Pride Month is a celebration, but it is also an invitation - to listen, to learn, and to better understand experiences beyond our own. The books on this list are more than stories; they are windows into lives, histories, relationships, struggles, and triumphs that have too often been misunderstood, overlooked, or deliberately erased. Many LGBTQ+ books continue to be among the most challenged and banned titles in schools and libraries, not because they lack literary merit or educational value, but because unfamiliarity can breed discomfort, and discomfort can breed fear.
At Banned Literary Dept., we believe reading is one of the most powerful tools we have for building empathy. Books allow us to step into another person's world, to see through their eyes, and to recognize our shared humanity. Whether through the reality of the AIDS crisis in All the Young Men, the reflections on life and loss in Under the Whispering Door, the genre-bending romance of This Is How You Lose the Time War, or the exploration of grief and redemption in Razorblade Tears, these stories challenge us to think more deeply and engage more compassionately with the world around us.
This month, we're celebrating the stories that have shaped culture, expanded understanding, and reminded readers that every person deserves to see themselves reflected on the page. The answer to fear has never been less knowledge - it has always been more.
1. All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks
About the Book: In 1986, Ruth Coker Burks unexpectedly becomes a caregiver to young men dying of AIDS after witnessing the fear and stigma surrounding the disease in an Arkansas hospital. Over the next several years, she provides housing, meals, medical support, friendship, and dignity to hundreds of gay men abandoned by their families and communities, becoming an unlikely advocate during one of the darkest chapters of the AIDS crisis.
From its Pages: “I wanted them to have a death certificate so people would know that they had lived and they had died - they were here. Because they at least deserved that. They couldn't be "nobody's nothing" after what they had been through.” - Ruth Coker Burks, All the Young Men
2. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
About the Book: A lyrical retelling of the Trojan War, The Song of Achilles follows the deep bond and epic love story between Patroclus and Achilles as they navigate friendship, destiny, war, and the pursuit of immortal glory in ancient Greece. Blending mythology, romance, and tragedy, it reimagines The Iliad through a deeply human lens.
From its Pages: “I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.” - Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles
3. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
About the Book: A chance meeting sparks a passionate romance between Therese, a young shop clerk, and Carol, a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage. As the two escape on a road trip and fall deeply in love, they must confront the social pressures and personal sacrifices that threaten to keep them apart.
From its Pages: “What was it to love someone, what was love exactly, and why did it end or not end? Those were the real questions, and who could answer them?” - Patricia Highsmith, The Price of Salt
4. Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski
About the Book: Set against the backdrop of 1980s Communist Poland, Swimming in the Dark follows the secret love affair between two young men, Ludwik and Janusz, whose deep connection blossoms in the countryside before being tested by political ambition, social repression, and a society that refuses to accept their relationship. Part romance, part coming-of-age story, it explores love, identity, and freedom under an oppressive regime.
From its Pages: “No matter what happens in the world, however brutal or dystopian a thing, not all is lost if there are people out there risking themselves to document it. Little sparks cause fires, too.” - Tomasz Jedrowski, Swimming in the Dark
5. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
About the Book: Spanning centuries and continents, this gothic historical fantasy follows three women connected by a dark legacy of desire, power, and vengeance. From 16th-century Spain to Victorian England to modern-day Boston, their intertwined stories explore love, identity, sacrifice, and the consequences of pursuing freedom in a world determined to deny it.
From its Pages: “Death comes, and sometimes it is kind, and often it is cruel, and very rarely it is welcome. But it comes all the same.” - V.E. Schwab, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
6. Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
About the Book: After unexpectedly finding himself dead, Wallace is given one week before crossing over to the afterlife. Guided by a compassionate ferryman and the owner of a mysterious tea shop, he begins to reflect on the life he took for granted and discovers that it's never too late to change, connect, and truly live.
From its Pages: “Everyone loses their way at some point, and it’s not just because of their mistakes or the decisions they make. It’s because they’re horribly, wonderfully human. And the one thing I’ve learned about being human is that we can’t do this alone. When we’re lost, we need help to try to find our way again.” - T.J. Klune, Under the Whispering Door
7. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
About the Book: In the midst of a war fought across time and alternate realities, two rival agents begin exchanging secret letters that evolve from playful taunts into a deep and dangerous romance. As their connection grows, they must risk everything - including their lives and the future itself - to protect the bond they've forged.
From its Pages: “I love you. I love you. I love you. I'll write it in waves. In skies. In my heart. You'll never see, but you will know. I'll be all the poets, I'll kill them all and take each one's place in turn, and every time love's written in all the strands it will be to you.” - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, This is How You Lose the Time War
8. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
About the Book: Set in 1950s Paris, Giovanni's Room follows an American man torn between societal expectations and his own desires as he falls into a passionate relationship with a bartender named Giovanni. James Baldwin's classic novel is a poignant exploration of love, identity, shame, and the search for belonging.
From its Pages: “There are so many ways of being despicable it quite makes one’s head spin. But the way to be really despicable is to be contemptuous of other people’s pain.” - James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room
9. A Place Called Home: A Memoir by David Ambroz
About the Book: This powerful memoir follows David Ambroz's journey from a childhood marked by homelessness, foster care, and discrimination to becoming a lawyer and advocate for children in poverty. Through resilience, education, and the support of a few caring adults, he overcomes immense obstacles to build a life dedicated to helping others.
From its Pages: “And what can drive us forward in a world that is full of people who seem determined to bring it to an end? He answers his own question: Hope isn’t a choice, it’s a moral obligation, a human obligation, an obligation to the cells in your body. Hope is a function of those cells, it’s a bodily function the same as breathing and eating and sleeping.” - David Ambroz, A Place Called Home: A Memoir
10. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
About the Book: In a world where people receive a call on the day they're going to die, strangers Mateo and Rufus connect through an app designed to help people find companionship on their final day. Together, they set out on one unforgettable adventure, determined to make the most of the time they have left.
