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SJPL Picks: LGBTQIA+ Nonfiction for Teens

Find inspiration, inclusion, and identity confirmation in these nonfiction books, featuring LGBTQIA+ authors, topics, and stories written and prepared for Teen readers, selected by SJPL Staff.

San José Public Library

34 items

  • Gender Rebels

    30 Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Expansive Heroes Past and Present

    Locke, Katherine,
    Profiling 30 heroes throughout the world who have made a difference, this must-have book helps educate readers on the history, legacy and future of trans, gender expansive and nonbinary people and their rights at a time when protecting…
    BookPhiladelphia : Running Press Teens, 2023. — YA 306.768 Locke
  • A powerful, honest account of an activist’s experiences of being gay in a culture she loves but in which it’s hard to see a place for herself. Growing up privileged in Amman, Jordan, Mufleh realized as a preteen that she was attracted to…
    BookNew York : Nancy Paulsen Books, [2023] — YA 305.9069 MUFLEH Mufleh
  • Explores the history of transgender and gender nonconforming people, with a focus on those who identified in other than a straightforward binary fashion; on communities in West Africa, Asia, and among Native Americans; and on…
    BookNew York : Seal Press, 2022. — 306.768 Heyam
  • Perfect for fans of Samantha Irby and Trick Mirror, a funny, whip-smart collection of personal essays exploring the intersection of queerness, relationships, pop culture, the internet, and identity, introducing one of the most undeniably…
    BookNew York : Atria Books, 2022. — 814.6000
  • When Silvia's mother called her home to Peru, she knew something finally had to give. A Latinx hero in the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, privately, she was hanging by a thread. She was deep in the throes of alcoholism, hiding…
    BookNew York, New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2022. — 796.522 VASQUEZL Vasquezl
  • A debut memoir about coming of age as a gay, Latinx man in a culture of machismo, Gomez's High-Risk Homosexual opens in the ultimate anti-gay space: his uncle's cockfighting ring in Nicaragua, where he was sent at twelve years old to…
    BookNew York : Soft Skull, 2022. — 306.7662 GOMEZ Gomez
  • The Women's House of Detention

    a Queer History of a Forgotten Prison

    Ryan, Hugh, 1978-
    The Women's House of Detention, Greenwich Village's most forbidding and forgotten queer landmark, stood from 1929 to 1974, imprisoning tens of thousands from all over New York City. The little-known stories of the queer women and…
    BookNew York : Bold Type Books, 2022. — 365.4309 Ryan
  • "This is a memoir of George's boyhood in New Jersey, growing up with their brother and two cousins, all under the supervision of their larger-than-life grandmother"-- George, Garrett, Rall, and Rasul were raised by Nanny, their fiercely…
    BookNew York : Little, Brown and Company, 2021. — YA 306.7662 Johnson
  • Queer as All Get Out

    10 People Who've Inspired Me

    Criswell, Shelby,
    The author shares their life as a genderqueer person, living in the American South, revealing their own personal struggle for acceptance and how they were inspired by these historical LGBTQIA+ people to live their own truth. Featuring…
    BookBrooklyn, New York : Street Noise Books, 2021. — YA 306.7609 Criswell
  • On Top of Glass

    My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating

    Manta, Karina, 1996-
    A memoir of Karina Manta, the first female member of USA Figure Skating to come out as queer.
    BookNew York : Alfred A. Knopf, [2021] — YA 796.912 MANTA Manta
  • How to Be Ace

    a Memoir of Growing Up Asexual

    Burgess, Rebecca,
    Brave, witty and empowering, this graphic memoir follows Rebecca as she navigates her asexual identity and mental health in a world obsessed with sex. From school to work to relationships, this book offers an unparalleled insight into…
    BookLondon : Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2021. — 306.762 Burgess
  • Bi the Way

    the Bisexual Guide to Life

    Shearing, Lois,
    Whether you are openly bisexual, still figuring things out or just interested in learning more about bisexuality, Bi the Way is your essential guide to understanding and embracing bisexuality.
    BookLondon : Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2021. — YA 306.765 Shearing
  • Before he became known for Youtube videos, Alex Bertie was an isolated, often-afraid transgender teenager looking for answers. In this revolutionary memoir and valuable resource, Alex recounts his life, struggles, and victories as a young…
    BookNew York : Little,Brown and Company, 2020. — YA 306.768 BERTIE Bertie
  • A London-based illustrator, author and graphic artist illustrates her coming-of-age story as a gay woman including feeling a deep sense of not belonging, self-denial, awkward encounters, everyday courage and her first girlfriend.
    BookNew York : Scribner, 2020. — 306.7663 CREWES Crewes
  • "LGBTQIAA+ activist Adam Eli argues the urgent need for queer responsibility -- that queers anywhere are responsible for queers everywhere"--
    BookNew York : Penguin Workshop, [2020] — YA 306.76 Eli
  • "In a collection of personal comics that span eight years of her young adult life, author-illustrator Noelle Stevenson charts the highs and lows of being a creative human in the world."--Provided by publisher.
    BookNew York, NY : HarperTeen, [2020] — YA 741.5092 Stevenso
  • 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…
    BookNew York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 2020. — YA 306.7662 JOHNSON Johnson
  • "Poet, artist, and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Alok Vaid-Menon deconstructs, demystifies, and reimagines the gender binary"--
    BookNew York : Penguin Workshop, [2020] — YA 305.3 VaidMeno
  • Queer

    the Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens

    Belge, Kathy,
    A guide that helps LGBT teens come out to friends and family, navigate their new LGBT social life, figure out if a crush is also queer, and rise up against bigotry and homophobia.
    BookMinneapolis : Zest Books, [2019] — YA 306.766 Belge
  • "Through engrossing narratives, letters, drawings, poems, and more, the book encourages young readers, of all identities, to feel pride at the accomplishments of the LGBTQ people who came before them and to use history as a guide to the…
    BookBoston : Beacon Press, [2019] — YA 306.766 Chevat