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.

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Siblings, Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Relationships, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+

We Are All Made of Molecules (May 2015) is by young adult and middle-grade author Susin Nielsen. Nielsen spent many years as a scriptwriter for Canadian television shows, including Degrassi Junior High. Her writing focuses humorously on the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. Like the characters in We Are All Made of Molecules, Nielsen lives in Vancouver, Canada. Her other titles include Word Nerd (2010), Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom (2010)... Read We Are All Made of Molecules Summary

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief

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

We Are Okay is the story of an 18-year-old girl, Marin’s, experience with grief, loss, and sadness. Marin’s mother dies in a surfing accident when she’s almost 3; she is raised near that same beach in San Francisco by her grandfather, Gramps. The narrative is divided between Marin’s present in New York and her past in California. The present-day events occur in December during the winter break of Marin’s first year in college; the past... Read We Are Okay Summary

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Friendship, Death

Tags Magical Realism, LGBTQ+, Mental Illness, Bullying, Trauma & Abuse, Depression & Suicide, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson is a young adult science fiction novel that follows the coming-of-age story of Henry, a teenager whose life is in shambles. Hutchinson uses the first-person point-of-view of his protagonist to explore themes of family, grief, universal unknowns, and the development of identity. Published in 2016, Hutchinson’s novel questions the value of human life while incorporating science fiction elements to portray the smallness of human existence in the... Read We Are the Ants Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Art, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+

We Are Water: A Novel (2013) is a work of contemporary literary fiction by American author Wally Lamb, who is known for his psychologically nuanced explorations of family, trauma, and moral complexity. We Are Water centers on the wedding of Annie Oh, an artist who has left her longtime husband, Orion Oh, to marry her partner and art dealer, Viveca Christopholous-Shabbas. Set in New England, the narrative unfolds over the days surrounding the wedding while... Read We Are Water Summary

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Grandparents, Self Discovery, Community, Justice

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Religion & Spirituality, Gender Identity, Community, Friendship, Family, Self Discovery, Conflict, Immigration

Tags Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Immigration & Refugeeism, Religion & Spirituality, Biography

Publication year 2014

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Forgiveness, Shame & Pride, Disability

Tags Humor, Inspirational, Coming of Age, Romance, Disability, LGBTQ+, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Biography

Josh Sundquist is a cancer survivor, Paralympic ski racer, motivational speaker, and stand-up comedian. Sundquist’s memoir Just Don't Fall: How I Grew Up, Conquered Illness, and Made It Down the Mountain was published in 2010 and became a national bestseller. While his first memoir showed how he was able to overcome health challenges to become a sporting hero, his second book We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story (2014) deals with the most... Read We Should Hang Out Sometime Summary

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+

We The Animals is the 2011 debut novel by Justin Torres. The novel tells the story of three brothers living in upstate New York, and it’s narrated in the first person by the youngest brother, who goes unnamed. In this summary, he will be called, “the narrator.” The novel’s structure comprises 19 vignettes that function as windows onto the lives of the brothers and their family. This study guide uses the 2011 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt... Read We The Animals Summary

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Mental Health, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Self Discovery, Fate, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, LGBTQ+, Religion & Spirituality, Horror & Suspense

Publication year 2016

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Love

Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours (2015) is a collection of nine short stories written by Helen Oyeyemi. The stories feature some recurring characters, and all contain a literal or metaphorical key. Oyeyemi is a popular British author whose works include Mr. Fox (2011) and Boy, Snow, Bird (2014). She does not consider her works to be “magical realism,” but that is the genre where they are most often placed, as they tend to... Read What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours Summary

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age

Tags Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

Published in 2003, Carla Trujillo’s novel What Night Brings is set in the late 1960s in a town outside San Francisco. The novel centers on Marcía Cruz, an 11-year-old Chicana girl struggling with her sexual orientation and domestic abuse amidst a larger backdrop of the Vietnam War and a crisis of faith in America.What Night Brings is Trujillo’s first novel, but not her first published work relating to its central themes. She edited an anthology... Read What Night Brings Summary

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags LGBTQ+, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature

What We All Long For, written by Dionne Brand and published in 2005, tells the overlapping stories of four friends in their early- to mid-20s as they navigate Toronto as queer people, people of color, and children of immigrants.Content Warning: The source material and this guide contain instances and discussions of suicide, racism, and abuse.Tuyen is a queer woman and the daughter of Vietnamese immigrant refugees. When her parents fled Vietnam, they were separated from... Read What We All Long For Summary