Books That Should Be On Your Reading List This Pride Month

As we celebrate Pride Month, we wanted to show a little love to some of the brilliant Black writers who are giving a voice to the LGBTQ community, even as conservatives attempt to silence them.

Books with LGBTQ themes are the most frequent targets of book challenges. According to the American Library Association’s list of “Most Challenged Books,” seven of the 13 most frequent targets were challenged for having LGBTQ content, making it more important than ever to make sure we continue to read and share their work as widely as possible.

We’ve rounded up a list of some of our favorite titles that should be on your reading list for Pride Month and beyond.

“The Days of Good Looks: The Prose and Poetry of Cheryl Clarke, 1980 to 2005" by Cheryl Clarke

“The Days of Good Looks” is a collection of some of the most popular poems and essays from critically-acclaimed writer Cheryl Clarke. For nearly three decades, she has written openly and honestly on the issues of race and sexuality, making her voice one of the most important in the movement.

“All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto” by George M. Johnson

The New York Times Bestseller, All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto, was one of the most talked-about books of 2020 and the target of many banned books lists around the country. The collection of deeply personal essays explores everything good and bad about Johnson’s experience growing up as a Black queer boy.

“How We Fight For Our Lives” by Saeed Jones

How We Fight For Our Lives is Saeed Jones’ coming-of-age memoir about being a young, Black, gay man from the South. He tells beautifully vivid tales of relationships with family, friends and lovers through the lens of a young man searching for the strength to reveal his true self to the world.

“Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More” by Janet Mock

Redefining Realness is writer, director and transgender rights activist Janet Mock’s debut memoir. A New York Times bestseller, the book gives readers an intimate look at what life was like for Mock growing up multiracial, poor, and trans in Hawaii, Dallas and Oakland.

“Wow, No Thank You” by Samantha Irby

Wow, No Thank You is a collection of hilarious essays from Samanth Irby and one of Time’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2020. As Irby prepares to turn forty, she writes about everything from moving in with her wife and stepchildren to hosting book clubs and hiding past due bills under her pillow.

“Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay

Roxane Gay is a feminist who loves the color pink and read Sweet Valley High books as a teen. In Bad Feminist, her collection of essays, she explores how pop culture has influenced everything from our politics to the way we define feminism today. Entertainment Weekly called it,“Feisty, whip-smart essays on gender, sexuality, and race.”

“Sister Outsider” by Audre Lorde

Sister Outsider is a collection of some of the most essential essays and speeches by writer and activist Audre Lorde. Originally published in 1984, Lorde reflects on the intersectionality of race, sex, sexual identity and class in a way that challenges people to use differences as catalyst for change rather than a way to create division.

“Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin

 

James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room is a beautifully written novel set in 1950s Paris that should be on everyone’s required reading list. David, an American man meets and proposes to a young woman, but finds himself involved in an affair with a male Italian bartender. You’ll find yourself drawn into the story as David struggles with his sexual identity while navigating the two relationships.

“Coffee Will Make You Black” by April Sinclair

April Sinclair’s Coffee Will Make You Black is the story of a young black woman growing up on the south side of Chicago during the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. After Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination, she struggles to find confidence in her race and her sexuality.

“Patsy” by Nicole Dennis-Benn

In Patsy, the protagonist leaves her young daughter in Jamaica in order to travel to New York with Cicely, her oldest friend. But while she thinks America will provide her with the opportunity to love whomever she chooses, Patsy learns that reality is a lot more complicated.

“Lot” by Bryan Washington

Lot, Bryan Washington’s debut collection of short stories received lots of notoriety. It was a New York Times Notable Book of 2019 and one of Barack Obama’s “Favorite Books of the Year.” The stories are written from the perspective of the son of a Black mother and Latino father growing up in Houston. He struggles to find his identity while keeping the rest of his family from learning the truth about his sexuality.

“How Long ‘Til Black Future Month?” by N.K. Jemisin

How Long ‘Til Black Future Month is a collection of science fiction and fantasy stories from N.K. Jemisin. Fans of the genre will love the way Jemisin gives life to characters of color who are often excluded.

“The Gilda Stories” by Jewelle Gomez

In The Gilda Stories, Jewelle Gomez takes you into the world of a black lesbian vampire. Gilda escaped from slavery in the 1850s and has been looking for friendship and community for over 200 years. When she joins a family of benevolent vampires, she finds herself on an adventurous and dangerous journey full of loud laughter and subtle terror.

“The Summer We Got Free” by Mia McKenzie

The Summer We Got Free is the story of Ava Delany, a once brilliant artist who changes after a violent event rocks her entire family. Ava and her family are ostracized from the community and confined to their home. But when a mysterious woman shows up, her presence stirs up the past along with ghosts and other restless things.

“Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler

Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower was published in 1998, but so much of this sci fi novel set in 2032 feels right on time. After her family and home are destroyed, Lauren Olamina finds herself taking refuge in a northern California community meant for those fleeing the persecution of an ultra-conservative president who vows to “make America great again.” Years later, Asha Vere reads the journals of a mother she never knew, Lauren Olamina as she searches for understanding and a connection to her past.

“Pet” by Akwaeke Emezi

In Pet, Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have always grown up believing there are no monsters. But when Jam meets a creature named Pet who emerges from one of her mother’s paintings, everything changes. Pet has come to fight a monster and Jam hopes she can protect her friend. But Jame will have to figure out how to save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?

“Cinderella is Dead” by Kalynn Bayron

Cinderella Is Dead takes a modern twist on the classic fairy tale, giving you all of the romance without the sexism. As a young girl goes up against a patriarchal system, she turns the idea of happily ever after on its head. Shelf Awareness Pro called it - “A queer dystopian fantasy that questions written history and societal expectations.”

“The Black Flamingo” by Dean Atta

Stonewall Book Award Winner, The Black Flamingo was voted by Time Magazine as a Best YA Book Of All Time. The book tells the story of a young boy finding his way as a mixed-race gay teen in London. While trying to find where he fits in, he discovers the Drag Society and finds the place where he can be free to be The Black Flamingo.

“Everybody Looking” by Candice Iloh

In Candice Iloh’s novel, Everybody Looking, Ada is leaving home for the first time for her freshman year at a Historically Black College. While she’s getting used to her newfound freedom, she finds dance and begins exploring her sexuality. But as she begins to struggle with issues from her past, Ada will have to decide to ultimately take control of her life.