8 Books to Read for Pride Month
From poignant memoirs to historical biographies to can’t-put-down novels, these picks from The Persistent illuminate the realities, joys and dark sides of queerness, in ways that will remind every reader of our common humanity.
It's June, which means it’s officially Pride Month in many parts of the world. Though LGBTQ+ pride should be celebrated year round, it’s particularly important to highlight queer voices this month.
That’s why we asked The Persistent staff and contributors for their favorite LGBTQ+ reads — ones you won’t be able to put down. If you’re looking for a good summer read, this is a great place to get started. We predict these will fill you with the full range of emotions, especially pride. 🌈
An unconventional pick, but I love Blanche Wiesen Cook’s three-volume biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt was generally considered to have been bisexual, and Wiesen Cook’s portrait of her as a complicated, proud, and principled advocate is absolutely exquisite.
— Josie Cox, founding editor
My good friend, Dr. Rebecca Calisi-Rodríguez, is a professor of animal behavior at University of California Davis, and when her kiddo came home from school one day and told her that a classmate had said: "Being gay is not natural," she went down the rabbit hole sharing all the ways a whole range of animal species express (what humans might consider) queerness. Becca later compiled all the examples and wrote, illustrated, and self-published the children's book, “Wild Pride: A Colorful Celebration of Same-Sex Relationships in the Animal Kingdom.” Now, she’s at work on her new book, for adults: “Wildtype: A Biologist’s Field Notes on Nature Beyond the Binary,” out later this year. Keep an eye out!
— Molly Dickens, contributing writer
For capturing with humanity and love the terrifying early days of the AIDS crisis — and a gripping story to boot — "The Great Believers" by Rebecca Makkai is my pick. Makkai brings us into the center of the circle as friends and lovers start dying, but also gives us the vantage point of an outsider looking in. Decades later, the tragedy is just as raw as ever.
— Francesca Donner, founder and editor-in-chief
My favorite queer book, indeed perhaps my favorite book, period, is “A Seahorse Year” by Stacey D’Erasmo. I gobbled it up the year it came out, in 2004; since then, I’ve carried it with me to artist colonies and writing retreats where it occupied a place of honor on my desk. It was highly unusual for a “queer book,” written by an out lesbian author, featuring the travails of a “queer family” comprised of a lesbian mom and sperm donor dad, to not actually highlight the fact that the story was “queer.” Reading it was like visiting the future, a time when books and humans might be what and who they are, free of labels and categories.
— Meredith Maran, contributing writer
My favorite queer book is “Lost & Found” by Kathryn Schulz, who is one of my favorite journalists. The book is a memoir about the period when Schulz lost her dad and found her wife. I read it when I first came out and, god, reading a real-life lesbian love story meant the world to me. It’s one of the few books to ever make me weep.
— Lucy Webster, contributing writer
I love the memoir “Third Girl from the Left” by the former Chorus Line dancer and actress Christine Barker. It starts out like a typical coming-of-age story: a naive young woman comes to New York City to try to make it as a dancer in the hard-scrabble '70s and lands her dream job in the hottest show on Broadway. Meanwhile, her beloved brother, whose partner is the fashion designer Perry Ellis, is also reaching the peak of his career. What could go wrong? But then, a mysterious disease emerges and everything changes. Beautifully written, this is a heartbreaking portrait of the early days of the AIDS crisis, a government that doesn't care, the power of friendship between creatives, and what a young woman is willing to give up for the people she loves.
— Paula Derrow, features editor
“In the Dream House” by Carmen Maria Machado, is a memoir that tells the story of psychological abuse in a queer relationship. It’s dark, but incredibly rewarding as the author dissects lesbian relationships through the lens of reality instead of theory. This book was fundamental in my understanding of my own queerness, particularly when it came to breaking down the stereotype that sapphic couplings are intrinsically “easier” than other romantic entanglements.
— Han Goldstein, social media editor
“Milk Fed” by Melissa Broder is about a love that can never be, though it's not exactly “Wuthering Heights.” It's the story of an affair between a directionless 24-year-old with an eating disorder and an Orthodox Jewish woman at the local fro-yo shop. The queerness is very much front and center, even as the characters exist in a world where being openly gay is impossible.
— Holly Baxter, contributing writer
What’s your favorite LGBTQ+ book or author? What should we cover in a future You Might Like? Send your thoughts to hello@thepersistent.com. We'll be back with more queer recommendations next Friday.
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