Over the Rainbow Books

The following titles have been read and recommended for inclusion on the final list by at least one juror:

Fiction

And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode Somtochukwu

A searingly honest and resonant debut from a Nigerian writer and queer liberation activist, exploring what love and freedom cost in a society steeped in homophobia

apocrifa: Poems by Amber Flame

APOCRIFA is a nongendered love story told in verse, the journey of a lover and their beloved finding each other, falling apart, and then creating their own way to love together.

The Bell in the Fog by Lev A.C. Rosen

The Bell in the Fog, a dazzling historical mystery by Lev AC Rosen, asks?once you have finally found a family, how far would you go to prove yourself to them?

Bellies by Nicola Dinan

It begins as your typical boy meets boy. While out with friends at their local university drag night, Tom buys Ming a drink. Confident and witty, a magnetic young playwright, Ming is the perfect antidote to Tom?s awkward energy, and their connection is instant. Tom finds himself deeply and desperately drawn into Ming?s orbit, and on the cusp of graduation, he?s already mapped out their future together. But shortly after they move to London to start their next chapter, Ming announces her intention to transition.

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

The Booker Prize finalist and widely acclaimed author of?Real Life?and?Filthy Animals?returns with a deeply involving new novel of young men and women at a crossroads.

Nonfiction

Creep: Accusations and Confessions by Myriam Gurba

A ruthless and razor-sharp essay collection that tackles the pervasive, creeping oppression and toxicity that has wormed its way into society?in our books, schools, and homes, as well as the systems that perpetuate them?from the acclaimed author of Mean, and one of our fiercest, foremost explorers of intersectional Latinx identity.

The Yards Between Us: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Football by R.K. Russell

A groundbreaking memoir from professional NFL player, writer, and advocate R.K. Russell, who made history by becoming the first out active NFL player to identify as bisexual.

These books have received at least one ‘Yes’ votes by the Over the Rainbow Roundtable readers.

Fiction

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

A deeply honest tribute to the growing pains of selfhood and the people who keep us going, coupled with Steven Rowley?s signature humor and heart, The Celebrants is a moving tale about the false invincibility of youth and the beautiful ways in which friendship helps us celebrate our lives, even amid the deepest challenges of living.

Chef’s Choice by TJ Alexander

A fake dating arrangement turns to real love in this deliciously delightful queer rom-com from the author of the sweetly satisfying Chef?s Kiss.

Girlfriends by Emily Zhou

Seven heartstoppingly gorgeous stories about young transgender life from the Upper Midwest to New York City.

Infamous by Lex Croucher

Will Eddie be forced to choose between her friendship with Rose and her literary dreams??or will she be able to write her own happily ever after?

The Love We Make by Harper Bliss

Best-selling sapphic romance author Harper Bliss brings you a heartfelt romance about overcoming differences, found family, and learning to see yourself through the eyes of the person you love.

Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki

Spring break, 2009. High school best friends Zoe and Dani are now freshman college students, meeting in a place they?ve wanted to visit forever: New York City. Tagging along is Dani?s classmate Fiona, a mercurial art student with an opinion on everything. Together, the three cram in as much of the city as possible, gleefully falling into tourist traps, pondering so-called great works of art, sidestepping creeps, and eating lots and lots of pizza (folded in half, of course).

Transitioning Home by Heather K. O?Malley

Thomas Simmons nearly died when a rocket-propelled grenade threw him ass over teakettle while flanking insurgents in Mosul, ending his military career. Recovery?s rough and gives him all the time in the world to face the question he?s avoided all his life: Why does he feel jealous of women?

The Unfortunates by J.K. Chukwu

An edgy, bitingly funny debut about a queer, half-Nigerian college sophomore who, enraged and exhausted by the racism at her elite college, is determined to reveal the truth about The Unfortunates?the unlucky subset of Black undergrads who Just. Keep. Disappearing.

NonFiction

Better Living Through Birding: Notes by a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper

Central Park birder Christian Cooper takes us beyond the viral video that shocked a nation and into a world of avian adventures, global excursions, and the unexpected lessons you can learn from a life spent looking up.

Crying Wolf by Eden Boudreau

It’s a tale as old as time. Girl meets boy. Boy wants girl. Girl says no. Boy takes what he wants anyway.

It’s Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth) by Zach Zimmerman

In this debut collection of essays, lists, musings, and quips, New York-based comedian Zach Zimmerman delicately walks the fine line between tear-jerking and knee-slapping and does so with aplomb.

The Last Gay Man by Ype Driessen

A delightful graphic memoir told in photographs. 

Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary by Miss Major Griffin-Gracy and Toshio Meronek

Miss Major’s incredible story of a life lived and a world survived becomes a conduit for larger questions about the riddle of collective liberation. For a younger generation, she warns about the traps of ?representation,? the politics of ‘self-care,’ and the frequent dead-ends of non-profit organizing; for all of us, she is a strike against those who would erase these histories of struggle. Miss Major offers something that cannot be found elsewhere: an affirmation that our vision for freedom can and must be more expansive than those on offer by mainstream institutions.

We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film by Tre’vell Anderson

A groundbreaking look at the history of transgender representation in TV and film, by an of-the-moment and in-demand culture reporter.