These books are not only special in that they feature LGBTQ characters, but they are all great works of literature that every book lover should read.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
This 1956 classic by a writer who is well known for his compassion and dedication to social justice should be on your reading list as long as the criterion is great fiction. The story is narrated by David, an American living in Paris, who recounts his relationships with other men, one of whom is an Italian bartender named Giovanni.
Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet
Our Lady of the Flowers, Genet’s debut novel published in 1943, was written when the author was in jail for burglary. The narrator of the novel is also in jail, and the lyrical, dreamlike, and sensual prose was written, he claims, to help pass the time. The novel follows Divine, a drag queen who convenes with others on the fringe of society and has many sexual adventures.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
You may have already read this classic of American Literature, but such a rich and complex story is definitely worth another look. The novel may be best known for its commentary on race, but equally, if not more palpable, is its commentary on gender and sexuality, particularly in the sexual relationship between Celie and Shug.
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Fun Home is both unique to and right at home in this list. It’s a graphic memoir and coming-of-age story about a young girl’s complex relationship with her father, as well as her budding sexuality and realization that she is attracted to women.
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Winterson’s novel is also, at heart, a coming of age story. The protagonist, a young girl named Jeanette who grows up in an English Pentecostal community, struggles to reconcile her religion with her homosexuality.
Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf
Woolf’s novel tells the story of its eponymous character who, after sleeping for days in a state of severe melancholy, wakes up to find that he has somehow become a woman. From this point in the novel, Orlando’s sexual preferences vary, though she approaches her sudden transformation with complacency.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The 2003 Pulitzer Prize winning novel tells the story of Callie, a young intersex undergoing a very difficult adolescence. The book also dips into a fable-esque past, spanning, in total, eight decades. This modern classic is one that everyone should read and many already have.
At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O’Neill
O’Neill’s stream-of-consciousness novel has earned him comparisons to other Irish greats like James Joyce and Flann O’Brien—the latter’s novel, At Swim-Two-Birds, inspiring the title. The story traces the relationship between Jim Mack and Doyler Doyle, two working-class boys who together and separately learn many life lessons from the first page to the last.
City of Night by John Rechy
This 1963 novel follows the travels of a young man as he journeys across the country. The chapters focus on various locations as the unnamed narrator moves from state to state and has trysts with various men.
Maurice by EM Forster
This story of same-sex love in 20th-century England was published after Forster’s death. Forster resisted publishing it because of legal disputes that met homosexuality at that time. Thankfully, this classic was published and it a fascinating addition to Forster’s body of work.
The City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal
Vidal is known as a political commentator and intellectual powerhouse who isn’t afraid to tackle difficult topics and controversial issues. So it’s only fitting that Vidal’s 1948 novel, and its homosexual protagonist, Jim Willard, were heavily criticized by conservative book reviewers. If Banned Books Week has taught us anything, it’s that the books that initially offend often become some of our best-loved classics.
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