In it LGBT+ pride month There is nothing better than reading those novels that, despite taboos and social thoughts, write in a passionate way the discovery of people’s identity and sexuality.
Next in University Generation we leave you 10 books with LGBT+ representation that you should read to celebrate this month of pride. The list ranges from classics like Virginia Woolf’s Orlando to more recent and fascinating novels like Jay Sandoval’s The Kim Theory.
Also read: IPN celebrates LGBT+ Pride month with a film series
The bad habit – Alan S. Portero
A girl trapped in a body she doesn’t know how to inhabit. The bad habit of Alan S. Portero leads us to closely follow a girl who, in trying to understand herself and the world in which she lives, will have to face a fierce world in which difference is not accepted.
With the help of other women, she will face the violence she encounters with every step she takes and fight to achieve the freedom of her identity.
A novel told in a poetic and at the same time raw way that thousands of feelings will pass through the reader as soon as they read the first pages.
Where to buy: Amazon (https://www.amazon.com.mx/mala-costumbre-Biblioteca-Breve-ebook/dp/B0BYK4W2WD)
Carol – Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith used a pseudonym when she published this book. The reason? Avoid being classified as a “lesbian writer.” In Carol, we closely follow the love affair of two women, Therese is a young set designer who accidentally works as a salesperson, while Carol is an elegant and sophisticated woman who has just gotten divorced.
The course of their lives changes completely when they meet and a destiny that seemed to have already been written takes its course in a fascinating way.
Where to buy: Mercado Libre (https://listado.mercadolibre.com.mx/carol-patricia-highsmith)
The Kim Theory – Jay Sandoval
Do you like stories with time travel? Then The Kim Theory is a great option to celebrate this month. On the night of August 1st, Taylor Kim finds Han Dakho, a boy who was expelled from the lake in Mariposa County.
In a way to help him, she decides to take him home without imagining that this 17-year-old boy is a time traveler. Together with him she will discover that what seemed like science fiction has become reality and now she will have to return it to his timeline. But what will happen when she discovers love in him?
Welcome to Mariposa County. This is 1986.
Where to buy: Sanborns (https://www.sanborns.com.mx/producto/343516/la-teoria-de-kim)
Love inside out – Luisgé Martín
“In 1977, at the age of fifteen, when I was definitively certain that I was homosexual, I swore to myself, terrified, that no one would ever know.” In Love Inside Out, Luisgé Martín, the author tells his life in a sincere way and all those thoughts that surrounded him when he discovered his own sexuality.
In a world in which social norms seem to play a fundamental role in people’s lives, Luisgé confronts that society infected by intolerance and prejudice and explores his sexual condition and those topics that very few dare, such as the psychological problems derived from of that feeling of inadequacy.
Where to buy: El Sótano (https://www.elsotano.com/libro/el-amor-del-reves_10494402)
Call me by your name – André Aciman
On the coast of Italy in the eighties, an American writer named Oliver arrives at Elio’s house, because his parents have decided to give him shelter for the summer.
Oliver is eclipsed by Elio and the chemistry is mutual, which will lead them to embark on a love adventure where obsession, fear, fascination and desire will intensify the more time they spend together.
This book was adapted into a successful film starring Timothée Chalet and Arnie Hammer.
Where to buy: Gandhi (https://www.gandhi.com.mx/llamame-por-tu- nombre-9786073165419/p)
Death in Venice – Thomas Mann
Homosexual love is prohibited. Or that is what society and Gustav von Aschenbach himself believe, a German writer who has arrived in Venice in search of inspiration for his next work.
In this place he meets Tadzio, a young man who has extraordinary beauty and who becomes the greatest inspiration for Aschenbach who, for fear of being rejected, prevents himself from approaching the young man.
This novel leads us to reflect on love, passion and devotion to beauty regardless of gender. A novel that you should read no matter what.
Where to buy: Amazon (https://www.amazon.com.mx/muerte-en-Venecia-Thomas-Mann/dp/6073189842)
Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe – Benjamín Alire Sáenz
This novel is set in 1987 where we closely follow two young Mexican-Americans who establish a friendship that, as time passes, leads them to explore another part of their lives that ranges from their family relationships and ethnic identity to their sexuality.
The book is divided into six parts and each one is fascinating for the way in which the author develops the growth of both characters and how each of them redefines their lives and thoughts.
Where to buy: Gandhi (https://www.gandhi.com.mx/aristoteles-y-dante-descubren-los-secretos-del-universo-9786070760860/p)
The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller
Madeline Miller brings us an epic of Homer’s The Iliad. In it we follow Patroclus, a young prince who is exiled to the kingdom of Phthia where he meets Achilles, destined to be the best of the Greeks and have the glory that everyone desires.
Patroclus becomes Achilles’ companion and little by little they begin to have a special bond that leads them to live hundreds of adventures together. However, fate turns against them when the kidnapping of Queen Helen of Sparta leads them to take part in the Trojan War.
Can love overcome the destiny that was already written for both of them? A fascinating novel that will capture you instantly.
Where to buy: Gandhi (https://www.gandhi.com.mx/la-cancion-de-aquiles-9786075508054/p)
Orlando – Virginia Wolf
Virginia Woolf wrote one of the most successful works of literature. Orlando is a biographical work based on the life of Vita Sackville-West, who had an affair with Woolf.
This novel deals with different topics considered taboo during its time, such as homosexuality and female sexuality. The story is divided into three centuries where the main character discovers himself in three eras.
In the first he is a young man from England who narrates his first love experience. In the second he is the ambassador of Constantinople but discovers that she is a woman and must deal with gender concepts, while in the third era where Orlando is now a wife and mother and will have to fight for the concept of equality.
Where to buy: El Sótano (https://www.elsotano.com/libro/orlando_10514711)
The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me – David Drake
Published in the 90s, this play addresses the AIDS crisis and self-discovery about being a gay person. This work is one of the most important contributions to literature LGBT+.
Its title goes beyond talking about a “kiss”, its meaning lies in the moment in which the protagonist self-recognizes his sexuality and accepts it despite the context that exists around him.
Without a doubt, one of the most fascinating books to celebrate this month.
Where to buy: Amazon (https://www.amazon.com.mx/noche-que-Larry-Kramer-bes%C3%B3/dp/8412765737)
