LGBTQ Literature

From Christopher Isherwood's enduring 20th-century classic Goodbye to Berlin to contemporary titles like Janet Mock's Redefining Realness, the titles in this study guide collection explore a range of ideas, issues, genres, and forms that speak to the LGBTQ community.

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Music, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Self Discovery

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, LGBTQ, Music, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Content Warning: Better Nate Than Ever contains sensitive material, such as bullying and LGBTQ-related slurs.Better Nate Than Ever (2013) is the first book in a trilogy about Broadway hopeful Nate Foster; the next two titles in the series are Five, Six, Seven, Nate! (2014) and Nate Expectations (2018). The novel is intended for middle grade and young adult readers but may also appeal to adult fans of theater-related fiction. Author Tim Federle and the fictional... Read Better Nate Than Ever Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Community, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery

Tags LGBTQ, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Gender / Feminism, Biography


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Sexuality

Tags LGBTQ, Love / Sexuality, Romance, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2019

Genre Anthology/Varied Collection, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Self Discovery, Society: Community

Tags Race / Racism, LGBTQ, Diversity, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags LGBTQ, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Fantasy

Marlon James’s Black Leopard, Red Wolf (2019) is a dark fantasy novel. It’s the first title in his Dark Star Trilogy, and a fusion of conventional epic storytelling, oral tradition, and creative folklore. A finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, as well as one of Washington Post’s Top Ten Books of 2019, this novel had its film rights purchased only weeks after publication.Plot SummaryAn interrogation frames the story: Tracker, a mercenary, recounts his... Read Black Leopard, Red Wolf Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Grandparents, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Romance, LGBTQ, African American Literature, New Adult, Love / Sexuality, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community

Tags LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ, Historical Fiction, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction


Publication year 1918

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Beauty

Tags Modernism, Education, Education, History: World, Romance, LGBTQ, Classic Fiction

“Bliss” is a short story written by New Zealand author Katherine Mansfield. It was originally published in 1918 in The English Review and later republished in 1920 as a collection of short stories entitled Bliss and Other Stories. Katherine Mansfield was a contemporary of British writers such as Virginia Woolf (Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando), D. H. Lawrence (Sons and Lovers, Women in Love), and James Joyce (Ulysses, Dubliners). As a Modernist story, “Bliss” focuses on the... Read Bliss Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ


Publication year 1993

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality

Tags Love / Sexuality, Education, Education, Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community

Tags Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, LGBTQ, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction


Publication year 1987

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Tags Creative Nonfiction, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Philosophy, Philosophy

Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldúa presents the US-Mexico border as a space ripe for sociocultural, psychological, and historical deconstruction. Speaking from her own experiences growing up in South Texas, Anzaldúa redefines the boundaries between practice and theory, personal history and cultural critique, poetry and prose. Writing in both Spanish and English (and omitting translations at times), Anzaldúa writes as a Chicana woman, in the Chicano language, envisioning a new consciousness borne out... Read Borderlands La Frontera Summary


Publication year 2006

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Disability, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Disability, Psychology, LGBTQ, Science / Nature, Psychology, Mental Illness, Biography

Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant is Daniel Tammet’s memoir and his first published book. In it, he recalls his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood leading up to the point in his life when he became independent with a partner and a career. Born on a Blue Day was a New York Times best seller following its publication in 2006.Tammet is, as identified in the subtitle, an autistic savant... Read Born on a Blue Day Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Romance, LGBTQ, Relationships, Love / Sexuality, Class, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor


Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: War

Tags Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, LGBTQ, Military / War, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Irish Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Breakfast on Pluto is a novel by the distinguished Irish writer Patrick McCabe, who is known for his experimental style and controversial themes. First published in 1998, the book contains elements of fantasy and historical fiction. It presents the narrative of “the life and times” of Patrick Braden, a transgender person growing up in Ireland and London during the 1960s and 1970s. Through Braden’s journey of self-discovery, McCabe portrays a country amid turbulent political, national... Read Breakfast on Pluto Summary


Publication year 1945

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction, British Literature, LGBTQ

Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memoirs of Captain Charles Ryder (1945) is the ninth published novel by British novelist Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh, who published under “Evelyn Waugh.” It chronicles the life and relationships of Charles Ryder, particularly his complex friendship with the aristocratic Flyte family, during the interwar period in England. The novel was an immediate success, and, despite his later dislike, Waugh referred to it as his “magnum opus.” It has been... Read Brideshead Revisited Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., Incarceration, Internet Culture / Social Media, Journalism, LGBTQ, Love / Sexuality, Politics / Government, Psychology, Relationships, Social Justice, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Crime / Legal, History: World


Publication year 1997

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Hope

Tags Romance, LGBTQ, Western, Modern Classic Fiction

“Brokeback Mountain,” by award-winning American author Annie Proulx, addresses themes of Masculine Sexuality and the Forbidden Love of Queer Romance, The Inescapable Effects and Momentum of Poverty, and Powerlessness and Loss of Hope. Like much of Proulx’s work, the story includes a strong sense of place. Wyoming’s unforgiving landscape figures prominently in “Brokeback Mountain,” and the film adaptation by the same name received acclaim for its cinematography as well as its unapologetic portrayal of queer... Read Brokeback Mountain Summary


Publication year 2006

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Society: Immigration

Tags LGBTQ, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Immigration / Refugee, Biography