20 Books That Changed The Way We Felt About Ourselves As LGBT People

20 Books That Changed The Way We Felt About Ourselves As LGBT People

" It's in literature that true life can be found ," Nobel Prize-winning author Gao Xingjian was once quoted as saying.

The Chinese novelist and playwright may not have been speaking directly to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, but to those of us in the community, he might as well have been. Widespread representation of LGBT life in literature was present well before Hollywood came to embrace it; scribes like Leslie Feinberg and David Sedaris have been making us laugh, cry and feel all the feelings for decades -- and who could ever forget their first encounter with Armistead Maupin or Oscar Wilde?

We asked our readers to name the books that shaped the way they felt about themselves as LGBT people. While this is by no means a definitive literary list, the responses we received on Facebook and Twitter reflect the community's wit, strength and overall diversity.

Take a look at 20 books that changed the way we felt about ourselves as LGBT people below.

TALES OF THE CITY by Armistead Maupin
Amazon
"When I discovered Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin, I knew in my heart that it was time to go out into the world and be the man I was born to be and truly live life. His stories are a blessing to us all."--Chad Thompson, Facebook
STONE BUTCH BLUES by Leslie Feinberg
Amazon
"...Not because I identify as stone butch, but because it taught me about our history, how far we've come and how far we've yet to go."-- Charli Brown, Facebook
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving
"I hadn't ever seen or read about a trans character who was accepted with love."--Daya Curley, Twitter
MIDDLESEX by Jeffrey Eugenides
Amazon
"Amazing!" -- Zoe Brinnand, Facebook
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
Amazon
-- Julian Damiani, Facebook
ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY by David Sedaris
"[David Sedaris] just slayed me. I never laughed so hard in my life."-- Todd Vaughn Wright, Facebook
RUBYFRUIT JUNGLE by Rita Mae Brown
Amazon
-- Sonya Race, Facebook
THE BEST LITTLE BOY IN THE WORLD, by Andrew Tobias
Amazon
"Read it in the stacks at NYU as a freshman in 1978." -- Tom Judson, Twitter
COMING OUT: AN ACT OF LOVE by Rob Eichberg
Amazon
"Twenty years ago, I bought Rob Eichberg's Coming Out: An Act of Love. I had thought I was about to ruin my life by coming out, but with this book (which I relied on for a few years, as well as with the help of a counselor), I somehow made it through. I kept the book as a reminder never to live a lie again or be so afraid." -- Laurie Dominick, Facebook
MAN ALIVE by Thomas Page McBee
Amazon
"So many, but Man Alive by Thomas Page McBee helped give me courage and language for who I am."-- Emmett Findley, Twitter
GAY SOUL by Mark Thompson
Amazon
"It taught me that we are a unique tribe, but that sexuality was only one facet of who I really am."-- Preston McKinley, Facebook
STRANGER AT THE GATE by Mel White
Amazon
"The book that stands out most for me was a book I gave my conservative Christian parents that helped them accept my being gay: Stranger at the Gate by Mel White."--Steve Cooper, Facebook
THE BOY WHO PICKED THE BULLETS UP by Charles Nelson
"So many great bueer books out there, but Charles Nelson's The Boy Who Picked the Bullets Up is my underrepresented favorite."--Joe, Twitter
BECOMING A MAN: HALF A LIFE STORY by Paul Monette
Barnes and Noble
"Becoming a Man: Half a Life Story by Paul Monette caused me to re-examine my past (especially my childhood), and I was astonished to find just how much my life and my relationships had been affected by being closeted for so long. Suddenly so many things make so much more sense."--Christopher Twyman, Facebook
THE FRONT RUNNER by Patricia Nell Warren
Amazon
"[This book] and Gordon Merrick's works made me believe I could have the world: career success, great friends, and true love."-- Gerald Stover, Facebook
LIKE PEOPLE IN HISTORY: A GAY AMERICAN EPIC by Felice Picano
"The book that changed my soul."-- Todd Vaughan Wright, Facebook
OTHER VOICES, OTHER ROOMS by Truman Capote
Amazon
-- Don Levy, Facebook
THE SOUL BENEATH THE SKIN by David Nimmons
Amazon
"Nimmons inspired me to 'be the change.'"-- Nick Sabatasso, Facebook
BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan
Amazon
"David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy was the first LGBT book I ever read and it's stuck with me all these years." --Peter Wright, Facebook
THE SWIMMING POOL LIBRARY by Alan Hollinghurst
Amazon
-- Sasha Quentin, Facebook

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