Nothing offers a bigger or better insight into the mysteries of a topic than a good book. And with pride month in full swing, several books help folks learn about members of the LGBTQ community.
And for members of the LGBTQ community, reading books is also a great way to understand their community better and the meaning of pride month. Whether it’s about the tales of pride or a fictional romance story featuring gay characters, there are tons of books to help feed your hunger for all things LGBTQ.
On that note, we’ve come up with the 10 best LGBTQ books to get your hands on.
Call Me by Your Name
We start with a thrilling love story that centers on the power and abruptness of romance. It follows the story of an adolescent boy and his guest for the summer as they go from friends to admirers to something deeper.
However, this sudden attraction also comes with unrelenting ordeals of desire and passion as well as the curiosity that lies within their relationship. Read on as we discover how these two bridge the gap between them to reach their goal of total intimacy.
The Color Purple
We take a trip back to the early twentieth century to discover the power of love, hope, and loyalty. The Color Purple tells the story of two sisters, Celie and Nettie, and their journeys after being separated from each other as girls. It’s a story that educates readers about the tales and lives of African American women in Georgia.
Readers also get to experience how these sisters never lost hope. Through various letters to God and each other, find out how they keep their hopes alive regardless of the distance between them. Readers also learn about the pains of women who have been abused and their brave struggles.
Red, White & Royal Blue
It doesn’t get better than the life of this book’s protagonist, Alex Claremont-Diaz. As the son of the president, he gets a big boost in status as well as treatment from others who now see him in the same light as they do a royal.
However, it all goes south when Alex eventually ends up on bad terms with an actual royal, sparking a glitch in the relationship between the US and the UK. The results are unexpected leaks of reaching a truce as well as an unexpected yet intriguing relationship between the two “royals”.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
What would happen if a famous and successful actress decided to tell the tales of her journey to the top, including her struggles and setbacks? As well as an eye-opener to the secrets of the industry that no one would have thought were real.
That’s exactly what the story of Evelyn Hugo is, a veteran Hollywood icon who seeks to speak the truth about her supposed glamour days. However, things take a weird, unexpected turn after Evelyn picks her reporter for this story. This book has also achieved a prominent position among the top-selling books of 2023.
The Song of Achilles
If you’ve read the stories of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War, you’re no doubt going to love the unique and thrilling fashion in which Madeline Miller retells this tale. Read what happens when Miller takes a tale of gods, kings, fame, and love and reimagines it into a dazzling text.
It even gets better if you’re a fan of the Masters of Rome series, as you have another book of similar nature to delight your senses with.
We Are Okay
This book is quite simply a beautiful work of art. It offers a reality check to individuals who spend their lives always wanting more rather than enjoying what they have at every moment. It’s only when readers get to experience what it feels like to live with 3 things only – a phone, a wallet, and a picture of their mother.
That’s basically the story of Marin, a lady who left everything and everyone behind to begin a new life. Even after leaving, we discover that Marin can’t escape her old life. And with an old friend coming for the winter break, Marin will have to decide how to face the life she’s run away from for so long.
The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man’s World
Coming out as gay has never been an easy task. The fear for the responses you’ll get as well as the shame and anger that may result from public rejection, makes it even tougher. You also have to deal with the various stages of development before coming to terms with your new-found behavior.
The Velvet Rage is Alan Downs’ way of explaining to readers the various strategies and life approaches needed to overcome the obstacles gay men face. With his patients as inspiration, Alan Downs teaches men to embrace their newfound culture instead of wallowing in shame and self-defeat.
One Last Stop
This next book offers something less serious and more light-hearted as we get to experience the romantically funny side of queer literature.
August is a 23-year-old moving to the Big Apple. Her mission? To prove to herself and others that magic and fantasy love stories are nothing but myths. But as expected, things don’t go to plan, and soon, she finds herself being the star of her magical tale.
Stonewall: The Definitive Story of the LGBTQ Rights Uprising that Changed America
We take another trip into the history books, this time, we visit the late sixties when gay and lesbian bars were not the safe havens for the queer community they are today.
Stonewall was one such bar. A meeting place for members of the LGBTQ community to hang out and be themselves. However, this was made difficult by countless police raids. But the story takes a turn when members of the bar decide to fight back, and the result is a drastic change in the lives of gays and lesbians.
Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference
The aim of this text is to debunk the major assumptions created by pseudo-science on the reasons for the dissimilarities between men and women. Rather than the tale of how men and women are wired differently, Coredella Fine gives a different view of why men and women act differently.
Conclusion
You can’t learn about the lives of queers or live as one without proper knowledge of what it means to be one. To start your journey or, better yet, understand the journeys of others, head to BookScouter.com to get yourself one of the best LGBTQ+ books. Additionally, don’t forget to check out our blog for more LGBTQ literature recommendations, including WLW and gay books.
