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.
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender
Tags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Self Discovery, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Romance, Education, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity
Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Gender / Feminism, History: World, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1971
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Society: Class
Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ, Arts / Culture, Class, Love / Sexuality, British Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
Maurice (1971) is a coming-of-age novel and love story by English author E. M. Forster. Like much of Forster’s work, it straddles the realist and modernist eras; stylistically, it resembles the literature of the 19th century, but its themes—in particular, its depiction of unconscious experience—anticipate the work of writers like Virginia Woolf and D. H. Lawrence. Drafted between 1913 and 1914, it was not published until 1971—one year after Forster’s death—because of its subject matter;... Read Maurice Summary
Publication year 1988
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Play: Drama
Originally published in 1988, M. Butterfly is a postmodern play by Chinese-American dramatist David Henry Hwang, who also wrote Yellow Face and Bondage. Hwang drew from two sources to compose his text: the 1904 opera Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini and the historical espionage scandal involving French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu. The play became Hwang’s best-known work and subsequently received the Tony Award for Best Play in the year... Read M. Butterfly Summary
Publication year 1604
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Classic Fiction, Play: Comedy / Satire, Jacobean Era, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy
Measure for Measure is a play written by William Shakespeare. It was first performed in 1604 and is considered one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays” because of its ambiguous tone that shifts between tragedy and comedy. Shakespeare was a prolific poet and playwright during the Elizabethan and Jacobean era. While his earlier works were primarily comedies and histories, Measure for Measure was written during the period in which Shakespeare began to write many of his most... Read Measure For Measure Summary
Publication year 1845
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Natural World: Climate, Values/Ideas: Beauty
Tags Victorian Literature / Period, Poetry: Dramatic Poem
“Meeting at Night” is a lyric love poem by English Victorian poet Robert Browning. It was published early in Browning’s career, in his 1845 collection Dramatic Romances and Lyrics, where it appeared as the first part of a poem titled “Night and Morning.” In 1849, Browning separated it into two poems, titled “Meeting at Night” and “Parting at Morning.” Browning’s poetry is often difficult, but “Meeting at Night” is straightforward to understand. The poem describes... Read Meeting at Night Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ
Middlesex is a 2002 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides that tells a multigenerational, epic tale of a Greek family who immigrates to the US. The narrator, Calliope (or Cal) tells the story of how his grandparents, Lefty and Desdemona Stephanides, flee their homeland during a time of war and uncertainty, settling in the US. They harbor a family secret that changes the course of the narrator’s life: They’re brother and sister, and carry a genetic mutation... Read Middlesex Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Poetry Collection, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Flora/plants, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Gender / Feminism, Instapoetry, Relationships, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
From 2014 to 2024, six million copies of Rupi Kaur’s debut collection, milk and honey, were sold, making it one of the best-selling poetry books of the 21st century. It’s rise to fame is unusual. A Canadian writer of Indian heritage who amassed a large following through social media, Kaur specializes in short, vernacular poems, often made up of only a few lines, which are accompanied by original line drawings. Kaur was at first unable... Read Milk and Honey Summary
Publication year 1888
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Play: Drama, Naturalism, Scandinavian Literature, Class, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy, History: World, Classic Fiction
Miss Julie is a naturalistic play produced in 1888 by the Swedish playwright and novelist August Strindberg. The play follows the acute romantic entanglement of the three characters: Miss Julie, a young aristocratic woman; Jean, her father’s well-read and well-traveled valet; and Kristine, the cook. Through the psychological battle of wills between Julie and the ruthless Jean, the play explores themes of Class Conflict and Social Hierarchy, Gender Roles and Power Dynamics, and The Complexity... Read Miss Julie Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Self Discovery, Relationships: Family, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Tags LGBTQ, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
More Happy Than Not (2015) is Adam Silvera’s debut novel. It was well received and marked Silvera’s entrance into the growing field of queer young adult fiction. In the Author’s Note, Silvera speaks about his own sexuality and the difficulty of feeling “wrong” when surrounded by his straight friends. This insight and a deft writing hand have allowed him to produce several books featuring young queer protagonists, such as the acclaimed They Both Die at... Read More Happy Than Not Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Community
Tags LGBTQ, Romance, Race / Racism, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2017
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Class, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Art, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ, Arts / Culture
Publication year 1997
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Family, Identity: Mental Health
Tags Humor, LGBTQ, Biography
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Romance, Fantasy, Mythology, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2015
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ, Humor, Action / Adventure, Fairy Tale / Folklore
Nimona is a young adult graphic novel created by N. D. Stevenson and published in 2015 by HarperCollins. It is based on Stevenson’s webcomic, also titled Nimona, which was published in 2012 and earned Slate magazine’s 2012 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Web Comic of the Year. The graphic novel adaptation also received critical acclaim, earning the 2016 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: Reprint and becoming a 2015 National Book Award Finalist.Nimona is a... Read Nimona Summary
Publication year 1961
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Nation, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Politics / Government, Social Justice, History: World, Classic Fiction, Biography
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Romance, Realistic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Auto/Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Arts / Culture, Renaissance