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Pride Month is in full swing and off to an eventful start. To say the least.
As we deal with an increasingly intolerant government, it’s even more important to to uplift and celebrate queer stories. But even with our administration being the hot mess that it is, queer authors are still doing the damn thing, and will be long after.
Before we get to a few books to put on your list for this month, though, let’s get into some BIPOC lit news.
Author, activist, and scholar Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has passed away at 87. He resisted colonialism by using African languages in his writing. His most known works are A Grain of Wheat, Petals of Blood, and Devil on the Cross.
This is a different kind of former first lady nonfiction release. It’s got more than 200 photographs and looks at Michelle Obama’s style evolution through the years.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, James by Percival Everett, Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot, Babel by R.F. Kuang, and more.
Finally, a few queer books to read by BIPOC authors for Pride Month. There’s a hellish romance, a merman romance set in 1910s New York City, and four gay Asian men finding family in each other in the early aughts.
Gaysians by Michael Curato
This celebration of queer found family comes from the author of Flamer, a frequently banned book. In it, four gay Asian men navigate Seattle in the early 2000s. We start off with AJ, who moves to Seattle and thinks he’s really about to pop off as a Gaysian (gay Asian) man. But then the delulu fades away, and he realizes broke, busted, and disgusted. An accidental drink spill at a bar leads to him meeting the fab drag queen K, shy gamer John, and super flirty Steven. This “Booy Luck Club” of his turns out to be all the sustenance he needs—until an attack shakes up his world.
The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum
This is a queer love story unlike any I’ve ever come across. There’s Hollis, who lives in a dead-end kind of blue-collar town, and who only seems to enjoy himself when he’s with his popular girl best friends…or fighting. But his tendency to throw hands isn’t his only problem—once he meets a stranger named Walt, he ends up making a deal at the crossroads. Now, he’s losing control of his body and mind to Walt, a ghost with a violent past who has some scores to settle. The two of them eventually start working together to achieve Walt’s goal, but then they grow closer. The resulting bond becomes romantic, and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how awkward it is to low-key be in love with the ghost who’s possessing you.
When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley
Yes, I am very excited for this queer, 1910s New York City-set romance and its Shape of Water essence. In it, Benny Caldera should really be labeled as an artist for the stunning ironwork tank he makes for the Coney Island playground, even if orphaned Boricua blacksmiths usually aren’t. But more awe-inspiring than his tank is the merman who comes to occupy it in captivity. Benny comes to know the merman—Río—as a kindred spirit captured from the East River, and soon the deep love that develops has him questioning his ideas around captivity and what he will sacrifice for the sake of the one he loves.
*All Access Members continue on below for BIPOC books out this week*
King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby- Mystery
Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading by Bijal Shah- Writing/Storytelling/Books
The Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie- Historical Fiction, Retelling
The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our Kitchen by Shokoofeh Azar- Fiction
A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant- Mystery
Always Be My Bibi by Priyanka Taslim- Romance, Young Adult
Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai’i by Sara Kehaulani Goo- Nonfiction
Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance by A’Lelia Bundles- Biography/Memoir, Nonfiction
Latina Superheroes: Jalisco & Santa by Kayden Phoenix- Comics/Graphic Novels, Young Adult
Leif’s Gift by Lenny Wen, Michael Wang- Picture Books
Meet Me on Love Street by Farah Heron- Romance, Young Adult
Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen- Fiction, Romance
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