My Favourite LGBT+ Reads
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June is LGBT+ pride month, so it’s all about celebrating the LGBT+ community. Here are some of my favourite books with LGBT+ books, so you can celebrate the month by reading! They are all outstanding books to their own, and the fact that they have an LGBT+ protagonist makes me love them even more!
With all the awful things happening in the LGBT+ community at the moment, this is really the book everyone needs at the moment. I know quite a lot of people have read it already, so if you haven’t, you need to get on it! I loved this book so much the first time, yet I recently re-read it and enjoyed it just a little more. It’s so important, because it’s a completely happy LGBT+ novel.
It tells the coming out story, which is usually portrayed as super stressful, and overall a really negative experience. In this book, however, Simon tells his parents he’s gay, and it goes really well for him. His parents accept him completely, his friends are fine, and everything is okay. It’s so important because it will show people that it doesn’t have to be a negative experience, and give the courage to do as Simon did
It tells the coming out story, which is usually portrayed as super stressful, and overall a really negative experience. In this book, however, Simon tells his parents he’s gay, and it goes really well for him. His parents accept him completely, his friends are fine, and everything is okay. It’s so important because it will show people that it doesn’t have to be a negative experience, and give the courage to do as Simon did
I’m pretty sure lots of people have read this already, but it’s still one of my favourite books (maybe of all time!!) because of how cute the romance was, and the author’s writing. I loved the magic aspect of the book, and although I would primarily class this book as a romance (because that’s what it focuses on), I was really pleased to read some diversity in the fantasy genre.
The characters really stood out for me, too. The main character, Simon, is still discovering his sexuality throughout the book, whereas one of the other main characters, Baz, knows he’s gay. I liked this aspect of the book, because it showed a story of self-discovery and identity through an exciting and cosy fantasy story. I also thought that the romance scenes were perfect, because they were super happy, which is really the representation we need. I’m glad this fantasy didn’t follow the trope of ‘dead gays’ too!
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
The characters really stood out for me, too. The main character, Simon, is still discovering his sexuality throughout the book, whereas one of the other main characters, Baz, knows he’s gay. I liked this aspect of the book, because it showed a story of self-discovery and identity through an exciting and cosy fantasy story. I also thought that the romance scenes were perfect, because they were super happy, which is really the representation we need. I’m glad this fantasy didn’t follow the trope of ‘dead gays’ too!
I would class this book as LGBT+ fiction, but there was almost no romance in it (and none for the narrator). I really enjoyed the book because of this, as the characters’ sexualities were still explored, but this one wasn’t a coming out story either, and focused more on friendship. The platonic relationships in this book were so much more complex than most romances in other books (which is often true to real life!!), which I thought was important, because more often than not, friendships are overlooked.
I was really impressed with all the diversity in this book. I didn’t know how well the author had woven it into the story - it never felt like token diversity, yet like it was just naturally there (like in real life!!). The characters in this book were many different aspects of the LGBT+ spectrum. There was an agenda character, demisexual gay character, and the main character was bisexual, too! I liked how the other themes explored in the book were more prominent than these, because people need to learn not to trivialise people’s identities that they haven’t heard of before.
This book was one of my favourite books of last year, because it was so well written, and so so important. It’s about a black girl in the 1950s, in a mainly white school. The racism was so intense to read about, but was done in such a historically accurate (I think!) and sensitive way. I loved the main character because she was so caring and kind, yet mentally strong and managed to not let anything stand in her way. This book was one of self discovery and sexuality, and I loved the way race and being gay was explored in this context. I think this book should be required reading for everyone, because it’s sadly relevant to today’s society, and teaches a story of love and acceptance.
Half Bad and Half Wild by Sally Green
This is my favourite series of all time, so of course, I couldn’t recommend books without featuring it! It’s so exciting and dark, and the books had me gripped throughout. There isn’t much focus on identity and romance, yet Nathan (the troubled protagonist) is discovering his identity throughout the series, which intertwines so well with the way he’s trying to find belonging in a world that tries so exclude him, and where he doesn’t belong in either side.
I would have loved this book even if Nathan wasn’t bisexual, but the fact that it was just made the book perfect! There was a really sweet romance between him and another guy (Gabriel... my precious cinnamon bun), which was so lovely. I recommend the first two books for this reason, however, the ending to the series could be taken as problematic to the LGBT+ community (as me and Anna have been discussing ever since she finished!), so I can’t recommend it for that reason until I’m sure (and sure that no-one will get mad at me for recommending a problematic book!).
I would have loved this book even if Nathan wasn’t bisexual, but the fact that it was just made the book perfect! There was a really sweet romance between him and another guy (Gabriel... my precious cinnamon bun), which was so lovely. I recommend the first two books for this reason, however, the ending to the series could be taken as problematic to the LGBT+ community (as me and Anna have been discussing ever since she finished!), so I can’t recommend it for that reason until I’m sure (and sure that no-one will get mad at me for recommending a problematic book!).
The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
I read this earlier this year, and it’s one of my favourite books this year. It’s one of my favourite books of all time! Unlike some of the other books featured in this list, I would say this book is pretty much entirely centered around being transgender (however it certainly isn’t a bad thing!!). I’d read very few books about transgender people before this, and because I’m cisgendered, I didn’t know much about what it’s actually like to be transgender. As well as being stunningly beautiful and heart breaking, it was really educational, and I’m more sensitive, respectful, and open-minded after reading this book.
In addition to this, the book explored themes of family, identity, and friendship, too. David’s (the protagonist) friends were so caring and positive to his identity, yet Leo (the other protagonist) didn’t have the same experience. The contrast between their experiences was something so hard to read, yet the ending was so heartwarming, and made me smile so hard! Again, this is another LGBT+ book that had a happy ending, which is so important to see and read, especially in YA fiction.
In addition to this, the book explored themes of family, identity, and friendship, too. David’s (the protagonist) friends were so caring and positive to his identity, yet Leo (the other protagonist) didn’t have the same experience. The contrast between their experiences was something so hard to read, yet the ending was so heartwarming, and made me smile so hard! Again, this is another LGBT+ book that had a happy ending, which is so important to see and read, especially in YA fiction.
Hello! I'm D - a dog-loving feminist from the UK. You'll probably find me with my nose in a book or playing my clarinet
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