With Pride celebrations happening all around the Bay Area this month, there is no better time to read these books centering Pride and LGBTQ+ stories by Bay Area authors! From novels to memoirs to graphic novels, we have you covered no matter your preferred genre.
We’re building a community one book at a time by sharing the reads that inspire us. Check out these recommendations to find your next good read. And if you are looking for more recommendations or have one of your own, click the buttons below!
Recommendation: “In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life” by Amy Schneider
Synopsis: In her humorous and candid memoir, the top-winning woman and top-winning trans contestant of Jeopardy! welcomes the reader into the varied and fascinating experiences she has had throughout her life- including her early years as a boy, her first heterosexual marriage, and her slow recognition that she was tranny (her preferred term). In her book, readers will find honest reflections on Schneider’s gender identity, sexuality, and life as a whole.
Want to know more? Read our interview with Amy Schneider about this book!
Recommendation: “Karaoke Queen” by Dominic Lim
Synopsis: This joy-filled gay romance by Oakland writer and singer, Dominic Lim, features a protagonist whose alter ego is a drag queen. Publishers Weekly called it “hilarious” and a “joyous celebration of drag, karaoke and Filipino culture.”
Recommendation: “All Friends are Necessary” by Tomas Moníz
Synopsis: Thirty-seven-year-old Efren “Chino” Flores fled to the Bay Area from Washington State because he couldn’t come to terms with his wife’s miscarriage. Wallowing in sadness, he sublets an apartment in San Francisc’s Mission District and finds connections with friends and lovers, both male and female. Moníz, whose first novel “Big Familia,” was a finalist for a PEN/Hemingway and a Lambda Debut Novel Award, traces Chino’s path to a renewed sense of self in “All Friends Are Necessary.” The journey, filled with twists and turns, love and heartache, takes him from San Francisco to Guerneville and finally to Oakland, where the former middle school biology teacher finds satisfaction in creating a nature educational institute.
Recommendation: “Exhibit” by R.O. Kwon
Synopsis: Jin Han is married to her college sweetheart and working as a photographer when she meets Lidija Jung, an injured ballerina, at a party in Marin County. The connection is instant. In “Exhibit,” Kwon, whose first novel “The Incendiaries” was a national bestseller, explores how the relationship between the Korean American women upends and transforms their lives. Jin reveals a family curse—thereby risking death, according to the curse—and the confession frees her to explore her carnal desires, including queerness and kink.
Recommendation: “My Fairy Godfather” by Robert Mailer Anderson and Jon Sack
Synopsis: When Billie’s parents die in a car crash, the teenager moves from Austin to Liberal, Kansas, to live with Adam, her gay godfather. His partner Steven runs an old movie palace modeled on San Francisco’s iconic Castro Theatre. Liberal, however, is anything but and the new family of three must navigate the challenges of being different in a town that values conformity. “My Fairy Godfather” is the second graphic novel written by Anderson and illustrated by Sack.