At the Okanagan Regional Library, we believe storytelling plays a powerful role in creating vibrant, healthy communities. For Pride Month, we’re celebrating authors whose works explore identity, struggle, resilience, and nuanced forms of love and liberation. These six titles—all available at the ORL—invite readers into compelling, deeply human stories that resonate across generations.
1. Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead — A poetic, heart-wrenching novel by Oji-Cree Two-Spirit author Joshua Whitehead. Jonny Appleseed follows its namesake as he returns home for his stepfather’s funeral, navigating memory, identity, and the complexities of love. Intimate, raw, and unforgettable.
2. Small Beauty by Jia Qing Wilson-Yang — This beautifully quiet novel centers on Mei, a mixed-race trans woman processing grief in a small rural town. As she reconnects with family stories and unearths buried truths, Small Beauty reveals the power of introspection and the healing potential of queer community.
3. Between Certain Death and A Possible Future: Queer Writing on Growing up With the AIDS Crisis edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore — This bold anthology gathers the voices of those shaped by the shadow and silence of the AIDS crisis. Through deeply personal essays, contributors explore fear, activism, and queer coming-of-age in the face of cultural trauma. A vital work of collective memory.
4. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin — A seminal classic that still cuts to the heart. Baldwin’s 1956 novel tells the story of David, an American living in Paris, torn between societal expectation and forbidden desire. Honest and devastating, it remains one of the most enduring works of queer literature.
5. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson — Blending personal essays and memoir, this book chronicles Johnson’s journey growing up Black and queer in America. With candour and compassion, it explores masculinity, identity, and joy in the face of adversity—a must-read for teens and adults alike.
6. Nevada by Imogen Binnie — Maria Griffiths, a trans woman and punk bookstore clerk, hits the road in this raw and darkly funny novel. Nevada is a cult favourite for good reason: it’s unflinching in its honesty and vital in its portrayal of self-discovery on one’s own terms.
As we honour Pride Month, these stories remind us that 2SLGBTQIA+ literature isn’t a genre—it’s a vital source of shared experience. Stop by your local ORL branch or visit our online catalogue to find these titles and more. Let’s read with pride!
