The List:  Within each heading, books are loosely arranged in order of most relevant/useful to least relevant/useful, based on his own assessment of reviews, personal experience, etc.

 

Major/Current Queer Authors:

-         Kate Bornstein

o       Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws, 2006. ISBN 978-1583227206. $11.53.

-         Ivan E. Coyote:

o       The Slow Fix, 2009. ISBN 978-1551522470. Autobiographical short stories, being a tomboyish lesbian in a small town. Widely reviewed.

o       Loose End, 2005. ISBN 978-1551521923. Short stories about urban life, connections across cultural differences.

o       One Man’s Trash: Stories, 2002. ISBN 978-1551521206.

o       Close To Spider Man, 2000. ISBN 978-1551520865. Tomboys’ and lesbians’ coming-of-age stories. Artful and literary.

-         Judith “Jack” Halberstam:

o       The Drag King Book, 1999. ISBN 978-1852426071. Photography and essays on drag king culture.

-         Jennifer Finney Boylan

o       I’m Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted, 2008. ISBN 978-0767921756. $11.21. A novelistic memoir about going back to her hometown post-transition.

o       She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders, 2004. ISBN 978-0767914291. $10.17. A transgender woman’s memoir. Funny.

-         David Sedaris

o       When You are Engulfed in Flames, 2009. ISBN 978-0316154680. $10.87. Sedaris’s most recent and most poignant collection. Being gay isn’t its focal point, but it is woven into the essays with an everyday-ness that is refreshing and touching. Gets my personal approval. A healthy representation of gayness in the everyday.

-         David Levithan

o       Wide Awake, 2008. ISBN 978-0375834677. $8.99. Novel set in a future where a gay, Jewish president is elected. About taking political action. Very well-reviewed.

o       The Realm of Possibility, 2006. ISBN 978-0375836572. $8.95. Collection of intersecting poems from various points of view. Intersections of identities. Young adult.

o       Boy Meets Boy, 2005. ISBN 978-0375832994. $8.95. Young adult novel set in an idealized high school where homo- and hetero- desire are equally accepted. Reviews call it ground-breaking.

-         Christopher Rice

o       Light Before Day, 2007. ISBN 978-0743470407. $7.99. Less gothic than his first two novels, a standard Rice-esque mystery that might be notable for its homoeroticism.

o       The Snow Garden, 2004. ISBN 978-0743470384. $7.99. Queer college mystery gothic novel. Mixed reviews suggest it’s interesting but histrionic.

o       A Density of Souls, 2001. ISBN 978-0786886463. $9.36. Mixed reviews suggest a juvenile tone but a vaguely interesting story.

 

Gender Issues:

Trans Masculinity:

-         From the Inside Out: Radical Gender Transformation, FTM and Beyond, ed. Morty Diamond, 2004. ISBN 978-0916397968. $11.16. A collection of essays from female-bodied people who identify with various gender identities.

-         Transmen and FTMs: Identities, Bodies, Genders, and Sexualities, by Jason Cromwell, 1999. ISBN 978-0252068256. Ethnography of transmen and FTMs, includes personal stories, deals with blurring the line between male and female rather than transitioning from one to the other.

-         Just Add Hormones: An Insider’s Guide to the Transsexual Experience, by Matt Kailey, 2006. ISBN 978-0807079591. Autobiographical, cheeky, complex, frank. Deals with surgeries, hormones, and psychological journey of a transman.

-         Becoming a Visible Man by Jamison Green, 2004. ISBN 978-0826514578. $16.47. An intelligent, political, and personal story of a transman’s transition. Well-reviewed.

-         Becoming Alec, by Darwin Ward, 2007. ISBN 978-0615174686. $13.50. A novel, not very well-reviewed or widely reviewed, about a lesbian-identified person who realizes ze is a straight man.

-         The Testosterone Files: My Hormonal and Social Transformation from Female to Male, by Max Wolf Valerio, 2006. ISBN 978-1580051736. $10.85. Seems frank and detailed, but reviews suggest its view of gender is unfortunately binarized.

-         Both Sides Now: One Man's Journey Through Womanhood, by Dhillon Khosla, 2006. ISBN 978-1585424726. $10.54. An FTM memoir. Reviews suggest its notion of gender is binarized and the prose is a little flat.

Trans Femininity:

-         Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity, by Julia Serano, 2007. ISBN 978-1580051545. Feminist account of a transgender lesbian’s experience with femininity.

-         Transparent: Love, Family, and Living the T with Transgender Teenagers, by Cris Beam, 2008. ISBN 978-0156033770. $11.20. A feminist’s account of volunteering with high-school age transgender women in LA. Well-reviewed.

