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Memoirs/Personal Narratives: LGBTQ+
Are you looking for the right personal story to read? Do you want read something uplifting, serious, comedic, entertaining? We will help you find the right title.
Tomorrow Will Be Different by Sarah McBride; Joe Biden (Foreword by)
Call Number: 306.76 MCB
ISBN: 9781524761486
Publication Date: 2019-03-05
A memoir of American LGBT rights activist and political figure Sarah McBride that weaves political and cultural milestones into her personal journey as a transgender woman.
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (Illustrator)
Call Number: 741.5 BEC
ISBN: 9780618477944
Publication Date: 2006-06-08
A graphic memoir about growing up with a remote dad who managed a funeral home while hiding his homosexuality.
Dog Years by Mark Doty
Call Number: 811.54 DOT
ISBN: 9780061171000
Publication Date: 2007-03-13
A memoir of the author's relationship with a pair of beloved canine companions is a tribute to their irrepressible personalities, their life-changing impact on the author and his family, and their role in how the author came to understand loss and grief.
Some Assembly Required by Arin Andrews
Call Number: B ANDREWS
ISBN: 9781481416757
Publication Date: 2014-09-30
Seventeen-year-old Arin Andrews shares all the hilarious, painful, and poignant details of undergoing gender reassignment as a high school student in this teen memoir.
Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas; Dolores M. Koch (Translator)
Call Number: B ARENAS
ISBN: 0140157654
Publication Date: 1994-10-01
Autobiography of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas telling of his life as a writer and a homosexual.
Trans Mission by Alex Bertie
Call Number: B BERTIE
ISBN: 9780316529037
Publication Date: 2019-05-14
A brave firsthand account of author Alex Bertie's life, struggles, and victories as a transgender teen, and a guide for transitioning teens.
Unbecoming by Anuradha Bhagwati
Call Number: B BHAGWATI
ISBN: 9781501162541
Publication Date: 2019-03-26
A raw, unflinching, and inspirational memoir by a former United States Marine Captain describing her journey from dutiful daughter of immigrants to wide-eyed recruit to radical activist dedicated to effecting historic policy reform in the military. After a lifetime of buckling to the demands of her strict Indian parents, Anuradha Bhagwati abandons her grad school career at Harvard University to join the Marines. It's the fiercest, most violent, most masculine branch of the military: the perfect place for her to prove that she's the ultimate Cool Girl, someone who can brawl with the boys in every sense of the word. Or at least that's what she thinks. From the moment training begins, Anuradha's G.I. Jane fantasy is punctured. As a bisexual woman of color in the military, she faces adversity and underestimation at every stage, confronting misogyny, racism, abuse, and astonishing injustice perpetrated by those in power. Pushing herself beyond her limits to prove her ability, she is forced to wrestle with what exactly drove her to pursue such punishment and violence in the first place. Once her service concludes in 2004, instead of retreating and putting it all behind her, she decides to do the exact opposite: take to task the leaders and outmoded conventions that she found so objectionable and even dangerous. Full of strength, courage, and heroic resilience, Unbecoming is about one woman who learned to believe in herself in spite of everything; it is the kind of story that will light a fire beneath you, and that will inspire our next generation of fierce female heroes to always persist.
Running with Scissors by Augusten X. Burroughs
Call Number: B BURROUGHS
ISBN: 9780312425418
Publication Date: 2006-09-05
The author chronicles his life from age twelve to sixteen, living in the bizarre home of his mother's psychiatrist, where he was sexually abused by the doctor's thirty-three-year-old adopted son.
Boy Erased by Garrard Conley
Call Number: B CONLEY
ISBN: 9780735213463
Publication Date: 2017-02-07
An account by a survivor of a church-supported sexual orientation conversion therapy facility that claimed to 'cure' homosexuality describes its intense Bible study program and the daily threats of his abandonment by family, friends and God, an experience that transformed the author's relationships and self-understandings.
Bad Kid by David Crabb
Call Number: B CRABB
ISBN: 9780062371287
Publication Date: 2015-05-19
Discovering George Michael's Faith confirmed for David Crabb what every bully already knew: he was gay. What saved him from high school was finding a group of outlandish friends who reveled in being outsiders. David found himself enmeshed with misfits: wearing black, cutting class, staying out all night, drinking, tripping, chain-smoking, idolizing the Pet Shop Boys--and learning lessons about life and love along the way. David Crabb's journey through adolescence captures the essence of every person's struggle to understand his or her true self.
It Gets Worse by Shane Dawson
Call Number: B DAWSON
ISBN: 9781501132841
Publication Date: 2016-07-19
In this new collection of original personal essays, Shane Dawson goes even deeper, sharing never-before-revealed stories from his life, giving readers a no-holds-barred look at moments both bizarre and relatable, from cult-like Christian after-school activities, dressing in drag, and losing his virginity, to hiring a psychic, clashes with celebrities, and coming to terms with his bisexuality.
Save Yourself by Cameron Esposito
Call Number: B ESPOSITO
ISBN: 9781455591435
Publication Date: 2020-03-24
This memoir from a rising comedy star tackles issues of gender, sexuality, feminism, and the Catholic childhood that prepared her for a career as an outspoken lesbian comedian.
We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib
Call Number: B HABIB
ISBN: 9780735235007
Publication Date: 2019-06-04
Samra Habib, a queer Muslim searches for the language to express her truest self, making peace with her sexuality, her family, and Islam.
Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler
Call Number: B HARTZLER
ISBN: 9780316094641
Publication Date: 2014-05-27
Aaron Hartzler discusses his life as a Christian boy who was always expecting the Rapture and slowly realizing that he had different beliefs.
