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.

Holiday Romance

by Catherine Walsh

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Nostalgia, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, The Past, Family, Self Discovery, Immigration, Fate

Tags Special Occasions, Romance

... Read Holiday Romance Summary

Hot Milk

by Deborah Levy

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Sexual Identity, Mental Health, Self Discovery

Tags LGBTQ+, Health

Hot Milk (2016) is a novel written by South African and British author Deborah Levy. It follows Sofia Papastergiadis, who has been caring for her mother, Rose, through Rose’s hypochondria-driven illnesses. Sofia and Rose go to Almeria, Spain, to seek treatment from Dr. Gomez. While there, Sofia must confront her mother’s dependency on her and question what she wants in her own life. Levy explores themes of The Struggle for Independence, The Complexities of Sexual... Read Hot Milk Summary

How Does It Feel?

by Jeneane O'Riley

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Family, Mothers, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Religion & Spirituality

... Read How Does It Feel? Summary

Howl

by Allen Ginsberg

Publication year 1956

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Justice, Conflict

Tags The Beat Generation, Lyric Poem, Mental Illness, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Social Justice, American Literature, Education, Education, World History, LGBTQ+, Classic Fiction

American Beat-era poet Allen Ginsberg began writing “Howl” as a private recollection for friends, though he later published the long poem in his 1956 book Howl and Other Poems. Also known as “Howl: For Carl Solomon,” the poem cemented Ginsberg’s status as a prophet-poet in the romantic literature vein of Walt Whitman and William Blake (two major influences). “Footnote for Howl,” written in 1955, is the final portion, though it’s not always included with the... Read Howl Summary

How to Be Both

by Ali Smith

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Grief, Love, Memory, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Self Discovery, Social Class, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

How to be Both is a 2014 novel by Scottish author Ali Smith. The narrative explores common threads of grief, identity, and memory from the perspectives of recently bereaved 16-year-old English schoolgirl George and a character named Francescho, inspired by the real 15th-century Italian artist Francesco del Cossa. The book, exploring themes such as The Impact of Grief on Personality, Ambiguity as an Inescapable Feature of Life, and Everyday Resistance to Injustice, was a critical... Read How to Be Both Summary

How to Menopause

by Tamsen Fadal

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Aging, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Equality

... Read How to Menopause Summary

How to Stand Up to a Dictator

by Maria Ressa

Publication year 2022

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Sexual Identity, Teamwork, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Education, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Justice, Literature, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Politics & Government, Asian History, Journalism, Social Justice, World History, Biography

... Read How to Stand Up to a Dictator Summary

Hunger

by Roxanne Gay

Publication year 2017

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Femininity, Shame & Pride

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Mental Illness, Biography

Content Warning: Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body describes and references rape and sexual violence, emotional abuse, and verbal abuse.Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (2017) is a memoir by Roxane Gay that addresses the emotional, physical, and psychological effects of sexual assault—and how they tie into self-image. Though Gay’s memoir centers her body, food, and self-image, she also confronts society’s fatphobia—the world’s unwillingness to accept fat people as they are due to assumptions about... Read Hunger Summary

Identity: Youth and Crisis

by Erik Erikson

Publication year 1968

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Education, Femininity, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Science & Technology

Tags Philosophy, Psychology, Self-Improvement, Parenting, Sociology

... Read Identity: Youth and Crisis Summary

I'll Give You the Sun

by Jandy Nelson

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Sexual Identity, The Past, Death, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Fate, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Coming of Age, Magical Realism, Romance, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

I’ll Give You the Sun (2015) is an award-winning novel penned by Jandy Nelson about relationships, art, and destiny. It follows the story of twins Noah and Jude Sweetwine who once shared a close relationship but find themselves barely speaking to each other two years after their mother’s death.Jandy Nelson is an American author who writes young adult fiction. I’ll Give You the Sun is her second novel, which won numerous awards and honors, including... Read I'll Give You the Sun Summary

In the Dream House

by Carmen Maria Machado

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Conflict

Tags LGBTQ+, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Arts & Culture, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism, Biography

Carmen Maria Machado’s memoir In the Dream House chronologizes her experiences in an abusive relationship with a woman. In the Dream House was published in 2019 and won the 2021 Folio Prize and the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Nonfiction. The memoir discusses potential modes for queer representation through the use of multiple narrative techniques. As of 2022, Machado lives in Pennsylvania with her wife and works at the University of Pennsylvania.Other work by... Read In the Dream House Summary

Invisible Monsters

by Chuck Palahniuk

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, Self Discovery

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Satirical Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor

Invisible Monsters is the third novel by bestselling novelist Chuck Palahniuk. Published in 1999, the novel was intended to be Palahniuk’s first published novel but was rejected for its disturbing content. Invisible Monsters is a contemporary work in the first person with a non-linear narration. The main characters include a former model and transgender woman focused on the search for identity in a society where beauty defines a person’s self-worth.Content Warning: Please be advised that... Read Invisible Monsters Summary

Iron Widow

by Xiran Jay Zhao

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Equality, Justice, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ+

... Read Iron Widow Summary