Gender Issues Generally:

-         In a Queer Time and Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives, by Judith “Jack” Halberstam, 2009. ISBN 978-0814735855. $18.52. A study of representations of trans bodies in various media. Widely reviewed and well-reviewed.

-         Transgender Voices: Beyond Women and Men, by Lori B. Girshick, 2009. ISBN 978-1584656838. $22.23. Well-reviewed study of individual sex- and gender-variant people. Addresses changing sexualities as well as gender identities.

-         Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word), by Thea Hillman, 2008. ISBN 978-1933149240. $10.17. A memoir of fitting and not fitting into the gender binary. Complex and deeply personal.

-         Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality, by Anne Fausto-Sterling, 2000. ISBN 978-0465077144. $14.28. Academic but humorous, erudite but accessible. Not radical social constructionist—rather, looks at the ways social and political viewpoints color the results we get from science.

-         Lynnee Breedlove’s One Freak Show, by Lynn Breedlove, 2009. ISBN 978-1933149325. $10.17. Nominee for Lambda Literary Award, comic, and genderqueer.

 

 

The Movement: Politics and History:

-         Crisis: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social, and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing up Gay in America, Mitchell Gold and Mindy Drucker, 2008. ISBN 978-1929774104. Nonfictional accounts of the many areas in which young gay people meet with trauma today.

-         The New Gay Teenager, by Ritch C. Savin-Williams, 2005. ISBN 978-0674016736. $19.96. Academic and psychological study that reviews suggest is accessible and engaging. Looks at new language emerging to describe sexuality (boidyke, trannyboy, etc), and the fluidity of desire and identity it suggests.

-         The Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth-Century America, by Margot Canaday, 2009. ISBN 978-0691135984. $23.96. Looks at how politics and the government have shaped the LGBT movement. Well-reviewed, good for a political standpoint.

-         The Queer Child, or, Growing Sideways in the Twentieth Century, by Kathryn Bond Stockton, 2009. ISBN 978-0822343868. $20.65. More theoretical than other texts on this list. Looks at coding children as queer and coding queers as childlike in novels and popular movies.

-         Ties That Bind: Familial Homophobia and Its Consequences, by Sarah Schulman, 2009. ISBN 978-1595584809. $17.96. Well-reviewed. Situates the homophobia rampant in our culture in the way homosexuals are treated within their own families.

-         Transgender History by Susan Stryker, 2008. ISBN 978-1580052245. $10.17. A readable history from post-WWII to today.

-         Addressing Homophobia and Heterosexism on College Campuses, by Elizabeth Cramer, 2003. ISBN 978-1560233053. $39.95. Addresses specific techniques for addressing LGBT identities and diversity in the classroom and on campus.

-         That’s Revolting: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation, ed. Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, 2008. ISBN 978-1593761950. $13.57. Essays on “cutting-edge queer activism”. Resists the trend in the queer community to fight for “straight privilege”, which constitutes, for this book, assimilation and becoming  a “Stepford homosexual”. Probably a good perspective to represent, even if we don’t all agree.

-         Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity, ed. Matt Bernstein Sycamore, 2006. ISBN 978-1580051842. $10.85. Essays on passing and its problematics. A radical, angry, nonconformist perspective.

-         Inspiration for LGBT Students and Their Allies, by Anthony D’Angelo et al., 2002. ISBN 978-0964695740. $14.95. Personal stories and affirmations for allies and LGBT students. Emphasizes importance of allies.

 

 

Literature:

About Queer Men:

-         At Swim, Two Boys, by Jamie O’Neill, 2003. ISBN 978-0743222952. $6.40. Beautiful historical novel, likened to James Joyce. Gains my personal recommendation as a scholar of literature and as a reader of novels.

-         How Long Has This Been Going On? By Ethan Mordden, 1997. ISBN 978-0312168674. $9.99. A little dated, but engaging and relevant still. Gives a very engrossing, character-focused account of American gay history. Younger gay readers emerge with an understanding of gay history without realizing they were learning about history. Personal recommendation from me.

-         Holding the Man, by Timothy Conigrave, 2007. ISBN 978-0978825959. $14.95. A novel, highly reviewed by editorial sources.

-         Call Me By Your Name, by Andre Aciman, 2008. ISBN 978-0312426781. $10.08. Very well-reviewed. A young gay man, erotic longing, set in 1970’s in the Mediterranean.

About Queer Women

-         Baby, Remember My Name, ed. Michelle Tea, 2007. ISBN 978-0786717927. $11.21. A collection of new, young, queer women writers. Reviews call it energetic and muscular.