From its Pages: “I've spent years living safely to secure a longer life, and look where that's gotten me. I'm at the finish line but I never ran the race.” - Adam Silvera, They Both Die at the End
11. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
About the Book: Follows four friends as they build careers and navigate adulthood in New York City, their lives increasingly shaped by the mysterious and deeply wounded Jude. Spanning decades, the novel explores friendship, trauma, love, resilience, and the profound impact of chosen family.
From its Pages: “You won’t understand what I mean now, but someday you will: the only trick of friendship, I think, is to find people who are better than you are - not smarter, not cooler, but kinder, and more generous, and more forgiving - and then to appreciate them for what they can teach you, and to try to listen to them when they tell you something about yourself, no matter how bad- or good - it might be, and to trust them, which is the hardest thing of all. But the best, as well.” - Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life
12. Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page
About the Book: In this candid memoir, Elliot Page reflects on his journey to understanding his identity as a queer and transgender person while navigating fame, Hollywood pressures, and public scrutiny. Pageboy is a powerful story of self-discovery, resilience, and finding the courage to live authentically.
From its Pages: “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” - Elliot Page, Pageboy: A Memoir
13. In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado
About the Book: Carmen Maria Machado recounts a psychologically abusive relationship with another woman, using inventive storytelling and literary tropes to examine trauma, memory, and the complexities of queer relationships. Part memoir and part cultural critique, it explores how abuse can hide behind assumptions about love, identity, and safety.
From its Pages: “Abusers do not need to be, and rarely are, cackling maniacs. They just need to want something and not care how they get it.” - Carmen Maria Machado, In the Dream House: A Memoir
14. Lie With Me by Philippe Besson and Molly Ringwald
About the Book: Follows Philippe, a writer who is unexpectedly reminded of his first love decades later, prompting him to reflect on a secret relationship that shaped the course of his life. Tender and heartbreaking, the novel explores memory, longing, regret, and the enduring impact of a love that could never fully exist in the open.
From its Pages: “Nothing touches me more than cracks in the armor and the person who reveals them.” - Philippe Besson and Molly Ringwald, Lie With Me
15. The Great Believers: A Novel by Rebecca Makkai
About the Book: Spanning from 1980s Chicago to modern-day Paris, The Great Believers follows Yale, a young man living through the AIDS crisis, and Fiona, the sister of one of its victims, decades later. Through their intertwined stories, the novel explores friendship, loss, resilience, and the lasting impact of one of the most devastating epidemics in modern history.
From its Pages: “But when someone’s gone and you’re the primary keeper of his memory - letting go would be a kind of murder, wouldn’t it?” - Rebecca Makkai, The Great Believers: A Novel
16. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
About the Book: Follows two very different teenage boys whose unexpected friendship deepens as they navigate family, identity, love, and growing up. Tender and heartfelt, it's a coming-of-age story about self-discovery, belonging, and the relationships that shape who we become.
From its Pages: “Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.” - Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
17. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
About the Book: Set in working-class Glasgow, Young Mungo follows two teenagers from rival religious communities who fall in love despite the forces working to keep them apart. As they dream of a different future together, Mungo must navigate family struggles, violence, and prejudice in a powerful story of love, survival, and identity.
From its Pages: “Mungo’s capacity for love frustrated her. His loving wasn’t selflessness; he simply could not help it. Mo-Maw needed so little and he produced so much. So that it all seemed a horrible waste. It was a harvest no one seeded, and it blossomed from a vine no one tended.” - Douglas Stuart, Young Mungo
18. Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
About the Book: Follows two former criminals brought together by the murder of their married sons. As they seek justice, they are forced to confront their grief, past prejudices, and regrets in a gripping thriller about family, forgiveness, and the enduring power of love.
From its Pages: “Folks like to talk about revenge like it’s a righteous thing but it’s just hate in a nicer suit.” - S.A. Cosby, Razorblade Tears
19. The Heart's Invisible Furies: A Novel by John Boyne
About the Book: Follows Cyril Avery from his unconventional childhood in Ireland through decades of love, loss, friendship, and self-discovery. Spanning a lifetime, it is a sweeping and often humorous story about identity, belonging, and the search for a place to call home.
From its Pages: “I’ve spent so much time pushing the boat out that I forgot to jump on and now it’s out beyond the harbour on the high seas, but it’s very nice to look at.” - John Boyne, The Heart's Invisible Furies: A Novel
20. Tin Man by Sarah Winman
About the Book: Follows the lifelong bond between Ellis and Michael, whose childhood friendship deepens into something more before life pulls them in different directions. Moving between past and present, this poignant novel explores love, loss, friendship, and the lasting impact of the choices we make.
From its Pages: “And I wonder what the sound of a heart breaking might be. And I think it might be quiet, unperceptively so, and not dramatic at all. Like the sound of an exhausted swallow falling gently to earth.” - Sarah Winman, Tin Man
At its best, reading allows us to step beyond the boundaries of our own lives and better understand the lives of others. This Pride Month, we hope these books inspire not only meaningful conversations, but also deeper empathy, curiosity, and connection. Every voice we choose to listen to makes it a little harder for those voices to be silenced.
If you want to dive even deeper, join our book club, the Banned Literary Dept., where we read all kinds of books, but often spotlight titles that have been banned, challenged or tackle bold and thought-provoking topics. Join us and become part of our community of readers. Your next favorite book is waiting.
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