Non-Fiction November is upon us! Are you reading any nonfiction this month? I compiled a list of my favorite nonfiction books by LGBTQIA+ authors.
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THE BOOKS AND THEIR TRIGGER WARNINGS
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*Trigger warnings are provided from the book’s The Story Graph pages
Skate for Your Life by Leo Baker
A short memoir from Leo Baker, a transmasculine non-binary pro skater on the sexism in the sport and how he created a space for himself in the cis-normative sport. Leo’s pronouns are he/they.
TW: Deadnaming, misgendering, detailed gender dysphoria on page
Continuum by Chella Mann
Fantastic read about living as a transgender and genderqueer person. Chella’s experience living in conservative Pennsylvania is very relatable to mine as someone who grew up in PA and I just loved reading his story. I personally related so much to the parts about his life pre-transition and before discovering his trans identity. The lines about conforming to feminity when you don’t have the words and are being dismissed are so real. I really resonated with Chella’s story a lot especially in the parts about their childhood, their relationship with clothes and depression. Highly recommend to read this book about intersectionality.
TW: Deadnaming, ableism, top surgery, HRT shots, testosterone, depression, and misgendering
The Quick and Easy Guide to Queer and Trans Identities by Mady G. and J.R. Zuckerberg
In this quick and easy guide to queer and trans identities, cartoonists Mady G and Jules Zuckerberg guide you through the basics of the LGBT+ world! Covering essential topics like sexuality, gender identity, coming out, and navigating relationships, this guide explains the spectrum of human experience through informative comics, interviews, worksheets, and imaginative examples. A great starting point for anyone curious about queer and trans life, and helpful for those already on their own journeys!
The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love With Me, by Keah Brown
From the disability rights advocate and creator of the #DisabledAndCute viral campaign, a thoughtful, inspiring, and charming collection of essays exploring what it means to be Black and disabled in a mostly able-bodied white America. Brown is a bisexual woman with cerebral palsy who talks about her love for Paramore and how music helps her through bouts of depression.
This essay collection explores everything from her relationship with her able-bodied identical twin (called “the pretty one” by friends) to navigating romance; her deep affinity for all things pop culture—and her disappointment with the media’s distorted view of disability; and her declaration of self-love with the viral hashtag #DisabledAndCute.
TW: bullying, ableist slurs, disordered eating, depression, suicidal thoughts, self-depreciation, grief, loss of a loved one, graphic depiction of a suicidal attempt.
*This book contains spoilers for the movie Love, Simon
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Through trauma, grief, loss, and coming to terms with their sexuality, Johnson shares their own life lessons and proceeds to teach a lesson to the reader. This was an incredibly thought-provoking novel. There were so many important aspects of being a queer person from the perspective of a Black non-binary person that I learned from and could reflect on in my own life.
TW: Molestation/sexual assault, homophobia, racism, use of the N-word, grief, loss of a loved one, and homophobic slurs
*They are also mentioned at the beginning of the book. Please be aware of the authors gender idenitity. George M. Johnson is nonbinary and their pronouns are they/them.
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
A powerful memoir about abuse in queer relationships. This is such a heavy read. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this. Everyone should read Machado’s memoir unless the topics are sensitive to you. The writing is lyrical as each chapter is portrayed in a different technique using themes and ideas while Carmen recounts her experiences. I liked that it was told in first person and it sounded like an essay to her past self. There are also researched chapters with stats on queer & lesbian abuse.
TW: emotional abuse, verbal abuse, murder, death, death via house fire, suicidal thoughts, gaslighting, manipulation, homophobia.
Homie by Danez Smith
Poems about being a queer Black non-binary person who is HIV positive, grieving, and mourning the loss of those taken too soon, depression, suicidal thoughts and American racism. Danez Smith is a powerful poet and they are hilarious. The audiobook is narrated by the author and I really enjoyed listening to author recite their poems.
TW: Suicide, racism, sexual content, suicidal thoughts, drug use, grief, and loss of a loved one
Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir by Maggie Thrash
A graphic memoir about Trash’s first crush on a girl at a religious camp and the heartbreak she experienced. I love graphic memoirs and I always recommend this one!
Maggie Thrash has spent basically every summer of her fifteen-year-old life at the one-hundred-year-old Camp Bellflower for Girls, set deep in the heart of Appalachia. She’s from Atlanta, she’s never kissed a guy, she’s into Backstreet Boys in a really deep way, and her long summer days are full of a pleasant, peaceful nothing . . . until one confounding moment. A split-second of innocent physical contact pulls Maggie into a gut-twisting love for an older, wiser, and most surprising of all (at least to Maggie), female counselor named Erin. But Camp Bellflower is an impossible place for a girl to fall in love with another girl, and Maggie’s savant-like proficiency at the camp’s rifle range is the only thing keeping her heart from exploding. When it seems as if Erin maybe feels the same way about Maggie, it’s too much for both Maggie and Camp Bellflower to handle, let alone to understand.
TW: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Alcohol
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