They Call Me a Hero by Daniel Hernandez; Susan Goldman Rubin (As told to)
Call Number: B HERNANDEZ
ISBN: 9781442462281
Publication Date: 2013-02-05
Daniel Hernandez, Jr., describes the accomplishments of his young life, including going to U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords' aid when she was shot in 2011.
Rethinking Normal by Katie Rain Hill
Call Number: B HILL
ISBN: 1481418238
Publication Date: 2014-09-30
Nineteen-year-old Katie Hill a transgender girl shares her personal journey of growing up as a boy and then undergoing gender reassignment during her teens.
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
Call Number: B Johnson
ISBN: 9780374312718
Publication Date: 2020-04-28
In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.
I Am Not Myself These Days by Josh Kilmer-Purcell
Call Number: B Kilmer-Purcell
ISBN: 9780060817329
Publication Date: 2006-02-07
The author describes how he moonlighted as a drag queen performing in nightclubs and his relationship with his crack-addicted, male-escort boyfriend.
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T. Kira Madden
Call Number: B MADDEN
ISBN: 9781635571851
Publication Date: 2019-03-05
The author shares her life coming of age as a queer, biracial teenager in a city full of prejudice. Explores her journey discovering herself without the help of her drug addicted parents.
Mamaskatch by Darrel McLeod
Call Number: B MCLEOD
ISBN: 9781571313874
Publication Date: 2019-06-11
As a small boy in remote Alberta, Darrel J. McLeod is immersed in his Cree family's history, passed down in the stories of his mother, Bertha. But after a series of tragic losses, Bertha turns wild and unstable, and their home life becomes chaotic. Meanwhile, he begins to question and grapple with his sexual identity--a reckoning complicated by the repercussions of his abuse and his sibling's own gender transition. Thrillingly written in a series of fractured vignettes, and unflinchingly honest, Mamaskatch--"It's a wonder!" in Cree--is a heartbreaking account of how traumas are passed down from one generation to the next, and an uplifting story of one individual who broke the cycle in pursuit of a fulfilling and adventurous life.
I. M. by Isaac Mizrahi
Call Number: B MIZRAHI
ISBN: 9781250074089
Publication Date: 2019-02-26
In his memoir, Isaac delves into his lifelong battles with weight, insomnia, and depression. He tells what it was like to be an out gay man in a homophobic age and to witness the ravaging effects of the AIDS epidemic.
Beautiful on the Outside by Adam Rippon
Call Number: B RIPPON
ISBN: 9781538732403
Publication Date: 2019-10-15
Look at the life of American figure skater, Adam Rippon.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Call Number: B SEDARIS
ISBN: 0316776963
Publication Date: 2001-06-05
David Sedaris describes the struggles he has had in life due to his voice problems, discussing how his voice has affected his personal relationships, his career, and his family life.
Naked by David Sedaris
Call Number: B SEDARIS
ISBN: 9780316777735
Publication Date: 1998-06-01
Presents a collection of humorous autobiographical essays by National Public Radio commentator, David Sedaris, in which he discusses his nervous tic, hitchhiking trips, odd jobs, and strange relationships.
Theft by Finding by David Sedaris
Call Number: B SEDARIS
ISBN: 9780316552462
Publication Date: 2017-05-30
Presents the diary writings from 1977 through 2002 by American humorist, comedian, and author, David Sedaries.
Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash (Illustrator)
Call Number: B THRASH
ISBN: 9780763673826
Publication Date: 2015-09-08
A graphic novel memoir depicting the author's teenage experiences at summer camp where she fell in love with an older girl.
Lost Soul, Be at Peace by Maggie Thrash (Illustrator)
Call Number: B THRASH
ISBN: 9780763694197
Publication Date: 2018-10-09
A graphic novel memoir depicting the author's experiences with teenage depression and how a search for her missing cat becomes a search for herself.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
Call Number: SC SED
ISBN: 0316143464
Publication Date: 2004-06-01
Contains a collection of twenty-seven essays by author David Sedaris as he reflects upon his childhood and presents stories of family characters, the embarrassments of adolescence, and some of the difficulties he had growing up.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Call Number: SC SED
ISBN: 9780316143479
Publication Date: 2008-06-03
A collection of essays in which David Sedaris reflects on some of the more humorous and memorable events of his life.
I Have Always Been Me by Precious Brady-Davis
Call Number: B Precious Brady-Davis
ISBN: 1542044308
Publication Date: 2021-07-01
Trans woman Precious Brady-Davis recalls her childhood growing up in the Omaha foster care system and Pentecostal faith as a biracial, gender-nonconforming child.
Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing by Lauren Hough
Call Number: B HOUGH
ISBN: 9780593080764
Publication Date: 2021-04-13
A memoir in essays about so many things--growing up in an abusive cult, coming of age as a lesbian in the military, forced out by homophobia, living on the margins as a working class woman and what it's like to grow into the person you are meant to be.
On Top of Glass by Karina Manta
Call Number: B MANTA
ISBN: 9780593308462
Publication Date: 2021-10-19
A memoir of Karina Manta, the first female member of USA Figure Skating to come out as queer.
We Are Not Broken by George M. Johnson
Call Number: B JOHNSON
ISBN: 9780759554603
Publication Date: 2021-09-07
A memoir of Black non-binary writer and activist George M. Johnson's childhood in New Jersey, growing up with their brother and two cousins, all under the supervision of their larger-than-life grandmother.
FYI
If you are looking for a memoir/personal narrative that's unavailable or not in our collection, please let us know. We will help you find it at a local library or purchase it for the collection.