The month of June was chosen for LGBT Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBT people have had in the world.
Since, this year instead of celebrating this wonderful month, we are all sitting inside our homes being locked up, it is the perfect time to read some books on the LGBTQ community, in order to have a clearer picture of the hardship they are going through every day. The extent of their love has surpassed all their difficulties, and each of those stories is equally beautiful and intriguing.
1. Giovanni's Room, by James Baldwin
Goodreads: 4.2/5
In a novel that has resonated with the queer community since it was first published decades ago, a young man finds himself caught between desire and morality in the 1950s ex-pat Paris. While much has changed since Baldwin wrote it, many aspects of life, love, and heartbreak remain the same.
Paperback Price: Rs.499; Amazon.in
2. Rubyfruit Jungle: A Novel, by Rita Male Brown
Goodreads: 3.9/5
Molly Bolt is the adoptive daughter of a poor Southern couple who makes her way across America, finding the love of all stripes in between. This steamy novel proudly describes the author's love for the female anatomy as well as love, full-stop. It's a true celebration of being true to yourself, whoever that may be.
Paperback Price: Rs. 399; Amazon.in
3. Maurice: A Novel, by E. M. Forster
Goodreads: 4/5
This steamy novel was written in 1913, but not published until after Forster died in 1971. The title character meets and falls in love with Clive while at school — though Clive eventually leaves his lover and gets married to a woman. But then, Maurice falls in love with another man. You'll have to read it to find out if everyone lives happily ever after.
Paperback Price: Rs.499; Amazon.in
4. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Goodreads: 4.2/5
Walker's masterpiece about the love between women isn't just an LGBT classic, it's a must-read book in just about every way. Made into a major motion picture, this National Book and Pulitzer Prize-winner follow the story of two sisters living very different lives and the unbreakable bond between them, even though impossible circumstances.
Paperback Price: Rs.220; Amazon.in
5. Fairest, by Meredith Talusan
Goodreads: 4.2/5
Fairest is a memoir about a precocious boy with albinism, a “sun child” from a rural Philippine village, who would grow up to become a woman in America. Throughout her journey, Talusan shares poignant and powerful episodes of desirability and love that will remind readers of works such as Call Me By Your Name and Giovanni’s Room. Her evocative reflections will shift our perceptions of love, identity, gender, and the fairness of life
Hardcover price: Rs.2040; Amazon.in
6. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong
Goodreads: 4.1/5
Poet Ocean Vuong’s debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love, and the redemptive power of storytelling. With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are.
Paperback price: Rs.1946; Amazon.in
7. Stonewall, by Martin Duberman
In Stonewall, renowned historian and activist Martin Duberman tells the full story of this pivotal moment in history. With riveting narrative skill, he re-creates those revolutionary, sweltering nights in vivid detail through the lives of six people who were drawn into the struggle for LGBTQ rights. Their stories combine to form an unforgettable portrait of the repression that led up to the riots, which culminates when they triumphantly participate in the first gay rights march of 1970, the roots of today’s pride marches.
Paperback price: Rs.435; Amazon.in
8. The Stonewall Reader
Goodreads: 4.4/5
June 28, 2019, marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which is considered the most significant event in the gay liberation movement, and the catalyst for the modern fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States. Drawing from the New York Public Library’s archives, The Stonewall Reader is a collection of first accounts, diaries, periodic literature, and articles from LGBTQ magazines and newspapers that documented both the years leading up to and the years following the riots
Paperback price: Rs.599; Amazon.in
9. Untamed, by Glennon Doyle
Goodreads: 4.3/5
In her most revealing and powerful memoir yet, activist, speaker, and bestselling author, Glennon Doyle explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet others’ expectations and start trusting the voice deep within us.
Paperback price: Rs.2481; Amazon.in
10. Sissy, by Jacob Tobia
Goodreads: 4.1/5
A heart-wrenching, eye-opening, and giggle-inducing memoir about what it’s like to grow up not sure if you’re (a) a boy, (b) a girl, (c) something in between, or (d) all of the above.
Paperback price: Rs.1307; Amazon.in
A graduate student in Journalism and Communications, I am an avid reader, writer, blogger, foodie and movie buff. Based in Kolkata, I am extremely passionate about trekking, travelling, exploring and building new relations every day.
No comments:
Post a Comment