While this guide is far from comprehensive, it aims to offer a solid introduction to some of the most innovative, thought-provoking and influential queer books to read this Pride month and beyond.
Despite them making up less than one per cent of the population, the existence of trans people – and trans women in particular – has become something of a moral panic. In this landmark book, Faye distinguishes fact from fiction, outlining the challenges so many trans people face, from work to family, healthcare to housing. This is a vital read for anyone wanting to understand the reality of contemporary trans life in the UK.
Oranges are Not the Only Fruit
Jeanette Winterson (1985)Winterson’s explosive first novel is the semi-autobiographical story of a girl growing up in a strict religious household in Accrington, Lancashire. Combining traditional storytelling with elements of myth and allegory, this coming-of-age tale recounts Jeanette’s crisis of faith when she realises she is attracted to women and the repercussions this has on her family and the broader community. Characterised by Winterson’s bold and experimental style, this is a book with darkness and light about what it means to live your own truth.Vintage Classics, £9.99
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Arguably the definitive account of the AIDS crisis, this exhaustive chronicle of a disease initially dismissed as the “gay plague” explores the negligence, prejudice and fear that led to the disease evolving into a pandemic that resulted in the death of millions of people. An investigative journalist who died from the disease following its publication, Shilts pinpoints key moments in the spread of HIV and the impact on the gay, medical and political spheres. An essential read for anyone interested in queer history.
Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us
Kate Bornstein (1994)“What’s your gender? When did you decide it?” Decades ahead of its time, Bornstein’s watershed book is an engaging blend of memoir, manifesto and cultural criticism. Drawing on her own experience of living life as a heterosexual man before transitioning, Bornstein questions many of society’s rigid ideas about gender, inviting the reader to ask themselves searching questions about so-called innate ideas of personhood. Accessible, heartfelt and entertaining, this remains a monumental work in the queer canon. Routledge
Giovanni’s Room
James Baldwin (1956)A classic work of 20th-century literature, Baldwin’s second novel concerns a tormented love affair between David, an American man in Paris, and an Italian waiter named Giovanni. Caught between conventional morality and desire, David battles with his feelings of same-sex attraction and his pledge to marry a woman. Despite being published in 1956, this haunting book has plenty to say about contemporary topics of masculinity, loneliness, shame and internalised homophobia.Penguin Classics, £9.99
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The Colour Purple
Alice Walker (1982)Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book chronicles the lives of a group of African-American women in early 20th-century Georgia. Through a series of letters exchanged between sisters Celie and Nettie, we gain insight into the strength of the human spirit amidst severe adversity and the potential for hope and redemption. With themes of domestic and sexual abuse, it’s not an easy read, but it’s a powerful one.Orion, £9.99
This coming-of-age novel from the Booker-winning author of Shuggie Bain is a brilliant exploration of masculinity and survival. As Protestants and Catholics, respectively, Mungo and James should be avowed enemies in their fiercely divided Glasgow housing estate, but against the odds, love blossoms. Stuart gives voice to characters rarely depicted in literature, and Young Mungo is a captivating – if sometimes harrowing – read.Pan Macmillan, £9.99
Stone Butch Blues
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The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions
Larry Mitchell, illustrations by Ned Asta (1977)This gift of a book is an allegorical tale and cult queer classic that is all-at-once dark, visionary, humorous and hopeful. Set in a dystopian land called Ramrod, ruled by the oppressive Men, the book follows the so-called “faggots and their friends” as they resist capitalism and heteronormative norms through queer resistance, creativity, sensuality and community. During a period where LGBTQ+ rights are under attack across the world, this is a vital book for anyone daring to dream of another way.Nightboat Books, £12.99
Trumpet
Jackie Kay (1998)This remarkable debut novel by the former Makar (the poet laureate of Scotland) is a poignant account of the life and death of fictional jazz artist Joss Moody that Kay said was inspired by the life of Billy Tipton, an American jazz musician who secretly lived as a transgender man in the mid-20th century. Beautifully written, Trumpet explores race, gender, identity and love in a book that scooped the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1998.Picador, £10.99
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