June marks the start of Pride month, a time for us to celebrate and reflect on LGBT+ lives, history and experiences.
While much progress has been made for many falling under the rainbow banner, others continue to be misrepresented and persecuted for the crime of simply being themselves.
In a hostile climate, solidarity between all marginalised people is more important than ever. And since time immemorial, books have been one of the most effective ways to share knowledge, organise and educate.
Literature connects communities, reminds us of our shared humanity and helps us to forge a path through the darkness. So, we’ve selected some of the best LGBT+ books of the last few years that we think have done just that.
Read them all – we need these voices now more than ever.
How we tested
We picked a selection of the best fiction, non-fiction, YA, and poetry books written by authors identifying as LGBT+ and that have been published in the past few years to produce this shortlist. To find our favorites, we spent many happy hours reading some incredible books before settling on this collection. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did.
The 15 Best LGBT+ books for 2023 are:
- Best overall – ‘Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex’ by Angela Chen, published by Beacon Press: £10.99, Blackwells.co.uk
- Best poetry – ‘C+nto & Othered Poems’ by Joelle Taylor, published by Saqi Books: £8.39, Hive.co.uk
- Best fiction – ‘Young Mungo’ by Douglas Stuart, published by Macmillan: £10.99, Blackwells.co.uk
- Best non-fiction – ‘The Transgender Issue’ by Shon Faye, published by Allen Lane: £9.49, Waterstones.com
- Best short story collection – ‘A Dream of a Woman’ by Casey Plett, published by Arsenal Pulp Press: £10.55, Hive.co.uk
- Best for romance – ‘Last Night at the Telegraph Club’ by Malinda Lo, published by Hachette: £7.99, Blackwells.co.uk
- Best coming-of-age tale – ‘The Black Flamingo’ by Dean Atta, published by Hachette: £7.99, Waterstones.com
- Best for LGBT+ history –‘Sensible Footwear: A Girl’s Guide’ by Kate Charlesworth, published by Myriad Editions: £13.79, Hive.co.uk
- Best for laughs – ‘Wow, No Thank You’ by Samantha Irby, published by Faber & Faber: £9.99, Waterstones.com
- Best for learning about gender – ‘Non-Binary Lives: An Anthology of Intersecting Identities’ edited by Jos Twist, Ben Vincent, Meg-John Barker and Kat Gupta, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers: £13.79, Amazon.co.uk
- Best literary read – ‘In the Dream House’ by Carmen Maria Machado, published by Graywolf Press: £8.19, Amazon.co.uk
- Best poignant read –‘Who Killed My Father’ by Edouard Louis, published by Penguin: £8.99, Waterstones.com
- Best new British novelist –‘Rainbow Milk’ by Paul Mendez, published by Hachette: £14.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best memoir – ‘I’m Afraid of Men’ by Vivek Shraya, published by Penguin Random House Canada: £9.79, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for understanding the migrant experience – ‘Patsy’ by Nicole Dennis-Benn, published by Oneworld Publications: £8.99, Waterstones.com