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.

Lady Chatterley's Lover

by D. H. Lawrence

Publication year 1928

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Love, Sexual Identity, Femininity

Tags Classic Fiction, Romance, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, Modernism, World History, Historical Fiction

Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a Modernist novel by the English writer D. H. Lawrence. It was written between 1926 and 1928, while Lawrence was living in Italy, and first published privately in 1928. Since it was considered scandalous and obscene, the novel was not widely available in America or the United Kingdom until the 1960s. The novel was controversial because of its explicit sexual content, as well as its depiction of an adulterous affair between... Read Lady Chatterley's Lover Summary

Land of Milk and Honey

by C Pam Zhang

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Language, Race, Sexual Identity, Future, Animals, Climate, Environment, Food, Place, Social Class, Power & Greed, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Food, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+

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Last Exit to Brooklyn

by Hubert Selby Jr.

Publication year 1964

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, Social Class, Community

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Horror & Suspense, Realism, Poverty, Psychological Fiction, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Last Exit to Brooklyn is a 1958 novel by Hubert Selby Jr. Set in the Brooklyn borough of New York City in the 1950s, the novel portrays the interconnected lives of the residents. The loosely connected stories involve crime, violence, and poverty, as well as drug-use, sex work, and sexual assault. The novel was criticized for its graphic portrayal of controversial themes, resulting in several court cases in the United States and the United Kingdom... Read Last Exit to Brooklyn Summary

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

by Malinda Lo

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Sexual Identity, Race, Gender Identity, Femininity, Masculinity, Love, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Equality, Truth & Lies, Loyalty & Betrayal, Family, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Coming of Age, Love & Sexuality, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

... Read Last Night at the Telegraph Club Summary

Lavinia

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Military & War, Italian Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

... Read Lavinia Summary

Lawn Boy

by Jonathan Evison

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Social Class, Coming of Age, Sexual Identity

Tags Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Relationships, Social Class, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Lawn Boy Summary

Les Belles Soeurs

by Michel Tremblay

Publication year 1968

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Social Class

Tags Drama

Les Belles-Soeurs, or The Sisters-in-Law, was written in 1965 and premiered at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert in Montreal in 1968. Although it was Canadian playwright Michel Tremblay’s first major play, Les Belles-Soeurs revolutionized Canadian drama as the first professionally produced play written in joual, the vernacular dialect of the Québécois working class. During the 1960s, in an era known as the Quiet Revolution, joual became politicized as a symbol of the oppressed proletariat, while... Read Les Belles Soeurs Summary

Less

by Andrew Sean Greer

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity

Tags LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Humor

Written by Andrew Sean Greer and published in 2017, Less is a satirical comedy novel. It portrays the journey of Arthur Less, who after a difficult breakup plots a round-the-world trip to better understand himself. It won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.Plot SummaryApproaching 50, Arthur Less sits in a hotel lobby waiting to be picked up for a literary event. He is a writer and will be interviewing another writer, albeit a sci-fi author... Read Less Summary

Like Water for Chocolate

by Laura Esquivel

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Food, Family, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Siblings, Marriage, Self Discovery, War

Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance, Food, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Like Water for Chocolate is the debut novel of Laura Esquivel, published in Mexico in 1989 and then translated into English by Carol and Thomas Christensen. Esquivel has sold over four million copies of the novel worldwide. She is a novelist and active politician serving in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies. She collaborated with her husband at the time to adapt the novel into a film in 1992, which was then nominated for a Golden... Read Like Water for Chocolate Summary

Lily and Dunkin

by Donna Gephart

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Friendship

Tags LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart was originally published in 2016. A coming-of-age novel set in contemporary America, the book tells the stories of two unique and inspiring teenagers who find themselves and each other. Lily and Dunkin was named one of NPR’s Best Kids’ Books of 2016, one of Amazon’s Top 20 Children’s Books of 2016, and one of YALSA’s picks for Best Fiction for Young Adults in 2017. This guide is based on... Read Lily and Dunkin Summary

Little Rot

by Akwaeke Emezi

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Regret, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction, Literary Fiction

... Read Little Rot Summary

Living a Feminist Life

by Sara Ahmed

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Power & Greed, Justice, Gender Identity, Race, Equality

Tags Philosophy, Gender & Feminism, Politics & Government, Women`s Studies, Social Justice, Education, Education, LGBTQ+, Philosophy

... Read Living a Feminist Life Summary

Longbourn

by Jo Baker

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Race, Sexual Identity, Future, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Social Class, Community, Beauty, Equality, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, World History, Regency Era

Longbourn (2013) is a work of fiction by British author Jo Baker, who is the author of several other novels of historical fiction and literary suspense. Longbourn depicts what life is like for the servants of the Bennet family of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice. While events in Austen’s book frame this novel, Longbourn follows the inner lives of housemaid Sarah, housekeeper Mrs. Hill, and James Smith, the mysterious footman who shows up... Read Longbourn Summary

Love for Love

by William Congreve

Publication year 1695

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity

Tags Comedy & Satire, Love & Sexuality, Restoration, British Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

William Congreve (1670-1729) briefly studied law before pursuing a career as a playwright. Love for Love, one of his comedies, was first produced in 1695, and was followed by a string of other works including The Way of the World (1700) until Congreve retired from writing for the stage in 1701. He spent the rest of his life occupying minor government posts and pursuing failed business ventures. He died in 1729 at the age of... Read Love for Love Summary

Love in Excess

by Eliza Haywood

Publication year 1719

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

... Read Love in Excess Summary

Loveless

by Alice Oseman

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Love, Sexual Identity, Community, Friendship, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Loveless Summary

Love, Pamela

by Pamela Anderson

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Fame, Perseverance, Love, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Mothers, Self Discovery, Beauty

Tags Canadian Literature, Arts & Culture

... Read Love, Pamela Summary