-         Mean Little deaf Queer, by Terri Galloway, 2009. ISBN 978-0807072905. $16.46. Memoir of a disabled queer woman. Reviewed widely. Reviews call it hilarious and edgy.

-         Leaving India: My Family's Journey from Five Villages to Five Continents, by Minal Hajratwala, 2009. ISBN 978-0618251292. $15.24. As much about Indian diaspora as it is about the sexuality of the protagonist. Well-reviewed and a winner of a Lambda Literary Award.

-         The Creamsickle, by Rhiannon Argo, 2009. ISBN 978-1935226079. $11.21. Winner of a Lambda Lit Award, novel about young bois and femme lesbians, about the top/bottom divide.

-         The IHOP Papers, by Ali Liebegott, 2007. ISBN 978-0786717941. $11.21. Well-reviewed. Young lesbian coming-of-age story.

About Queer Experiences:

-         The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities, ed. David Levithan, 2006. ISBN 978-0375832901. $9.95. A collection of work by young queer people between the ages of 13-23.

-         Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides, 2007. ISBN 978-0312427733. $10.20. Very well-known and highly-regarded novel about an intersex individual understanding his family history and his own body and identity.

Graphic Novels:

-         Likewise: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag, by Ariel Shrag, 2009. ISBN 1416552375. $6.40. Final installment of Ariel Schrag’s high school coming out and growing up story. Very well-reviewed.

-         Rent Girl, by Michelle Tea, 2004. ISBN 978-0867196207. $18.21. Autobiographical account of a lesbian who becomes a sex worker. Reviews suggest it is dark but funny and the artwork is beautiful.

-         Bad Habits: A Love Story, by Cristy C. Road, 2008. ISBN 978-1593762155. $10.17. Well-reviewed by online feminist sources like Bitch and Curve magazine and others. Characters and artwork are interesting, though some reviewers suggest the plot is lacking. Gender variance and intersecting identities.

-         X-Men: Angel Revelations, by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, 2009. ISBN 978-0785132943. $15.59. Angel of the X-Men discovers his mutant ability, befriends a gay student at their boys’ school because of their shared outsider status.

-         The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, by Alison Bechdel, 2008. ISBN 978-0618968800. $16.50. A compilation and newest installment of the ever-popular DTWOF comics.

-         Indestructible, by Cristy C. Road, 2006. ISBN 978-0977055777. $6.00. An autobiographical graphic novel about a young bisexual woman in high school. About defending gender identity and changing sexuality and intersecting identities.

-         Potential: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag, by Ariel Schrag, 2008. ISBN 978-1416552352. $10.20. Written by a queer woman still in high school, this coming-out story addresses being queer as an adolescent.

-         The Book of Boy Trouble: Gay Boy Comics with a New Attitude, eds. Robert Kirby and David Kelly, 2006. ISBN 978-1931160452. $12.86. A best-of compilation of comics from the 90’s to now.

-         Strugglers, by Tim Fish, 2006. ISBN 978-0976278634. $10.00. About accidental roommates coming-of-age and coming out.  

-         Trust/Truth, by Tim Fish, 2008. ISBN 978-0976278696. $13.50. Romantic comedic novelette.

 

Coming Out:

General LGBTQ Coming Out:

-         GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens by Kelly Huegel, 2003. ISBN 978-1575421261. Tailored to teens and gets good reviews from educators. Might be geared toward people a little younger than most college students, but it also might be relevant for freshmen. Reviewers think it’s hip and conversational.

-         The Gay and Lesbian Guide to College Life,  by the Princeton Review, 2007. ISBN 978-0375766237. $9.86. Advice from administrators for new college students. Finding LGBT-friendly spaces, creating LGBT friendly spaces.

-         Now That You're Out of the Closet, What About the Rest of the House? By Lisa Handel, 2000. ISBN 978-1570716522. Written by lesbian who came out in middle-age, might not speak to students here. Recognizes the fear of joining a community that you’re unfamiliar with, though, which is relevant to any newly-out person.

-         Revolutionary Voices, ed. Amy Sonnie, 2000. ISBN 978-1555835583. A collection of poetry and prose by queer youth. Reviewers praise it for being revolutionary and for speaking directly to the diversity of queer youth experiences today. Reviewers also comment that the work here deals with anger and pain of being queer and feeling invisible.

-         Conversaciones: Relatos por padres y madres de hijas lesbianas y hijos gay by Mariana Romo-Carmona, 2001. ISBN 978-1573441261. In Spanish. Coming out stories from Latin American households.

For Trans People:

-         The Transgender Companion (Male To Female): The Complete Guide To Becoming The Woman You Want To Be by Jennifer Seeley, 2007. ISBN 978-1434813220. A guide to transitioning for transwomen. Positive.

