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.

Fanny Hill

by John Cleland

Publication year 1748

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Love & Sexuality

Fanny Hill or, The Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure is an erotic novel by John Cleland, an 18th-century British author known for his eroticism. The novel was originally published in installments in 1748 and 1749, and Cleland was arrested in 1749 for obscene content in Fanny Hill. Fanny Hill is one of the most banned books in the history of the English language largely due to its pornographic nature, though the novel does not... Read Fanny Hill Summary

Fear of Flying

by Erica Jong

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Guilt, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Love & Sexuality, Gender & Feminism

Fear of Flying (1973) is author Erica Jong’s first novel, considered by many to be semiautobiographical. Like her protagonist, Isadora Wing, Jong was married multiple times, published a book of poetry, and earned degrees from Barnard College and Columbia University. She also underwent psychoanalysis, a process in which Isadora has been engaged for many years. Isadora is married to an analyst, and the novel follows her as she attempts to reconcile her desire for sexual... Read Fear of Flying Summary

Fifty Shades of Grey

by E. L. James

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Fear, Conflict, Power & Greed, Sexual Identity

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

Book Details & Major ThemesFifty Shades of Grey is an erotic romance novel written by E. L. James and published in 2011. The story has origins as fanfiction for the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. In August 2009, James posted it on fanfiction.com as Master of the Universe under the pen name Snowqueens Icedragon.After reworking the story as original fiction, James published the newly named Fifty Shades of Grey through the Writer’s Coffee Shop, an... Read Fifty Shades of Grey Summary

Fingersmith

by Sarah Waters

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Truth & Lies, Sexual Identity

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, LGBTQ+, Gothic Literature, Victorian Period, Trauma & Abuse, Love & Sexuality, World History, Romance

A thrilling tale of thievery, betrayal, and mistaken identity, Fingersmith, by Welsh author Sarah Waters, tells the story of two women from two very different stations of life whose fates are inextricably linked. Set in the 1860s, Fingersmith is narrated alternately by Sue Smith (also known as Sue Trinder) and Maud Lilly. One is a young “fingersmith”—slang for a thief—lovingly protected from the worst of her world by Mrs. Sucksby; the other is an aristocratic... Read Fingersmith Summary

Flamer

by Mike Curato

Publication year 2020

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Sexual Identity

Tags LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Relationships

... Read Flamer Summary

Flock

by Kate Stewart

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Fathers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Flock Summary

Forever...

by Judy Blume

Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grandparents, Mothers, Fathers, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Friendship

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

... Read Forever... Summary

Frankissstein

by Jeanette Winterson

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Future, The Past, Marriage, Social Class, Economics, Art, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction

Frankissstein is a novel by Jeanette Winterson that combines speculative and historical fiction in revisiting Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein. Winterson is a prolific author, known for her explorations of physical reality, gender, sexuality, and identity. Her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, won the 1985 Whitbread Prize for First Novel, and Frankissstein was longlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize. Winterson is a professor of Creative Writing at the University of Manchester, and... Read Frankissstein Summary

Fresh Ink

by Lamar Giles

Publication year 2018

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Love, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Community, Immigration, Justice

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Fresh Ink Summary

Full Measures

by Rebecca Yarros

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Love, Memory, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Future, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, War, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

... Read Full Measures Summary

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

by Alison Bechdel

Publication year 2006

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, Family, Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Literature, Truth & Lies, Femininity, Masculinity

Tags LGBTQ+, Life-Inspired Fiction, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Parenting, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Grief & Death, Gender & Feminism, Biography

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (2006) is a graphic novel memoir written and illustrated by underground cartoonist Alison Bechdel. The book centers on Bechdel’s relationship with her late father Bruce Allen Bechdel, who died in what she believes was a death by suicide. Fun Home is a non-linear narrative that rehashes events from Alison Bechdel’s youth and adolescence. Her memories are presented in the comic panels, overlayed with her prosaic, retrospective musings in text boxes... Read Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic Summary

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces

by Isabel Quintero

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Sexual Identity, Family

Tags LGBTQ+, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces (2014) is a young adult fiction novel by Southern Californian writer Isabel Quintero. It is a bildungsroman following Gabi’s transition to adulthood, her evolution as a writer, and her growing acceptance of herself. Gabi, A Girl in Pieces is Quintero’s first novel and earned various awards for young adult readers, including the California Book Award (2015 Gold Medal) and the William C. Morris Award for YA Debut Novel. This summary... Read Gabi, a Girl in Pieces Summary

Gay New York

by George Chauncey

Publication year 1994

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Perseverance, Masculinity, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Gender Identity

Tags US History, LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Sociology, World History

... Read Gay New York Summary