GLBT Young Adult Reading List

Last Updated: 1 May 2008

This list is nothing official. In fact, it's a hobby. The intent of this site is to act as a resource for young adults, YA librarians, teachers, and the general public; a resource that provides a list of books dealing with GLBT issues, appropriate for the young adult reader.

It has been quite a few years since I started this project, and as the years have progressed, and life moved on, this list fell by the wayside. However, life has a tendency to remind you of things that are important. In searching through a book sale hosted by my local library, I was surprised to find a few of the books from this list in the bins, having been donated from the library. While I mourn the fact that the books are no longer in the library's collection, I do understand the need to make room for newer books as they become available. I hope to pick up most of the books that I found, so that, if not for my own collection, I can give them to someone who may find good use for them in the future. Thus, I'm returning to this list, to correct some errata that I've seen in reviewing it, as well as starting to search again for newer publications that can be added.

I started this list as a personal project. One day, I went into a major bookstore looking for GLBT titles in the young adult section. I found none. I searched the shelves thoroughly--twice--and came up with nothing. Upon searching the general GLBT section, I found that nearly all of the fiction there was erotica. While erotica has its place, it's not something that I want to present to young adults, many of whom may be searching for books in order to better understand themselves, a friend, or a family member. It was at that point that I made it one of my few goals in life, thus far, to search out books that would be appropriate for young adults. Of course, what one considers a young adult will differ from person to person; however, I've tried to create a list from which any level of young adult reader can find a book. I have provided book summaries, using those from the books themselves whenever possible, and searching for objective summaries when those are not available.

So long as books continue to be published, I hope to keep this list growing and living in the moment. I also hope that I won't have to do it alone. While the selection grows, books dealing with subjects like bisexuality and transgender issues are still rare, if existent at all. It's also hard to find informative books in the non-fiction world that aren't bogged down with terminology and references that aren't important to a young reader. So again, I'm asking for your help. If you know of any books that aren't on this list, or wish to comment on some that are, please e-mail me. Any and all help is appreciated.