LQBTQ+-+Non+Fiction

**Non-Fiction books on all things related to LGBTQ** A LGBTQ teen looking for a survival guide? Questioning your identity? Living with LGBTQ parents or have LGBTQ friends who you would like understand better? Or maybe you are just looking for a resource list? Whatever it is, here are some non-fiction books loosely divided along the lines of Survival Guides & Information Books, Stories, Portraits & Essays, History and Memoirs, which you may enjoy. Click on the titles of the books for a link to WorldCat

**SURVIVAL GUIDES** **& INFORMATION BOOKS**

 * **GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens**

A must have for every library or school collection. This book covers all topics important to LGBTQ, from coming out, homophobia, sexuality, religion and school issues. It is honest and informative without being patronizing and is relevant to all teens interested in the subject whether or not they are questioning or are looking for a guide to help them manage their identity. The second edition of the book (2011) also contains more current issues like cyber bullying. Click here to read an interview with the author, Kelly Huegel. ||=  ||
 * **Queer: The Ultimate LQBT Guide for Teens**

A comprehensive guide that covers what it means to be LGBTQ with practical advice written in a humourous way. With tips, anecdotes and comic strips, this book tackles the difficult topics with an ease and humanity that speaks to its reader on a personal level. ||=  ||
 * **What if Someone I know Is Gay?: Answers to Questions about Gay and Lesbian People**

If question and answer is your style, then this is the book for you. With answers to 300 of the frequently asked questions about LQBTQ, this book covers a wide range of issues from sexuality all the way to discrimination. Perfect for teenagers who want to understand their LGBTQ friends better. ||=  ||
 * **Let's Get This Straight: The Ultimate Handbook for Youth with LGBTQ Parents**

This book is for young people who have LGBTQ parents covering family structures and affirms the normalcy of such family units. It sheds light on problems and barriers and includes tips on how to overcome them be it within the family or in school. ||=  ||
 * **Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know about Their Legal Rights**

This book contains information on the legal rights of LGBTQ youths with examples on how these rights can be asserted. Systematic and comprehensive, this book is easy to read and includes a brief history gay legislation and an essential addition to any LGBTQ non-fiction collection. ||=  ||

**STORIES, PORTRAITS & ESSAYS**

 * **Hear Me Out: True Stories of Teens Educating and Confronting Homophobia**

A book containing LGBTQ stories set in Canada, //Hear Me Out// chronicles the personal experiences of twenty-two young LGBTQ people who found self-acceptance and hope. An extensive review can be found here which also details the book's link to T.E.A.C.H. (Teens Educating and Confronting Homophobia), an program in Toronto. ||=  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**The Shared Heart: Portraits and Stories Celebrating Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young People**

//The Shared Heart// tells its story in narratives anchored by photographs. A vivid portrait is painted of the individuals in the photos who share the struggles they had with coming out and the how it affected the people around them. Courageous and candid, this book is life-affirming and inspiring and comes straight from the heart. ||= <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Telling Tales Out of School**

If you like stories set in school, then this is the book for you. This collection of stories centers around the school experience, whether it is choosing to come out while in school or reflections on how it was being in school and struggling with one's identity. This is a book that will speak to those who have not found acceptance in their school community. ||= <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities**

A collection of poetry and essays by writers no older than 23, //The Full Spectrum// showcases a wide range of experiences, from the emotionally painful to those of unconditional love and support. Beautifully and movingly written, the stories in the book are bound to leave their readers with hope arising from the courage of the writers who came forward with their stories. A more extensive review of the book can be found here. ||= <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents**

This is collection of short stories by adults who have grown up with LGBTQ parents and is an especially good book for young people whose traditional families have been broken because one parent has come out. Not all the stories reflect adults who are happy with what has happened but the stories in the book are kept real and honest and ultimately explore the love between parent and child and how it affects the journey to acceptance. This book is more suitable for older teens. ||= <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Outspoken: Role Models from the Lesbian and Gay Community**

An inspiring book highlighting the success stories of the LGBTQ community, this book is an essential read for LGBTQ youth who feel that they are disadvantaged in life because of their sexual orientation. Containing interviews with successful individuals like an Olympic silver medalist, this book encourages youths in marginalized positions to rise above their circumstances and to be confident about who they are. ||= <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**HISTORY**

 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Gay America: Struggle for Equality**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The companion book for LGBTQ youth who are interested in learning more about the history of gays and lesbians in America. From pre-twentieth-century America all the way to present, important events are highlighted with each story told in first person, making it readable while slightly fictionalised. An interview with the author can be found here. ||= <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Hear Us Out: Lesbian and Gay Stories of Struggle, Progress and Hope, 1950- Present**

A mix of both fiction and non-fiction, //Hear Us Out// gracefully weaves a historical narrative in two parts, using essays to highlight key events and the political and social impact surrounding it, and short stories to reflect the experience of those who went through those events. Highly readable, this book has won many accolades.

**Professional Reviews** (taken from Amazon.com)

“Poignant and at times heartbreaking.” **—//VOYA//**

“An accessible narrative history. . . The issues and questions will reach out to all teens.” **—//Booklist//**

"Nancy Garden's //Hear Us Out!// is a unique combination of fiction and history. Garden does a superb job of summarizing the history of gay and lesbian experiences . . . . enhanced by the author's personal insights, since she has lived the events she describes, and her well-written stories further illuminate the difficult journey to acceptance." —**//English Journal//, an NCTE Publication**

“[Nancy Garden] is an icon in the field of gay and lesbian writing.”—//**Publishers Weekly**//

"GLBT teens will find themselves in this important collection."—//**Kirkus Reviews**//

“Concise, engaging and welcoming.”—//**The Horn Book**// ||= <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**MEMOIRS**

 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Talking in the Dark**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">A memoir written in poetry, Merrell, shares 22 years of his life, his parents' and his own failed relationship and the discovery of his homosexuality in a form that captures the essence of his feelings. Intelligent and provoking, //Talking in the Dark// reflects the struggle of one LGBTQ youth on its deepest and most powerful level. ||= <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss and What I Learned**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Written and drawn by Judd Winick, this graphic novel tells the story of Pedro Zamora, who was diagnosed HIV-positive at the age of 17. Inspired to help others, he became an AIDS educator, sharing with young people about the disease and helping them with their self-esteem. Before he succumbed to AIDS in 1994, he starred in the cast of //The Real World: San Francisco.// A moving story depicted through black and white comic-strip art, this book is one that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. A detailed review can be found here. ||= <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ||
 * <span class="wiki_link_ext" style="font-size: 110%;">**Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic**

Written and drawn by Alison Bechdel //Fun Home// is Alison's memoir of growing up with a family that's dysfunctional in more ways than one. Alison's father is a high school English teacher and funeral director who loves his beautiful furniture more than his children. More importantly, Alison's father is a closeted gay man who sleeps with young boys. Alison recounts the huge impact her father had on her life, his personal tragedies overshadowing her coming of age and coming out. //Fun Home//, is drawn in a distinctive style with the pictures adding meaning and giving context to the writing. The detail of the drawing greatly enrich Bechdel's memoir. For those people who enjoy reading, Bechdel's memoir is filled with literary references. A great memoir for those not only in the LGBTQ community, but for those who have ever felt their lives overtaken by their families. || ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Click here for a full MLA citation list of the books mentioned on this page.