Book recommendations for Pride Month: NPR

June is Pride Month in the United States and commemorates the Stonewall riots that began on June 28, 1969. They marked a turning point for a new generation of political activism. It’s an opportunity to celebrate queer people in history and continue the fight for full and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people around the world.

From history books and cozy mysteries to plenty of romance, we’ve rounded up eight books to help you celebrate Pride Month.

bad girls by Camila Sosa Villada, translated by Kit Maude

Camila Sosa Villada went to Córdoba to study Communication Sciences at the University of the Argentine city. But when she slips into Sarmiento Park to spy on the travesti, or transgender sex workers, who work there nights, she quickly finds herself part of her family, led by 178-year-old Aunt Encarna.

It’s not a glamorous life – death lurks in the park and the women endure constant brutality from their families, clients and other sources – but despite the difficulties, Camila feels at home for the first time.

A beautifully written and expertly translated work of autofiction, Sosa Villada’s tales of headless horsemen and women turning into birds are a breathtaking mediation about gender, our bodies and the bonds that bind.

I Was Better Last Night: A Memory by Harvey Fierstein

I felt better last night offers stories about everything from Harvey Fierstein’s high school smoking terrace to his beginnings as a supporting actor in Andy Warhol’s pork meat and all the backstage gossip La Cage aux Folles. But the memoir goes well beyond the (often well-deserved) cheekiness that characterizes Fierstein’s writing.

He speaks bluntly about his battle with addiction, the sense of abandonment he felt during the AIDS crisis, and the anxiety that caused how many people in the entertainment industry treated him even as he received awards for his work after the others won – many of which focused on the lives of gay men.

The result is a poignant reflection on a decades-long career as a playwright and actor that will make you alternately laugh and cry.

And if Fierstein had just written I felt better last night it would have been enough, but we’re happy to say he’s also narrating the audio book.

It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic by Jack Lowery

With a mix of interviews, archive footage and historical records It was vulgar and it was beautiful weaves together a hard-hitting account of the tireless efforts of activists during the height of the AIDS crisis, with a focus on the arts collective Gran Fury, an offshoot of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT UP.

In the face of willful government inaction and widespread public disinformation, the group viewed their activism as a publicity venture — looking for material that would grab the public’s attention and focus their attention on the pandemic ravaging the country.

And to their credit, they succeeded. The collective is responsible for some of the most powerful protest artworks in modern history, including the now-iconic slogan “Silence = Death,” which has been featured on posters and t-shirts across New York City.

Lowery tenderly reconstructs the protracted planning, overwhelming sadness, and occasional joy of the era to create an accessible story of the AIDS crisis and the activists who fought to make a difference.

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

Sometimes love can blossom in unexpected places – like cooking contests!

Recently divorced and trapped in a job she hates, Dahlia Woodson hopes Chef’s Special, a cooking competition for home cooks, can give her a chance for a fresh start. Though she’s considering her finances, a shot at the grand prize wouldn’t hurt.

In any case, she’s certainly not looking for romance as she embarrasses herself in front of London Parker, the show’s first non-binary contestant, who hopes to use the wins to open a non-profit organization for queer teens. The couple can’t deny the spark between them and they soon find themselves embroiled in a romance on and off screen.

But as they grapple with family expectations, transphobic competitors and the stakes of losing the competition, Dahlia and London must decide if their romance can withstand the heat.

Payback is a witch by Lana Harper

Emmy Harlow left the magical town of Thistle Grove, Illinois nine years ago after a bad breakup. Now, thanks to a very efficient sense of guilt, she’s back to serve as the judge for the Gauntlet of the Grove, a magic tournament held every 50 years.

Emmy is determined to do her job and get out of town as soon as possible when Linden Thorn – her best friend – and Talia Avramov approach her with a plan to rig the competition against the boy who is killing them all heart broke: Gareth Blackmoore.

The thought of screwing Gareth down a few sticks is irresistible to Emily. There’s just one problem: she can’t stop thinking about Talia.

son of sin by Omar Sacr

Poet Omar Sakr’s debut novel follows Jamal Smith, a queer Arab Australian, through the years as he struggles to mitigate the conflict between his desires and the strict Muslim family he loves.

Beginning with Jamal’s sexual awakening on the holiest night of Ramadan, the novel follows him through his youth and beyond as he watches the 2005 Cronulla riots on TV, visits his estranged father in Turkey, and tries to make sense of the world – and the abuse he endured.

The romantic agenda by Claire Kann

30-year-old Joy is outgoing, loves puns and is not ashamed of herself or her asexuality. She has also been in love with her best friend Malcolm since they met in college, although she never told him.

But when Malcolm asks her to be a fourth wheel on vacation with him, his new love Summer and Summer’s ex-boyfriend Fox, it’s all too much. Joy needs a plan to show Malcolm what he’s missing before it’s too late.

When Fox suggests falling in love to make Malcolm jealous, Joy agrees. After all, what could go wrong?

The examiners by JanePek

Claudia Lin has a few secrets. Her mother is still trying to set Claudia up with “a nice Chinese boy,” and no one in her family knows that she left the menial job in finance her brother found for her to work for Veracity, a company , which helps customers investigate and “verify” the people they meet on dating sites.

One day, Iris – a mysterious client with an unusual request – shows up at Veracity’s offices. She is investigating people she met online but with whom she is no longer in contact. But when she turns up dead and misses an important appointment, Claudia is told to drop the case. Obviously this is not an option.

Inspired by her literary hero, Inspector Yuan, Claudia sets out to uncover the truth behind Iris’ death, the human heart and our online world.