`s Studies, World History, French Literature
Publication year 1987
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Nation
Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, World History, Magical Realism, Romance, LGBTQ+
British author Jeannette Winterson reimagines events from Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign in her 1987 novel The Passion. The novel is a work of historical metafiction that follows Henri, a young French soldier, and Villanelle, a vivacious Venetian, as they navigate war and love in early 19th-century Europe.The Passion begins in Henri’s voice; he’s a young, bright-eyed soldier in Napoleon’s army who dreamed of being a drummer but is assigned to cook instead. After coming to the... Read The Passion Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, World History, Romance, LGBTQ+
Welsh historical-novelist Sarah Waters’s sixth novel, The Paying Guests (2014), tells the tale of a mother and daughter in 1920s London who must take on lodgers to afford their house. The result of taking on these paying guests is a devastating love affair and a terrible crime. The novel was nominated for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, became a New York Times Best Seller, and was ranked as the best book of 2014 by... Read The Paying Guests Summary
Publication year 1999
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Music, Family, Coming of Age
Tags Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Classic Fiction
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is Stephen Chbosky’s first novel and was published in 1999. It is young adult fiction and a coming-of-age tale told from the perspective of Charlie, a freshman in high school. The epistolary novel is comprised of a series of letters that Charlie writes to someone he calls “friend,” although he has never met this friend in person. He makes it immediately clear that he wants to remain anonymous with... Read The Perks of Being a Wallflower Summary
Publication year 1890
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Beauty, Good & Evil, Art
Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Victorian Period, Irish Literature, Arts & Culture, Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, World History, Fantasy, LGBTQ+
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a work of Gothic horror by fin-de-siècle Irish writer Oscar Wilde. Originally released as a novella in 1890, it was published in its complete form in 1891 and sparked public outcry for its perceived amorality. The work chronicles the life of Dorian Gray, a fictional 19th-century British aristocrat, in his pursuit of beauty and pleasure—a pursuit he shared with Wilde, who was a leading figure in the aesthetic literary... Read The Picture of Dorian Gray Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Music, Shame & Pride
Tags Music, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ+
Elizabeth Acevedo’s award-winning 2018 young adult novel, The Poet X, brings to life the inner world of protagonist Xiomara Batista. Xiomara is 15 years old, and from her bedroom in Harlem, she writes poetry in order to put on the page all the feelings and ideas she cannot seem to be able to say out loud. Xiomara resigns herself to writing in her notebook and sharing her thoughts with only a few trusted individuals until... Read The Poet X Summary
Publication year 1967
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Masculinity, Sexual Identity
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Western, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Addiction & Substance Abuse, US History, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1952
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Loneliness, Sexual Identity
Tags LGBTQ+, Romance, Historical Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction
Patricia Highsmith published The Price of Salt in 1952 under a pseudonym, Claire Morgan, because of the lesbian relationship between the two main characters—Therese and Carol. The Price of Salt is a romance, mystery, and coming-of-age tale. Highsmith wrote many short stories and over 20 novels. Like her other works, The Price of Salt contains autobiographical elements; like Therese, Highsmith worked at a department store, became captivated by a woman she met there, and was... Read The Price of Salt Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Family, Self Discovery, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Love
Tags LGBTQ+, Romance, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Children`s Literature, World History
Publication year 2014
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes The Past, Childhood & Youth
Tags LGBTQ+, Education, Education, Biography
The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood is a memoir published in 2014 by Richard Blanco, President Barack Obama’s inaugural poet, whose works include “América” (1998), “The Island Within” (2012), and “One Today” (2013). Blanco describes his childhood living in Miami with parents and grandparents who’d immigrated to America from Cuba. It offers a picture of his family’s nostalgia for Cuba and his simultaneous struggle to relate to a world he’s never seen. His... Read The Prince of Los Cocuyos Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Gender Identity, Love, Hate & Anger
Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Romance
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fate, Femininity, Justice
Tags Historical Fiction, Dramatic Literature, World History, Grief & Death, Health, Relationships, World War I, LGBTQ+, Irish Literature
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Love, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Self Discovery
Tags Irish Literature, LGBTQ+, Romance