Pride Month Reads

Held in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising, Pride Month celebrates and affirms the worth and vitality of the LGBTQ community. Titles in this collection include notable fiction and nonfiction works by LGBTQ authors and those writing about LGBTQ topics, including Audre Lorde, Douglas Stuart, and Amy Ellis Nutt.

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

by Elif Shafak

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Love, Memory, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Family, Immigration, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World was published in 2019. Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist who advocates for women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights through her fiction. Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World examines the life of a sex worker who was murdered in Istanbul, Turkey, exploring key moments in her life while her friends desperately try to arrange her funeral. The novel investigates topics like violence against... Read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World Summary

1st to Die

by James Patterson

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Safety & Danger, Marriage

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Trauma & Abuse, Grief & Death

1st to Die (2001), by bestselling author James Patterson, is the first novel in The Women’s Murder Club series. The club features four friends—San Francisco homicide detective Lindsay Boxer, medical examiner Claire Washburn, crime reporter Cindy Thomas, and assistant district attorney Jill Bernhardt—who work together, both professionally and personally, to solve crimes. In this first novel, the club works to solve the Honeymoon Murders, the killing of three couples just after their weddings. 1st to... Read 1st to Die Summary

2666

by Roberto Bolano

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, Midlife, The Past, Family, Immigration, War, Art, Good & Evil, Literature, Truth & Lies

Tags Latin American Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Trauma & Abuse

2666 (2004) is a novel by Chilean author Roberto Bolaño, published one year after Bolaño's death. Centering around a reclusive German author and his role in investigating the ongoing unsolved murders in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, Mexico, 2666 jumps in location, narrative style, location, and characters over its five sections. The novel is widely acclaimed and was adapted into stage plays three times. The New York Times Book Review ranked 2666 as the... Read 2666 Summary

A Brief History of Seven Killings

by Marlon James

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Revenge, Language, Race, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Place, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Politics & Government

Published in 2014, A Brief History of Seven Killings is a literary crime novel by Jamaican writer Marlon James. To serve as the foundation for his novel, James builds the narrative around a singular historical event: the 1976 assassination attempt on Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley, whom he fictionalizes as the Singer for thematic effect. James draws on his experiences growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1970s, and on his parents’ careers in law... Read A Brief History of Seven Killings Summary

A Cup of Water Under My Bed

by Daisy Hernandez

Publication year 2014

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Coming of Age, Race, Sexual Identity, Language, Memory, Immigration

Tags LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Biography

A Cup of Water Under My Bed is Daisy Hernández’s 2014 coming-of-age story that centers the intersection of race, class, gender, and sexuality. The book received Lambda Literary’s Dr. Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award in 2015. Hernández was also awarded the IPPY Award (Independent Publisher Book Award) for best coming-of-age memoir, and the book was a finalist for the Publishing Triangle Award. This memoir highlights the complicated dynamics that shape race, class, gender, and sexual... Read A Cup of Water Under My Bed Summary

After

by Anna Todd

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

After by Anna Todd is a fan fiction romance novel with characters loosely based on the band members from One Direction. The novel principally features the band’s lead singer, Harry Styles, as the inspiration for main character Hardin, and Anna Todd herself as the inspiration behind the protagonist, Tessa. Todd originally wrote After on Wattpad, a social storytelling platform, but it was adapted as a published novel by Simon and Schuster in 2014. After is... Read After Summary

After Tupac and D Foster

by Jacqueline Woodson

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Community, Justice, Music

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Music, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

After Tupac and D Foster, published in 2008, is Jacqueline Woodson’s fifth middle grade novel and her 24th book overall. It is a coming-of-age story of three African American girls who are best friends growing up in Queens, NY, in the 1990s. During this time, the cultural icon Tupac Shakur is shot, imprisoned, and ultimately killed in a second shooting. These events have a huge impact on the main characters as they grow up and... Read After Tupac and D Foster Summary

All about Love

by bell hooks

Publication year 2000

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Love, Equality, Safety & Danger, Sexual Identity

Tags Gender & Feminism, Philosophy, Psychology, Love & Sexuality, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Relationships, Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality

... Read All about Love Summary

All Fours

by Miranda July

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Love, Sexual Identity, Aging, Midlife, Future, The Past, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Family

Tags Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Humor

... Read All Fours Summary

All the Way to the River

by Elizabeth Gilbert

Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Regret, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, Self Discovery, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Grief & Death

... Read All the Way to the River Summary

Always and Forever, Lara Jean

by Jenny Han

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity

Tags Korean Literature, Asian Literature, Romance, Dramatic Literature, Coming of Age, Diversity, Food, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Jenny Han’s Always and Forever, Lara Jean is a young adult (YA) fiction/romance novel published in 2017. It is the third volume in a trilogy surrounding the high school experience of an Asian-American girl named Lara Jean. The first two novels have been adapted into Netflix films; the third book is also slated to be developed into a film. This guide references the e-book version of the novel.Plot SummaryThis novel opens on a typical high... Read Always and Forever, Lara Jean Summary