Susie (she/her) is a queer writer originally from Little Rock, now living in Washington, DC. She is the author of three rom-coms: QUEERLY BELOVED, LOOKING FOR A SIGN, and BED AND BREAKUP, all from Dial Press/Random House. Susie is also a bookseller at her favorite local indie bookstore and a cupcake enthusiast. You can find her on Instagram @susiedoom.
Two decades ago, before I’d embraced my own queer identity, I fell in love with Pride month. My first Pride was a modest block party in Little Rock, Arkansas, where I was a rainbow-clad teenager entranced by the first drag performances I’d ever seen. Since then, I’ve volunteered at Pride festivals in Oklahoma, marched in parades in Washington, D.C., celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, and danced the night away at a Pride party in Prague.
This year, celebrating Pride feels more complicated to me than ever before. It also feels more crucial. Trans and nonbinary people are under attack. LGBTQ+ rights are being rolled back at the state and federal levels. Queer stories are disappearing from our screens, and queer books are the targets of senseless book bans.
In the face of unfathomable cruelty against LGBTQ+ people, finding joy and comfort in queer community is a necessary balm. Another key to surviving our present moment is learning our queer history, recognizing the echoes of the past in what we’re experiencing today, and using those stories to find hope for our future.
So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color by Caro De Robertis
Caro De Robertis is one of my all-time favorite authors. They are a brilliant writer of fiction across genres, from sweeping historical fiction (Cantoras) to witty magical realism (The President and the Frog) and lush mythological retellings (The Palace of Eros). When I first heard that they were working on a nonfiction book about trans history and culture, it immediately became my most anticipated read of the year. Once I got my hands on an early copy of So Many Stars, it cemented itself as one of my favorite books of 2025 by the end of the introduction.
There is no magic as powerful as the wisdom shared by a queer elder. Conversations with multiple generations of LGBTQ+ people are a powerful way to learn about where we’re going based on where we’ve been. De Robertis records and shares this wisdom in their remarkable oral history, weaving together the perspectives of 20 queer elders into an unforgettable narrative of trans voices. They spent hundreds of hours interviewing BIPOC trans and gender variant people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Their reflections on their lives are organized into a vibrant conversation about growing up queer, coming out, transitioning, intimacy, activism, visions for the future, and so much more.
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“A myth persists that transness is an invention of the young, a ‘fad’ that can be easily dismissed,” De Robertis shares in the book’s introduction. “But the truth is that those of us who are trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, Two-Spirit, or otherwise gender variant have a lineage; we have an inheritance; we are part of radiant cultures and histories.”
While De Robertis’s voice takes a backseat to those of the elders featured in the book, their gift for storytelling is the thread that ties So Many Stars together into so much more than a collection of interviews. The unique experiences of 20 individuals come together in beautiful harmony, showcasing the resilience, creativity, and unbreakable spirit of the trans community.
This is a book that will not only speak to your heart this Pride month; it will stay with you forever.
The following comes to you from the Editorial Desk.
It’s Pride Month, and while we celebrate queer literature here all year long, we go especially rainbow bold in June. This week, we’re excited to take a look at the favorite queer books of beloved queer authors.
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It’s Pride month, which is the perfect excuse to buy and read a bunch of queer books. One method I really enjoy for finding new books is to take the recommendations of my favorite authors. Carmen Maria Machado hasn’t led me astray yet. Unfortunately, I don’t have these authors on speed dial, but luckily, they usually have shared their recommendations publicly.
Below I’ve put together queer book recommendations from 11 beloved queer authors. Some are from interviews where they discussed their favorite books, and others are book blurbs. Both the authors’ works and the books they recommend cover a wide spectrum of genres and formats, including graphic novels, literary fiction, poetry, biographies, horror, sci-fi, YA fantasy, and more, so there’s something for every kind of reader.
Akwaeke Emezi recommends…
Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde
“Some of the most spectacular writing I’ve ever encountered in my life… Vagabonds! brought me to tears because it gave me a world in which my country could be home again.”
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English (US) · 