-         Transitions - A Guide To Transitioning for Transsexuals and Their Families by Mara Drummond, 2009. ISBN 978-0557052615. Not many reviews to read. I read the Intro, found that it focused a lot on discomfort, which seemed a little negative, but then again perhaps that would speak to people going through it that way.

For Men:

-         Bi Men: Coming Out Every Which Way, eds. Ron Jackson Suresha, Pete Chvany, 2006. ISBN: 978-1560236146. Positive editorial reviews. Looks very affirming, positive, celebratory.

-         The Way Out: The Gay Man's Guide to Freedom No Matter if You're in Denial, Closeted, Half In, Half Out, Just Out or Been Around the Block by Chris Nutter, 2006. ISBN 978-0757303920. A blend of philosophy/memoir. Addresses the self-destructive messages portrayed by gay culture and straight culture alike.

-         How I Learned to Snap: A Small Town Coming-of-Age and Coming-Out Story by Kirk Read, 2001. ISBN 978-1588180391. Short and easy to read, funny and engaging. Novelistic memoir that’s clever and sincere and relevant to younger gay men.

-         Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School by C.J. Pascoe, 2007. ISBN 978-0520252301. Academic, but accessible. Less about coming out, more about culture and identity formation in high school, but it does focus on the uniqueness of today’s queer youth (specifically, gay male youth) and the differences between developing a queer identity today and queer identities in the past.

-         Brotherhood: Gay Life in College Fraternities, ed. Shane L. Windemeyer, 2005. ISBN 978-1555838560. $7.00. Compiles the guidance and experiences of young gay men in fraternities.

For Women:

-         How To Be A Happy Lesbian: A Coming Out Guide, Tracey Stevens and Katherine Wunder, 2003. ISBN 978-0971962804. A lot of positive reviews, suggesting the personal tone is accessible. Positive reviews also suggest the book covers a lot of ground on coming out to friends, family, self.

-         Figuring It Out by N.S.B., 2007. ISBN 978-0979216305. Individual memoir about the length and phases of the coming out process.

-         Secret Sisters: Stories about Being Lesbian and Bisexual in a College Sorority, eds. Pamela W. Freeman and Shane L. Windmeyer, 2001. ISBN 978-1555835880. $1.99. Personal essays chronicling the experiences of lesbian and bisexual women in sororities from the 50’s til now.

-         Testimonies: Lesbian Coming-Out Stories, eds. Sarah Holmes and Jennifer Tust, re-released 2002. ISBN 978-1555835460. Originally published in the 70s, but updated and revised. Several formative coming out stories.

Dated but relevant “How-To” Manuals:

-         Outing Yourself: How to Come Out as Lesbian or Gay to Your Family, Friends, and Coworkers by Michelangelo Signorile, 1996. ISBN 978-0684826172. Often referenced by other books and on the web.

-         Coming Out Every Day: A Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning Man's Guide by Bret K. Johnson, 1997. ISBN 978-1572240643.

-         Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth and Their Allies, eds. Ellen Bass and Kate Kaufman, 1996. ISBN 978-0060951047.

-         Coming Out In College, by Robert Rhoads, 1994. ISBN 978-0897894210. $27.95. Primarily about gay men and identity formation in the face of prejudice.

 

-         Stone Butch Blues, by Leslie Feinberg, 2004. ISBN 978-1555838539. $10.17. A novel.

-         GENDER-QUEER: Voices from Beyond the Sexual Binary, eds. Joan Nestle, Riki Wilchins, Clare Howell, 2003. ISBN 978-1555837303. Provides personal stories and beyond-the-binary perspectives. Reviewers find it galvanizing and touching, eye-opening to the diversity possible in the gray spaces of the gender binary.

-         True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism—for Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals, by Mildred L. Brown and Chloe Ann Rounsley, 2003. ISBN 978-0787967024. $12.89. Widely recommended for transpeople who are struggling with coming out.

-         Out and about Campus: Personal Accounts by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered College Students, eds. Kim Howard and Annie Stevens, 2000. ISBN 9781555834807. Addresses stories of 28 students from different colleges, different queer identities. Gets good reviews and is specifically about college experiences, very relevant.

-         Trans Liberation, by Leslie Feinberg, 1999. ISBN 978-0807079515. $13.68. Gender Variance.

-         My Gender Workbook, by Kate Bornstein, 1997. ISBN 978-0415916738. $28.04. Gender variance. Actively challenges reader to think about their gender identity.

-         Am I Blue? Coming Out From the Silence, ed. Marion Dane Bauer, 1995. ISBN 978-0064405874. $7.99. A collection of short stories about gay and lesbian teens.