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12 Books to Read After You Come Out
Welcome out! So, you've taken the plunge and emerged from the closet and you're ready to spread your queer wings and fly. But to where? The possibilities are endless, but you need to know where you're going and literature can point the way. Take a gander at this reading list as you learn what it means to be LGBT.
1. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
Where else to begin but with this foundational queer work by one of the most important writers of the century? David, an American in Paris, falls for an Italian man named Giovanni at a time when affection between men was viewed as powerful enough to ruin lives.
2. The City And The Pillar By Gore Vidal
To start, be aware which version of this book you read. One of Gore Vidal's earliest and most fascinating works, he released a version with a revised the ending years after the book came out. What was previously an insanely melodramatic ending was made pretty mundane. The book traces the relationship of two young men struggling to understand their attraction to each other, and is as familiar today as it was when it came out in 1948.
3. The Rules of Attraction by Bret Eason Ellis
Misbehaving college students abound! A youngster named Paul falls for his drug dealer amidst a backdrop of sexual, chemical, and artistic experimentation. What's great (or, depending on your tastes, infuriating) about this book is that the ending is left open for the reader to interpret on their own.
4. The Talented Miss Highsmith by Joan Schenkar
Perhaps it will not shock you to learn that the author of The Talented Mr. Ripley was complex and plagued by demons. This biography is a lengthy, detailed account of her genius, her suffering, and the turmoil she brought to those around her.
5. Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran
You'll be utterly spellbound by this account of life in New York in the 1970s, pre the AIDS crisis. Peek into bathhouses, Fire Island, and cruising spots for a glimpse at a world that would, within a few years, crumble.
6. City of Night by John Rechy
An excellent companion to Dancer from the Dance, this story paints a vivid picture of the West Coast gay scene in the 1960s. Written through the eyes of a sex worker, it's an absolutely vital time capsule of an amazing world, the echoes of which still resound to this day.
7. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
Did you like the movie? That's nice, but the book was better. When George's husband dies in a terrible accident, he has to confront loss, grief, and moving on. It answers questions that many of us have probably asked, namely, what is it that makes life worth living?
8. Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris
A bisexual black man named Raymond navigates the complicated realities of his attraction to a woman and a married man in this debut novel. A bit of a time capsule, it shook the queer publishing world when it came out in the early 90s.
9. Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas
Skip the 2000 film and go straight to the source material. It's the astonishingly true memoir of a man who's done more living than most of us can ever dream of, from fighting alongside Castro, to being jailed for homosexuality, to fleeing to America.
10. Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram
This book was the inspiration for the film Gods and Monsters, tells the (fictional) tale of Frankenstein director James Whale in his declining years. A tortured, closeted elderly artist, Whale struggles in a combative but ever-deepening relationship with his ostensibly straight gardener, Clayton.
11. The Two Hotel Francforts by David Leavitt
Fleeing the devastation of World War II, Pete and Edward meet in Lisbon and immediately feel a spark. The problem is that they're both married to women. What to do?
12. Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
If you never thought to yourself, "Gee I wish I knew more about the masculine/feminine divide of the 1960s" then please read this book. It's one of the most important deep-dives into gender ever written, and it is absolutely vital.
