#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook and you can learn more about it here. It occurs every Monday when we post about 5 books on our TBR.
As a theme kind of emerged within nonfiction for my first few books, I decided to stick with it for the rest. So, here’s 5 queer nonfiction books currently on my TBR, that I am very excited to read!
#5OnMyTBR November 11th: Nonfiction
Gay Britannia: Celebrating LGBTQ+ History in Britain
Genre: Nonfiction – History
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: June 20th, 2019
A collection of insightful interviews, documentaries and comedy that celebrates LGBTQ+ in Britain, publishing to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
The Ben Hunte Interviews: Presenter and journalist Ben Hunte interviews his LGBTQ heroes about their unforgettable gay moments. Guests include Paul O’Grady, Stephen K Amos, Peter Tatchell, Ruth Hunt (CEO of Stonewall), Stephanie Hirst, Youtuber Calum McSwiggan.
The Essay: The Love That Wrote Its Name: Simon Callow, Stella Duffy, Gregory Woods, Neel Mukherjee and Louise Welsh explore and celebrate five gay relationships of writers and artists.
Queer Icons: Plato’s Symposium: Shahidha Bari discusses LGBTQ in the history of philosophy.
Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality by Julia Shaw
Genre: Nonfiction – Science
Age: Adult
Format: Hardback
Published: May 1st, 2022
Despite all the welcome changes that have happened in our culture and laws over the past few decades in regards to sexuality, the subject remains one of the most influential but least understood aspects of our lives. For psychologist and bestselling author Julia Shaw, this is both professional and personal—Shaw studies the science of sexuality and she herself is proudly and vocally bisexual.
It’s an admission, she writes, that usually causes people’s pupils to dilate, their cheeks to flush, and their questions to start flowing. Ask people to name famous bisexual actors, politicians, writers, or scientists, and they draw a blank. Despite statistics that show bisexuality is more common than homosexuality, bisexuality is often invisible.
In BI: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality, Shaw probes the science and culture of attraction beyond the binary. From the invention of heterosexuality to the history of the Kinsey scale, as well as asylum seekers trying to defend their bisexuality in a court of law, there is so much more to explore than most have ever realized. Drawing on her own original research—and her own experiences—this is a personal and scientific manifesto; it’s an exploration of the complexities of the human sexual experience and a declaration of love and respect for the nonconformists among us.
We Can Be Heroes: A Survivor’s Story by Paul Burston
Genre: Nonfiction -Memoir
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: June 1st, 2023
Activist. Journalist. Survivor. One man’s journey from prejudice to Pride. Paul Burston wasn’t always the iconic voice of LGBTQ+ London that he is today. Paul came out in the mid-1980s, when ‘gay’ still felt like a dirty word, especially in the small Welsh town where he grew up. He moved to London hoping for a happier life, only to watch in horror as his new-found community was decimated by AIDS. But even in the depths of his grief, Paul vowed never to stop fighting back on behalf of his young friends whose lives were cut tragically short. It’s a promise he’s kept to this day. As an activist he stormed the House of Commons during the debate over the age of consent. As a journalist he spoke up for the rights of the community at a time of tabloid homophobia and legal inequality. As a novelist he founded the groundbreaking Polari Prize. But his lifestyle hid a dark secret, and Paul’s demons—shame, trauma, grief—stalked him on every corner. In an attempt to silence them, he began to self-medicate. From almost drowning at eighteen to a near-fatal overdose at thirty-eight, this is Paul’s story of what happened in the twenty years between, and how he carved out a life that his teenage self could scarcely have imagined. Emotional but often witty, We Can Be Heroes is an illuminating memoir of the eighties, nineties and noughties from a gay man who only just survived them.
We Can Do Better Than This: 35 Voices on the Future of LGBTQ+ Rights
Genre: Nonfiction – Essay Anthology
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: June 3rd, 2021
How can we create a better world for LGBTQ+ people? Olly Alexander, Peppermint, Owen Jones, Beth Ditto, Holland, and more share their stories and visions for the future.
‘A vital addition to your bookshelf’ — Stylist , 5 Books for Summer
‘Captivating . . . A must-read’ — Gay Times
We talk about achieving ‘LGBTQ+ equality,’ but around the world, LGBTQ+ people are still suffering discrimination and extreme violence. How do we solve this urgent problem, allowing queer people everywhere the opportunity to thrive? In We Can Do Better Than This , 35 voices explore this question. Through deeply moving stories and provocative new arguments on safety and visibility, dating and gender, care and community, they present a powerful manifesto for how—together—we can start to create a better future.
Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film by Harry M. Benshoff
Genre: Nonfiction – Film
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: October 1st, 1997
One of the few books to address the horror film from any kind of critical position.. Unique – The first history of the horror film to approach it from a queer perspective.. Written with detail and thoroughness – covers all eras of the horror film and correlates specific types of movie monsters to the historical social conditions which produced them.. Explores how popular culture encodes and demonizes queerness within the generic format of the horror film.
As always, if you have read any of these and want to share your thoughts, I’d love to hear them. And I’m always on the lookout for recommendations, too!
Unwrapping Words 