LGBT Friendly Books

[AlohaShannon]

I'm looking for recommendations for LGBT friendly books...anything from fiction to current culture as well as history of the LGBT movement.

I read a post from over a year ago where "The Homo Handbook" was recommended by CellarDweller.

Does anyone else have any recommendations; and if so, what about the book is noteworthy?

Thank you my friends!!!

[shyl4l]

Captive prince 1 and 2 by c.s. pacat
Amy lane does some good stuff aswell.
Aristotle and dante discover the univers . More a tale of discovering and admiting/accepting your self but well wrighten

[shyl4l]

Shattered glass is another awsome book

[CellarDweller]

When I get home to my "personal library", I'll post other suggestions.

[meridannight]

this:



definitely this (one of the best history books on the subject):



Richard Isay provides some deep and excellent insight:



also:



this one was amazing:



and:



and:



i haven't read this one, but i ordered it and it looks promising (though certainly depressing as well):



Jean Genet is also an author to check out. as well as Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Émile Zola, Marcel Proust, André Gide, and others, if you're into fiction/poetry.

there is more. the literature on gay culture is very abundant and rich. i also recommend you read biographies of men who were homosexual.

[AlohaShannon]

Thanks for the recommendations thus far. If you could also tell me why you're recommending a book that would be extremely helpful as well!

You're all awesome!

[Emiliano]

Id recommend both of those because they are interesting reflections on identity, and how we are all influenced by social pressures and norms. I thinks its worth the time to think about some of the unseen forces, some of the subconscious things we do - to make ourselves aware of them, and to think critically about that sort of stuff.

[Pix]

For what it's worth, I thought I'd share about this book, and I'll quote some reviews (not in their entirety) to explain why:

http://www.amazon.com/Magics-Pawn-Last-H...0886773520

The story is about Vanyel, his flaws and strengths as a person and his relationships with friends, lovers, and family, and that is done exceedingly well. Lackey has a sure touch depicting the harm people do to people. Vanyel is a misfit both in his family and with his peers and he suffers not only from their treatment but from his defenses against it.

Lackey also went out on a limb making her main character homosexually oriented, and she painted Vanyel's relationship in an honest, genuine way without a lot of stereotyping.

The writing isn't great, but this story is so affecting that you can overlook that. It's easy to see why Lackey's books attract numerous fans

This book is an amazing love story. It does not matter that it is between two males at all -- it is simply portrayed as a deep love bond between two souls. This book actually changed my mind from being squeamish about gays to accepting, supporting, and understanding them.

But more than a love story, it's a record of a boy growing up, learning a lot about himself. Throughout he has the wonderful support of his "horse" Yfandes, who is truely a lady, no matter her shape. She and Vanyel are mind-linked, which helps him through a lot of hard times. They also share a lot of fun bantering and generally affectionate teasing.

If you want a "talking animal" story, get this. If you want a gay love story, get this. If you want a timeless love story, get this. If you want a simply magic story, get this

Two things that I'll mention as it might be important to you: one, I don't recall any erotica here, it was a blend of romantic and fantasy fiction with anything sexual "offstage" IIRC. Also, the ending is a bit tragic, but I can't recall if it's this novel or the end of the trilogy, but I recall being bummed out over it. Still a beautiful love story, though.

I do recall reading this as a kid (having checked it out from the library) and being completely surprised by when the hero turned out to be gay, and loving the author for being brave enough to go there. mile:

That said, I was a teenager at the time. I might feel differently about it today, that is I might have less patience for its flaws today than I did back then.

[princealbertofb]

@AlohaShannon, I think I might well recommend The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst (even though you might find the 'hero' of this story a bit murky, it's quite a compelling read) and Faggots by Larry Kramer. The man is now quite old but he's a monument of the Gay Rights movement.

[thawoods]

this:



definitely this (one of the best history books on the subject):



Richard Isay provides some deep and excellent insight:



also:



this one was amazing:



and:



and:



i haven't read this one, but i ordered it and it looks promising (though certainly depressing as well):



Jean Genet is also an author to check out. as well as Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Émile Zola, Marcel Proust, André Gide, and others, if you're into fiction/poetry.

there is more. the literature on gay culture is very abundant and rich. i also recommend you read biographies of men who were homosexual.

dammit ...