LGBTQ Literature

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David Levithan’s 2013 young adult novel Two Boys Kissing is narrated from the perspective of the gay men who died during the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic. This chorus, resembling that of ancient Greek theater, observes the novel’s present-day characters—several gay teenage boys in neighboring American small towns—as they explore love, relationship, and identity. The central narrative follows two boys, Harry and Craig, who attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest continuous kiss by kissing... Read Two Boys Kissing Summary

Two or Three Things I Know for Sure is a 1995 memoir by American author and activist Dorothy Allison, a native of Greenville, South Carolina. A coming-of-age story that examines feminism and lesbian identity in the context of the patriarchal norms of the South, the book uses both narrative and photographs to tell the stories of the women in Allison’s family and their complex relationships with the men who both loved and abused them. Her... Read Two or Three Things I Know for Sure Summary

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Published in 2015, Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta is historical fiction set during and after the Nigerian Civil War, written in a style of literary realism that incorporates elements of Nigerian folklore. Under the Udala Trees can is also categorized as LGBT+ literature—it won “Best Lesbian Fiction” in the 2016 Lambda Literary Awards.Plot SummaryOur first-person narrator Ijeoma is a young Igbo girl living in Ojoto during the Nigerian Civil War. After her father... Read Under the Udala Trees Summary

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Published in 2020, Glennon Doyle’s Untamed is her third memoir. An accomplished writer, philanthropist, and activist, Doyle documents her lifelong journey of self-discovery and uses personal experiences to encourage women on their own respective journeys towards freedom. Through the intersections of gender, sexuality, religion, and race, Doyle unpacks the social conditioning that affects the lives of all humans, particularly women. Ultimately, Doyle offers a reflective guide to navigating life by looking internally and honoring one’s... Read Untamed Summary

Us Against You is a realistic fiction novel by Swedish author Fredrik Backman and was originally published in Sweden in 2017 by Bokförlaget Forum. In 2018, Washington Square Press (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) published Us Against You with a translation by Neil Smith. Backman is lauded for his depictions of small-town Swedish life and his ability to capture the many identities that even the smallest towns embody. Although his novels are about Sweden... Read Us Against You Summary

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We Are All Made of Molecules (May 2015) is by young adult and middle-grade author Susin Nielsen. Nielsen spent many years as a scriptwriter for Canadian television shows, including Degrassi Junior High. Her writing focuses humorously on the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. Like the characters in We Are All Made of Molecules, Nielsen lives in Vancouver, Canada. Her other titles include Word Nerd (2010), Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom (2010)... Read We Are All Made of Molecules Summary

We Are Okay is the story of an 18-year-old girl, Marin’s, experience with grief, loss, and sadness. Marin’s mother dies in a surfing accident when she’s almost 3; she is raised near that same beach in San Francisco by her grandfather, Gramps. The narrative is divided between Marin’s present in New York and her past in California. The present-day events occur in December during the winter break of Marin’s first year in college; the past... Read We Are Okay Summary

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson is a young adult science fiction novel that follows the coming-of-age story of Henry, a teenager whose life is in shambles. Hutchinson uses the first-person point-of-view of his protagonist to explore themes of family, grief, universal unknowns, and the development of identity. Published in 2016, Hutchinson’s novel questions the value of human life while incorporating science fiction elements to portray the smallness of human existence in the... Read We Are the Ants Summary

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Josh Sundquist is a cancer survivor, Paralympic ski racer, motivational speaker, and stand-up comedian. Sundquist’s memoir Just Don't Fall: How I Grew Up, Conquered Illness, and Made It Down the Mountain was published in 2010 and became a national bestseller. While his first memoir showed how he was able to overcome health challenges to become a sporting hero, his second book We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story (2014) deals with the most... Read We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarassingly, A True Story Summary

We The Animals is the 2011 debut novel by Justin Torres. The novel tells the story of three brothers living in upstate New York, and it’s narrated in the first person by the youngest brother, who goes unnamed. In this summary, he will be called, “the narrator.” The novel’s structure comprises 19 vignettes that function as windows onto the lives of the brothers and their family. This study guide uses the 2011 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt... Read We The Animals Summary

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