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 Tradition

by Jericho Brown

Publication year 2015

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Race, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Lyric Poem, US History, Race & Racism, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Social Justice

“The Tradition” by Jericho Brown is written from the perspective of a collective “we.” This group planted colorful perennial flowers, including aster, nasturtium, and delphinium (Line 1); filmed the flowers they planted blooming; then watched this video on fast forward (“Sped the video to see blossoms / brought in seconds,” Lines 11-12). At the end of the poem, the reader discovers that the collective “we” narrating the poem are Black men, and the sped-up video... Read The Tradition Summary

The Unworthy

by Agustina Bazterrica, Transl. Sarah Moses

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Death, Future, Self Discovery, Community, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, LGBTQ+

... Read The Unworthy Summary

The Well of Loneliness

by Radclyffe Hall

Publication year 1928

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love

Tags Romance, Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, World History, Historical Fiction

The Well of Loneliness is a 1928 novel by British author Radclyffe Hall. Banned upon publication due to its lesbian theme, it tells the story of Stephen Gordon, an upper-class Englishwoman and who struggles as a lesbian with the confines of society. A subsequent obscenity trial generated significant publicity for the book, and it has since become a landmark of lesbian fiction.  Plot SummaryAfter 10 years of marriage, Sir Philip and Lady Anna Gordon are... Read The Well of Loneliness Summary

The Writing Retreat

by Julia Bartz

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Femininity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Religion & Spirituality, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Literature

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

... Read The Writing Retreat Summary

They Both Die at the End

by Adam Silvera

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Action & Adventure, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera is a young adult, science fiction novel published in 2017. Set in a dystopian alternate version of New York City in September 2017, the book follows two teenagers, Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio, who both have been notified by Death-Cast that they will die by the end of the day. Death-Cast, the defining feature of Silvera’s dystopia, is a company that predicts citizens’ deaths and notifies... Read They Both Die at the End Summary

Things We Lost to the Water

by Eric Nguyen

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Family, Immigration, Fathers, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Perseverance, Memory, Community, Race, Sexual Identity, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Immigration & Refugeeism, Coming of Age, Bullying, Love & Sexuality, Grief & Death, Asian History, Natural Disaster, Parenting, Military & War, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

... Read Things We Lost to the Water Summary

This Is How It Always Is

by Laurie Frankel

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+

This Is How It Always Is, a novel by Laurie Frankel, was published in 2017. It was a New York Times best seller, one of People magazine’s Top 10 Books of 2017, and a Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick. Other works by this author include One Two Three and Family Family.Plot SummaryDr. Rosie Walsh is pregnant with her fifth son, Claude. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her writer husband, Penn Adams... Read This Is How It Always Is Summary

This Is Where It Ends

by Marieke Nijkamp

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

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

This Is Where It Ends is the 2016 young adult novel by Marieke Nijkamp. As Principal Trenton concludes the annual first-day-of-spring-semester speech at Alabama’s Opportunity High School, Tyler Browne locks students inside the auditorium and commits a school shooting that leaves thirty-nine people dead. Narrated in four different first-person accounts, by seniors Autumn, Sylv, Tomas, and Claire, This Is Where It Ends traces the fifty-five minutes, from 10:00 to 10:55 a.m., that encompass moments before... Read This Is Where It Ends Summary

Tin Man

by Sarah Winman

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Love, Memory, Regret, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, The Past

Tags LGBTQ+, Romance, Historical Fiction

... Read Tin Man Summary