Say No to Hate: Notable Gay/Lesbian Books

CHILDREN'S

Released: June 1, 2008

by Linas Alsenas

"Middle- and high-school students should walk away feeling informed; many will be inspired to explore the LGBT universe even further. (Nonfiction. YA)"

From the murder of Freda Ward in 1893 by her teenage girlfriend to same-sex marriage legalization in Massachusetts, this offering chronicles the ups, downs, victories and woes of gays and lesbians in the United States without sounding too much like a textbook. Read full book review >

NONFICTION

Released: Oct. 1, 1993

BEFORE NIGHT FALLS: A MEMOIR

by Reinaldo Arenas

"A last testament that resonates with passion for the freedom of the human spirit and for the author's beloved Cuba: a distinguished addition to the literature of dissent and exile."

From Cuban novelist Arenas (The Doorman, 1991, etc.), who, ill with AIDS, committed suicide in 1990 shortly after completing this book: an extraordinarily powerful autobiography that's both a poignant personal memoir and a damning political indictment of the Castro regime and its supporters. Read full book review >

NONFICTION

Released: June 8, 2006

FUN HOME: A FAMILY TRAGICOMIC

by Alison Bechdel

"Though this will likely be stocked with graphic novels, it shares as much in spirit with the work of Mary Karr, Tobias Wolff and other contemporary memoirists of considerable literary accomplishment."

Bechdel's memoir offers a graphic narrative of uncommon richness, depth, literary resonance and psychological complexity. Read full book review >

Cover art for THE VAST FIELDS OF ORDINARY

CHILDREN'S

Released: May 1, 2009

THE VAST FIELDS OF ORDINARY

by Nick Burd

"One of the best in a new generation of LGBTQ novels, it can stand alongside Peter Cameron's and Brian Sloan's. (Fiction. YA)"

Trapped in a suburban wasteland the summer before his first year in college, closeted indie loser Dade Hamilton is stuck in the middle of his parents' disintegrating marriage and wastes his time pining after his girlfriend-ed hook-up–buddy Pablo. Read full book review >

CHILDREN'S

Released: March 1, 2008

DOWN TO THE BONE

by Mayra Lazara Dole

A passionate girl loses her first love but finds community and self in this flashy debut with awkward prose but lots of heart. Read full book review >

CHILDREN'S

Released: April 1, 2009

KING OF THE SCREWUPS

by K.L. Going

"Moreover, trouble does follow him wherever he goes, but avoiding it is easier when you've got the right kind of support. (Fiction. YA)"

Popular, beautiful slacker Liam spends the majority of his time partying and chasing girls instead of focusing on his studies. Read full book review >

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Say No to Hate: Notable Gay/Lesbian Books