Pride 2020 is here and we’re kicking it off with a reading list of new and recent releases by LGBTQ authors, celebrating these experiences and the captivating stories they hold. We’ll give you a taste of what you can expect this month on the adult side, and highlight a few titles you may have missed earlier in the year!
And be on the lookout for YA titles this week, too!
The Groom Will Keep His Name by Matt Ortile — June 2
Move The Groom Will Keep His Name to the top of your TBR list— a riotous collection of “witty and captivating” (Bitch Magazine) essays by Matt Ortile.
You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat — June 9
You Exist Too Much is a “provocative and seductive debut” (O, The Oprah Magazine) novel of desire and doubleness following the life of a young Palestinian-American woman caught between cultural, religious, and sexual identities
On a hot day in Bethlehem, a 12-year-old Palestinian-American girl is yelled at by a group of men outside the Church of the Nativity. She has exposed her legs in a biblical city, an act they deem forbidden, and their judgement will echo on through her adolescence. When our narrator finally admits to her mother that she is queer, her mother’s response only intensifies a sense of shame: “You exist too much,” she tells her daughter.
Told in vignettes that flash between the U.S. and the Middle East—from New York to Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine—Zaina Arafat’s debut novel traces her protagonist’s progress from blushing teen to sought-after DJ and aspiring writer. Opening up the fantasies and desires of one young woman caught between cultural, religious, and sexual identities, You Exist Too Much is a captivating story charting two of our most intense longings—for love, and a place to call home.
Trans New York: Photos and Stories of Transgender New Yorkers by Peter Bussian — June 2
Trans New York is a visually stunning, landmark photography book of transgender New Yorkers, complete with thought-provoking and revealing interviews that honor the transgender community and the courage it takes to find oneself and defy societal norms.
This volume explores the growing portion of the LGBTQ+ community that identifies as transgender—an oft-misunderstood and stigmatized group. This visual tour de force presents exquisite portraits of more than fifty New Yorkers who identify as trans, genderqueer, or gender nonbinary, and interviews with them in which they reveal who they are and what their transitions were like and combat common misconceptions and stereotypes. Vibrant and honest, Trans New York will prove to be an enlightening volume, an unparalleled articulation of the expressions of sexuality, gender, and self that New York, in all of its beauty, honesty, and compassion, welcomes, as well as a celebration of the power of finding oneself and a compelling call for respect and acceptance.
Broken People by Sam Lansky — June 9
Broken People has been called “profound and affecting” by Chloe Benjamin, “riveting” by Jamie Lee Curtis, and garnered buzz from Vogue, Parade, Harper’s Bazaar, and more.
Lansky’s novel follows a young man named Sam—neurotic, depressed—looking to start a new life in Los Angeles after his former life in New York imploded. It is here that he first learns of a globe-trotting shaman who claims to perform “open-soul surgery” on emotionally damaged people—this knowledge sets Sam off on a journey into the nature of truth and fiction—a story of discovering hope amid cynicism, intimacy within chaos and peace in our own skin. Lansky’s novel isn’t out for another week, but you can get that much closer to it by pre-ordering it now!
Recent releases:
Boys of Alabama by Genevieve Hudson, Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner, Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz, Later: My Life at the Edge of the World by Paul Lisicky, Homie by Danez Smith, Untamed by Glennon Doyle, Cleanness by Garth Greenwell, and Real Life by Brandon Taylor are among our favorites of the year so far. Follow their links to learn more!
This is just the beginning. Be sure to keep tuning in here and on BookPeople’s social channels for more Pride celebration. And don’t forget to shop these titles and more online at BookPeople today—curbside pickup is up and running again and we ship worldwide!
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