Pride Month Reads

Held in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising, Pride Month celebrates and affirms the worth and vitality of the LGBTQ community. Titles in this collection include notable fiction and nonfiction works by LGBTQ authors and those writing about LGBTQ topics, including Audre Lorde, Douglas Stuart, and Amy Ellis Nutt.

Publication year 1891

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality

Tags Love / Sexuality, Lyric Poem, Education, Education, American Literature, LGBTQ, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Humor, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, LGBTQ, Bullying, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Winger is a young adult novel written by American author Andrew Smith and first published in 2013. It belongs to the genre of contemporary early 21st century teen fiction and garnered recognition from the American Library Association (ALA), Publishers Weekly, and the Junior Library Guild. Because of Winger’s storyline involving LGBTQIA+ issues, it was also chosen as part of the ALA’s 2014 Rainbow List in 2014, made up of books for children and young adults... Read Winger Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Mothers

Tags Romance, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy


Publication year 1920

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity

Tags Romance, Classic Fiction, Relationships, British Literature, History: World

IntroductionWomen in Love by D. H. Lawrence was written from 1913-1917 and published in America in 1920, though it wasn’t published in Britain until 1921. The novel’s publishing was delayed due to its prequel, The Rainbow, being banned. The Rainbow and Women in Love were originally intended to be two parts of one novel, but the publisher ultimately decided to publish them separately. Both novels feature conversations about sexuality that were considered explicit in their... Read Women In Love Summary


Publication year 1974

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Identity: Indigenous, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality

Tags Mythology, Love / Sexuality, Gender / Feminism, Education, Education, History: World


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags LGBTQ, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Bullying, Class, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Love / Sexuality, History: European, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance


Publication year 1982

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality

Tags Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Black Arts Movement, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Race / Racism, Classic Fiction, Biography

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name is a biomythography concerning the coming-of-age of poet Audre Lorde (1934-1992). This work of creative nonfiction conflates the author’s memoir—which spans from the time of her birth to her early twenties—with West Indian mythology and stories, as well as the author’s own poetry. In this way, the work exists as something other than a simple autobiography, as it emphasizes the importance of dreams, stories, and songs within the... Read Zami: A New Spelling of My Name Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Courage


Publication year 1806

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Gothic Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction