Pride Month is officially here and what better way to celebrate than to read some memoirs and nonfiction books by celebrities and members of the LGBTQ+ community? From personal accounts to studies on the LGBTQ+ community, here are some nonfiction stories you won’t want to miss out on this summer!
Boyslut by Zachary Zane
Part memoir and part manifesto, this book is about Zachary Zane in a coming-of-age story from coming out as a bisexual man to becoming one of the funniest sex and relationship columnists of today. In this collection of essays, Zachary explores how society still shames people for not only their sexuality, but his personal relationships that have been affected from sex shame in general.
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Maia Kobabe uses e/em/eir pronouns and now has eir autobiography out in the world. This is the exploration into Maia’s self-identify combined with other items such as adolescent crushes, coming out to family and friends, trauma, and the true discovery of what it means to be asexual and nonbinary.
We See Each Other by Tre’vell Anderson
From RuPaul’s Drag Race to Psycho to America’s Next Top Model and Pose, you wouldn’t believe what culture reporter Tre’vell Anderson covers in this book that studies the history of transgender representation throughout history in film and television.
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H
In this memoir, the story of Lamya H all began when she realized at fourteen that she had a crush on her female teacher. Born in South Asia and moving to the Middle East when she was young, Lamya felt out of place, only wanting to remain unnoticed. After reading an article about a woman who was pregnant and claimed that no man had touched her, everything changed. This memoir is the story about a queer hijabi Muslim immigrant and her journey into finding her identity.
Tweaker World by Jason Yamas
After everything fell apart for him, Jason moved from Los Angeles to Berkeley looking for a fresh start. The one thing standing in his way was his biggest secret: his Adderall addiction had escalated to a crystal meth binge that he has no control over. Jason soon finds himself deep in the party scene of the Bay Area’s gay community and eventually one of San Francisco’s top drug dealers as his addiction escalates and friends and family are desperate to get him into recovery.
I Have Something to Tell You by Chasten Buttigieg
Chasten Buttigieg’s I Have Something to Tell You is a memoir about Chasten’s journey into self-discovery from growing up gay in a small Midwest town to developing a relationship with Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. Chasten recalls what it was like to come to terms with being gay, coming out, and meeting Pete in his memoir.
Pageboy by Elliot Page
Elliot Page got attention from the world for his performance in Juno and his new memoir tells the story of Elliot’s discovery as a trans person and navigating his career while trying to reach his biggest dreams. After the success of Juno, Elliot was forced to play the part of a young starlet, making him feel suffocated. Elliot is now telling his story from secret love affairs to battling body image issues to everything that culminated before Elliot realized enough was enough.
Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco
Nyle DiMarco’s life began when he was half of a pair of Deaf twins in a multi-generational Deaf family in Queens, New York. Now, Nyle is an actor, producer, model, and advocate. In this equally funny and emotional memoir, Nyle gives an honest account as to what it was like to grow up in Queens with an Italian American family to where he is now – all while trying to navigate in a world that was built for those who can hear in this story about Deaf culture and love letter to American Sign Language.
The Male Gazed: On Hunks, Heartthrobs, and What Pop Culture Taught Me About (Desiring) Men by Manuel Betancourt
Manuel Betancourt grew up in Bogota, Colombia and dealt with the social pressure to appear strong and masculine – creating the ultimate “straight” image. From the stars of Saved by the Bell to pop star Ricky Martin, Manuel found himself asking himself if he wanted to be them or if he wanted them. This memoir and collection of essays explores masculinity through decades of pop culture and the expectations of what men can be, what they wear, and toxic masculinity as a gay man.
For more books to celebrate this Pride Month with, check out these reads>>>
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