TARRA Bookshelf: Pride Book Recommendations From Our LGBTQIA+ Community
Happy Pride Month! We are in the midst of the most colorful month of the year where we unfurl our rainbow stripes and celebrate the beautiful and vibrant spectrum of the human experience.
As Denver’s most inclusive and diverse coworking space and membership club, TARRA is dedicated to fostering a community where everyone’s unique experiences and voices are valued.
This month we shine our multi-hued spotlight on some of our LGBTQIA+ members and their picks for our monthly “Bookshelf” series.
Recommended by our members, these books are perfect for those looking to deepen their connection to the LGBTQIA+ experience.
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, recommended by Liora K. Dudar (She/Her)
The Song of Achilles, written in 2011, draws attention to Achilles the man rather than the hero, looking at his intimate relationship with the tragic figure Patroclus.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, recommended by Tawny Pacheco (She/Her)
It’s an unflinching front seat in someone’s repeated suffering, stripped of surface pleasantries, loosely held by the good intentions of beloved friendships. A difficult read, laced with disbelief, it is gutting. Though indeed, it’s the underbelly of life. The bits hidden behind our walls, that we cannot fix in others, that others cannot fix in us, we either learn to fix in ourselves—or not.
Recommendations by Sarah Graham (She/Her), Founder of Lessons in Liberation
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
This young adult novel published by Rivera, a queer, Bronx-born Puerto Rican author, in 2016 is about coming out and the “longing of growing up exactly right, being human, falling in and out of love, the first unconditional love of family, and learning to navigate the world in a way that allows you to retain your humanity.”
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde (or really anything by Audre Lorde!)
Published in 1984, this quintessential set of 15 essays by black lesbian poet and feminist Audre Lorde provides readers with her takes on sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, and class. The writings are, in Lorde’s own words, a call to “never close our eyes to the terror, to the chaos which is black which is creative which is female which is dark which is rejected which is messy which is…”
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
This young-adult memoir is a contemporary conversation by journalist and activist George M. Johnson published in 2020. The book is a series of essays about Johnson’s journey growing up as a queer Black man in New Jersey and Virginia.
When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff
A book about Aidan, a trans kid who wants to “make things right” for his parents when they are expecting a new baby. Through his journey, Aidan understands that the most important thing about becoming a big brother is how to love with his whole self.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A historical drama, this book is a glimpse into the life of a starlet better known for her romantic endeavors off the screen. At the heart of the novel is a bond between two lovers fated to keep their romance behind the scenes.
Recommendations by Ash Ferguson (She/They), Associate Director for Programs & Community Wellness for Soul2Soul Sisters
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus
A bold debut book that tells the story of two black girls from different backgrounds finding love and happiness in a world that wants to deny them both.
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
A powerful story about 28-year-old Grace Porter who goes to Vegas, marries a woman whose name she doesn’t know, and continues to struggle under the weight of her father’s expectations. Reality comes crashing down and Grace must face what she’s been running from all along.
Mouths of Rain: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought by Briona Simone Jones
This “groundbreaking collection” makes visible “Black ‘queer’ writings across genre, time, identity, age and political leanings.” It contains works from Black women and addresses issues like misogynoir and anti-blackness while also attending to love, romance, “coming out” and the erotic.
