Kendra Winchester is a Contributing Editor for Book Riot where she writes about audiobooks and disability literature. She is also the Founder of Read Appalachia, which celebrates Appalachian literature and writing. Previously, Kendra co-founded and served as Executive Director for Reading Women, a podcast that gained an international following over its six-season run. In her off hours, you can find her writing on her Substack, Winchester Ave, and posting photos of her Corgis on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester.
It’s Pride Month, so let’s explore more LGBTQ+ nonfiction. Today, I’ve collected titles ranging from history to a multimedia project to memoir.
Let’s jump right in!
Let the Record Show by Sarah Schulan
Let the Record Show is a doorstopper of a book, but it is well worth the time spent sitting down with it for hours. This book is a history of the ACT UP movement, centered in New York City. Schulman breaks down the information by topic, walking readers through the complex organization and reviewing the different challenges they faced during the height of the AIDS crisis. I was incredibly impressed by the amount of detail included here, and even though it’s a hefty book, I became engrossed from the first chapter.
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
In this modern classic, Lorde examines her life as a queer Black woman and reveals universal truths for every reader. Essay after essay is a home run, tackling topics like parenting as a queer person, intersectional feminism, and the importance of supporting minority women writers. I followed along with the audio, underlining half the print book in the process (at least it seemed like it).
Country Queers: A Love Letter by Rae Garringer
Over 10 years ago, Rae Garringer started their oral history project recording interviews with rural queer and trans folks from across the country. Now for the first time, Country Queers is coming to readers in print. This book includes interviews, photos, and illustrations all highlighting queer rural life. It truly is a love letter to rural queer communities.
A Cup of Water Under My Bed by Daisy Hernández
Daisy Hernández’s memoir in essays chronicles her Cuban-Colombian upbringing as her family worked to make a home for themselves in the United States. Hernández’s life is filled with the women of her family teaching her how to love and be loved. They teach her how to be in the world. But her tía disapproves of Hernández’s queer relationships and is never accepting of her partners. Full of love and loss, A Cup of Water Under My Bed is an incredible story of a woman and her love for her family.
Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
Jaquira Díaz moves with her family from Puerto Rico to Miami Beach. There, she lives a tumultuous childhood as her mother experiences mental illness. One of her biggest sources of refuge? Her friends. Ordinary Girls is a story of resilience and coming-of-age as a queer Puerto Rican woman forced to find her own way in the world at an early age. Díaz’s prose is beautiful, with a vibrancy that lingers in the mind long after you’ve finished the last page.
You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy Reading, Friends!
~ Kendra
English (US) · 