LGBTQIA Reading List
LGBTQIA Books
Being the curious cat (or mouse) that I am, my mind has ingested its fair share of books, ranging from theories of cultural evolutionary psychology to the neuroscience behind 3D depth perception, to the complexities of P=NP and and infinite dimensional vector spaces, to troubled teens questioning their sexuality and their gender. Yes, I am an addict, and YA Queer literature is my drug.
Here’s the list of books read so far, or on the radar. If you have a suggestion, please add it to the comments.
(Note: most links go to Amazon, so you can read the description and reviews.)
Update: Now in (mostly) alphabetical order!
Transgender
- (YA) I Am J by Cris Beam (recommended)
- (YA) Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kritin Cronn-Mills (recommended)
- (YA) Being Emily by Rachel Gold
- (YA) Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher
- (YA) Pantomime and Shadowplay by Laura Lam (recommended)
- (YA) Luna by Julie Anne Peters
- (YA) Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde
- (YA) Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger
- (YA) How Beautiful the Ordinary by various (collection of short stories)
- The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
- Holding Still for as Long as Possible by Zoe Whittall
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, etc
Recommended
- Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (with a movie too!)
- Fun Home by Alison Bechdel [graphic novel]
- The Well of Loneliness by Radcylffe Hall
- Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
- Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey
- Miss Timmins’ School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy
- (YA) Aristotle and Dante Discover the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
- (YA) The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth
- (YA) Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
- (YA) Map of Ireland by Stephanie Grant
- (YA) Ask the Passengers by A.S. King
- (YA) Ash by Malinda Lo
- (YA) Huntress by Malinda Lo
- (YA) Mermaid in Chelsea Creek by Michelle Tea
And More…
- Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs (with a movie too!) [to read]
- Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown [to read]
- Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey
- The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer
- A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (with a movie too!) [to read]
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
- Pembroke Park by Michelle Martin
- Patience and Sarah by Isabel Miller
- The World Unseen by Shamim Sarif (with a movie too!)
- I Can’t Think Straight by Shamim Sarif (with a movie too!)
- Despite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif
- Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal
- Sword of the Guardian by Merry Shannon
- The Princess Affair by Nell Stark
- The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
- Affinity by Sarah Waters (with a movie too!) [to read]
- Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (with a movie too!) [to read]
- Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
- Roses and Thorns by Chris Anne Wolfe
Young Adult
- (YA) My Invented Life by Lauren Bjorkman
- (YA) Dare, Truth or Promise by Paula Boock
- (YA) Morning Rising (Guardian of Morning) by Samantha Boyette
- (YA) Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
- (YA) Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff [to read]
- (YA) Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
- (YA) Good Moon Rising by Nancy Garden
- (YA) The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George
- (YA) Sister Mischief by Laura Goode [to read]
- (YA) Eon by Alison Goodman
- (YA) Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
- (YA) Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin
- (YA) The You Know Who Girls by Annameekee Hesik
- (YA) Down To the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
- (YA) Adaptation by Malinda Lo
- (YA) Inheritance by Mailnda Lo
- (YA) Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle
- (YA) Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters
- (YA) Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters
- (YA) RAGE: a Love Story by Julie Anne Peters
- (YA) Alanna by Tamora Pierce
- (YA) Empress of the World by Sara Ryan
- (YA) Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez [to read]
- (YA) When Women Were Warriors by Catherine M. Wilson
- (YA) How Beautiful the Ordinary by various (collection of short stories)
- (YA) The Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes to their Younger Selves by many authors
Intersex, Crossdressing, Gender-Bending, and other Queer tales
- (YA) Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers [my thoughts here]
- (YA) Pantomime by Laura Lam
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
- Annabel by Kathleen Winter [to read]
Non-Fiction
- The Transgender Child by Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper
- Gender Born, Gender Made by Diane Ehrensaft (recommended) [my thoughts here]
- Becoming a Visible Man by Jamison Green (recommended)
- Second Son by Ryan Sallans (recommended)
- Raising My Rainbow: Adventures in Raising a Fabulous, Gender Creative Son by Lori Duron (recommended)
- Just Add Hormones by Matt Kailey [my review here]
- Nina Here Nor There by Nick Krieger
- Evolution’s Rainbow by Joan Roughgarden (recommended)
- As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
- Transgender Rights by Paisley Currah and Shannon Price Minter
- Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon
- Love, Ellen by Betty Degeneres
- Transitions of the Heart: Stories of Love, Struggle and Acceptance by Mothers of Transgender and Gender Variant Children edited by Rachel Pepper
- Balancing on the Mechitza edited by Noach Dzmura
- My Child is Transgender: 10 Tips for Parents of Adult Trans Children by Matt Kailey
- Butch is a Noun by S. Bear Bergman
- The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You by S. Bear Bergman
- Letters for My Brothers edited by Zander Keig, Trangress Press
Send me your suggestions or others you know about!