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.
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Joy, Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Space, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Equality, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Sexual Identity, Truth & Lies, Coming of Age
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, World War II, British Literature, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction
Atonement (2001) is an award-winning novel by British author Ian McEwan that spans the last two-thirds of the 20th century. The novel was a New York Times Bestseller for seven straight weeks and shortlisted for the Booker Prize for fiction in 2001. The 2007 film adaptation won an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and a BAFTA Award. McEwan is critically acclaimed with over a dozen novels and other works of fiction to his name, as... Read Atonement Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Loneliness, Disability, Sexual Identity, The Past, Family, Community, Equality, Justice
Tags Fantasy, Romance
Publication year 1963
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, Social Class, Hate & Anger
Tags Gender & Feminism, Post-War Era, British Literature, Education, Education, Classic Fiction
Originally published in 1963 in the short story collection A Man and Two Women, “A Woman on a Roof” by Doris Lessing emerged during a time of social and political upheaval in the Western world. Like many of Lessing’s other works, the story explores the effects of class inequality and the misunderstandings between men and women that arise in a patriarchal culture. Lessing was born in former Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and moved to London... Read A Woman on a Roof Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Sexual Identity, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies
Tags Humor, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Self Discovery, Sexual Identity
Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction
A New York Times bestselling novel, Bared to You by Sylvia Day chronicles the relationship between independent Eva Tramell and successful Gideon Cross. Published in 2012, Bared to You explores the impact of trauma as Eva and Gideon navigate their past experiences with childhood sexual abuse. The first book of the Crossfire Saga, Bared to You precedes four novels that document the turbulent relationship of Eva and Gideon. Classified as erotic fiction, Day’s novel features... Read Bared To You Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Sexual Identity, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt
Tags LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Psychology, Psychology, Biography
Becoming Nicole, a nonfiction book by Washington Post journalist Amy Ellis Nutt, tells the story of Nicole Maines, a transgender girl who fights for acceptance in her family, at her school, and beyond. Published in 2015, the book chronicles Nicole’s early years as a boy named Wyatt, her adoption of a female name, a lawsuit involving her right to use the girls’ restroom at school, and her relationships with family and friends. Nutt also shows how... Read Becoming Nicole Summary
Publication year 1993
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Sexual Identity, The Past, Politics & Government, Loyalty & Betrayal, Literature
Tags Latin American Literature, LGBTQ+, World History, Biography
The autobiography of Cuban novelist and poet Reinaldo Arenas, Before Night Falls, details his life as a gay man under Fidel Castro’s regime and the consequences of his dissidence. It was published posthumously in 1993. Immediately named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, it has since been adapted into a movie and, later, an opera. Before Night Falls tells the story of Arenas’s life growing up in a... Read Before Night Falls Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Community, Childhood & Youth, Family, Masculinity, Femininity, Self Discovery
Tags LGBTQ+, Coming of Age, Gender & Feminism, Biography
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mental Health, Truth & Lies, Marriage, Sexual Identity
Tags LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Romance, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Anthology/Varied Collection, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Race, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Community
Tags Race & Racism, LGBTQ+, Diversity, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2005
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age
Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Sexual Identity, Memory, Perseverance, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Friendship, Community
Tags LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2003
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Religion & Spirituality, Coming of Age, Sexual Identity
Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Coming of Age, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
Blankets is a 2003 autobiographical graphic novel by Craig Thompson, who created both the text and the illustrations. It tells the story of Craig’s coming-of-age and first love in the context of his strict religious upbringing, and later, a departure from his childhood faith. Time magazine ranked Blankets first on its Best Comics list for 2003 and eighth on its list of Best Comics of the Decade. In 2004 it won Harvey awards for Best... Read Blankets Summary
Publication year 1918
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Marriage, Sexual Identity, Love, Gender Identity, Loyalty & Betrayal, Beauty
Tags Modernism, Education, Education, World History, Romance, LGBTQ+, Classic Fiction
“Bliss” is a short story written by New Zealand author Katherine Mansfield. It was originally published in 1918 in The English Review and later republished in 1920 as a collection of short stories entitled Bliss and Other Stories. Katherine Mansfield was a contemporary of British writers such as Virginia Woolf (Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando), D. H. Lawrence (Sons and Lovers, Women in Love), and James Joyce (Ulysses, Dubliners). As a Modernist story, “Bliss” focuses on the... Read Bliss Summary
Publication year 2000
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Fame, Fathers, Mothers
Tags Love & Sexuality, Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction
Publication year 1993
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity
Tags Love & Sexuality, Education, Education, Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 2008
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Fear, Gratitude, Love, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies
Tags Science & Nature, Love & Sexuality, Health, Psychology, Humor
Publication year 2020
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Gender Identity
Tags Parenting, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Self-Improvement, Health
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Marriage
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality