Pride Month might have a designated calendar slot, but honestly? Black queer literature deserves a permanent spot on your bookshelf. These authors create some of the most compelling, tender, and transformative stories that explore love, family, identity, grief, joy, and self-discovery, often through the lens of queer characters, that hit different regardless of who you are or who you love.
From acclaimed literary fiction to heartwarming love stories, here are 9 books by Black queer authors to add to your TBR (to-be-read) List for Pride Month and beyond.
“Don’t Cry for Me” & “Isaac’s Song” by Daniel Black
In his companion novels “Don’t Cry for Me” & “Isaac’s Song,” Daniel Black explores family, masculinity, faith and reconciliation through deeply emotional storytelling. “Don’t Cry for Me” follows a dying father writing letters to his estranged gay son, while “Isaac’s Song” centers the son’s journey toward self-acceptance, healing, and love after growing up in a deeply religious community.
“My Government Means to Kill Me” by Rasheed Newson
This coming-of-age novel follows Earl “Trey” Singleton III, a young Black gay man who leaves his conservative Indiana upbringing behind in search of freedom. Against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis and LGBTQ+ activism, Trey discovers community, love and political awakening.
“The Death of Vivek Oji” by Akwaeke Emezi
A mystery centering on a tragic death, Akwaeke Emezi takes readers through the journey of uncovering the mystery of Vivek’s life, creating a story that explores themes of identity, sexuality, family rejection, grief, and more.
“Homebodies” by Tembe Denton-Hurst
Layoffs, relationship troubles, and burnout are some of the many things Mickey Hayward is navigating when readers meet her in “Homebodies.” However, through Mickey’s return to her hometown, author Tembe Denton-Hurst unveils an insightful examination of identity, ambition, friendship, and what it means to create a life that feels authentic.
“Butter, Honey Pig Bread” by Francesca Ekwuyasi
This layered novel follows twin sisters and their mother as they navigate separation, reconciliation, and generational trauma. Blending food, memory, queerness, and family bonds, Ekwuyasi crafts a story that is both intimate and expansive.
“The Prophets” by Robert Jones Jr.
Set on a plantation in the antebellum South, this powerful novel centers the love between two enslaved men, Isaiah and Samuel. In “The Prophets,” Robert Jones Jr. reimagines Black queer history with lyrical prose, exploring love, spirituality, resistance and survival in the face of unimaginable oppression.
“D’Vaughn & Kris Plan a Wedding” by Chencia C. Higgins
“D’Vaughn & Kris Plan a Wedding” follows two women who agree to fake an engagement for a reality TV show with plans to come out to their families and win prize money. As they spend more time together, their pretend relationship begins to feel increasingly real, delivering plenty of humor, heart and swoon-worthy moments.
“I’m So Not Over You” by Kosoko Jackson
When Kian Andrews needs a date for a family wedding, he turns to his ex-boyfriend Hudson. What begins as a fake-dating arrangement quickly becomes more complicated as old feelings resurface.
