Throughout history, there have been numerous pieces of queer literature that have left a mark. These pieces should be celebrated and recognized as much as their heterosexual counterparts are. It is always hard to compress such pieces into a list of 4-5 names, but we have tried to do our best to give you a list of books that would help you gain insight into the world of the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin
When it was published in 1956, this book created waves of controversy due to the nature of the story. But to this date, Giovanni’s room is considered to be one of the most poignant pieces of queer literature. This book traces a tragic love affair between David – the American narrator and Giovanni – the Italian bartender. This book is passionate, complex, sad and everything in between.
- The Colour Purple – Alice Walker
This book, which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for best fiction, is a coming-of-age drama about an African-American woman’s struggle for empowerment and autonomy. The book traces the journey of Celia on battling abuse and exploitation on the road to finding self-fulfillment and love.
- Boy Erased – Garrard Conley
This poignant memoir traces Garrard Conley’s fight for survival after being forced into conversion therapy by his orthodox and religious family. The book is a passionate, moving and beautiful narration of him discovering his innate strength even after the torment he was put through and coming out victorious.
- Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuinston
A quintessential rom-com at heart, this book will make you go all mushy. Albeit a little cliched and larger than life, this book is still a fresh breath in the world of heterosexually-dominated rom-coms. The book is a love story between the first son of the United States and a British prince that is sure to make your heart swell with delight.
- Juliet takes a breath – Gabby Rivera
Juliet takes a breath follows the life of a puerto-rican lesbian as she navigates an internship with a writer who introduced her to the concepts of feminism and empowerment. This is a story of resilience, strength and love all through the lens of a woman of colour. Representation in literature for women of colour has often been much less than required, but this book tackles issues of race, gender identity all through Juliet’s self-exploration.
About the Author
Prishita is a recent graduate from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. She majored in Psychology and was an honors student. She is working on getting her master’s in Industrial Psychology. She has worked on multiple research papers and articles throughout her undergraduate career and worked with content creation companies.
