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I Can’t Date Jesus is Michael Arceneaux’s hilarious memoir about being black, gay, and Texan. Arceneaux is a welcome voice adding to those of other queer people of color. Whether offering a wry, observational take on bigoted Texans who have derided his right to exist or recalling his grandmother’s religious-based admonishment of his orientation (from which his clever title derives), Arceneaux’s acerbic humor is reminiscent of the very best work of American humorist and author David Sedaris. (Atria Paperbacks)
—Savas Abadsidis
Wild Mares: My Lesbian Back-to-the-Land Life is feminist Dianna Hunter’s fascinating memoir about the enormous freedom (and struggles) that came from the womyn’s back-to-land movement of the 1960s and ’70s. Hunter was an integral part of the sepratist movement, whose women (many originally identifing as straight) believed that in order to be their best they needed to separate from men, socially and politically. Mares leaves us pondering whether a true lesbian utopia could ever exist. (University of Minnesota Press)
—Desirée Guerrero
The Smell of Starving Boys by Loo Hui Phang and Frederik Peeters is a sumptuously illustrated Western that queers the Old West, with Oscar, an urbane gay photographer, and Milton, a farm boy who isn’t all he seems. But misogynist businessman Mr. Stingley imagines the West (its land, Native Americans, and resources) as his God-given spoils. Supernatural aspects tie in neatly — mostly: A few feel oddly alien. Still, Starving Boys is a work of art you’ll find yourself returning to numerous times. (SelfMadeHero)
—Jacob Anderson-Minshall
How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation, edited by Maureen Johnson, is manual on activism in response to the 2016 election. A collection of essays, songs, illustrations, and interviews about activism and hope, it features LGBT celebs (Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Hamilton star Javier Munoz, comedian Rosie O’Donnell, and more). The book offers hope and support to the next generation via stories and voices that run the gamut from personal to funny and irreverent. (Wednesday Books)
—S.A.
The Way of Being Lost: A Road Trip to My Truest Self is the latest memoir by Victoria Price, lesbian daughter of bisexual horror legend Vincent Price. Realizing that the trappings of life had in effect made her detached from it, Price sacrificed it all with self-imposed homelessness and discovered her true self. Not just a story of one woman’s journey into self-enlightenment, The Way of Being Lost provides actionable ideas on how to change one’s life for the positive. (Dover Publications)
—Donald Padgett
The Boys of Fairy Town: Sodomites, Female Impersonators, Third-Sexers, Pansies, Queers, and Sex Morons in Chicago’s First Century by award-winning biographer Jim Elledge takes us into post-1833 but pre-World War II LGBT communities of Chicago. It features fascinating real-life characters: early queer activists, female illusionists, and African-American ragtime pianist Tony Jackson, whose most famous song, “Pretty Baby,” was, in fact, written about one of his male lovers. (Chicago Review Press)
—D.G.
House of Nutter: The Rebel Tailor of Savile Row by Lance Richardson is about famed Savile Row tailor Tommy Nutter and his lesser-known, also-gay brother David, who together impacted the celebrity culture of an entire generation. The outgoing Peacock Revolution tailor (Tommy) and gifted photographer (David) revolutionized the industry and chronicled private moments of stars Elton John, Michael Jackson, the Beatles, Monty Python, and more; while living remarkable lives. (Crown Archetype)
—DP
Elsa Lanchester, Herself is the British performer’s memoir about her career and marriage to closeted gay actor Charles Laughton. Instantly recognizable as the Bride of Frankenstein, Lanchester was an accomplished stage and film veteran twice nominated for Academy Awards. Born to radical socialist parents, she opened her own theater as a teen and performed for luminaries like H.G. Wells and Aldus Huxley. Her marriage lasted 36 years despite Laughton’s relationships with men. (Chicago Review Press)
— D.P.
The Secret Loves of Geeks, edited by Hope Nicholson, isn’t queer-specific but includes Gabby Rivera (writer of Marvel’s Latina lesbian, America), pansexual artist Priya Huq (Mana), trans creator Dylan Edwards (Transposes), ace colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick, bisexual TechGirls Canada founder Saadia Muzaffar, and real-life lesbian couple Cat Staggs and Amanda Deibert (Wonder Woman). With stories as diverse as their creators, many of the tales of romance are also about identity and self-discovery. (Dark Horse)
— J.A.M.
Who Is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht, set in the 1960s, is a coming-of-age tale and slick espionage adventure. Tech prodigy Vera Kelly is a smart, street-savvy, quick-witted and sharp-tongued New Yorker struggling to make ends meet when she’s recruited by the CIA and sent undercover to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The tension builds as the local government crumbles and Vera becomes entangled with a group of young radicals, until a betrayal forces her to save herself. This juicy queer spy novel doesn’t disappoint. (Tin House)
— D.G.
Loulou & Yves: The Untold Story of Loulou de La Falaise and the House of Saint Laurent by Christopher Petkanas is a cocktail party where you mingle with Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger, Robert Mapplethorpe, Diane von Furstenberg, and others who share tales about iconoclast gay fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his muse and fellow designer Loulou de La Falaise. Culled from over 200 interviews, the story continues after Laurent’s death, as De La Falaise struggles to succeed on her own. (St. Martin’s Press)
—D.P.
Not the Son He Expected: Gay Men Talk Candidly About Their Relationship With Their Father by Tim Clausen is a collection dealing with the emotionally complex relationships between gay sons and their fathers. Told through the personal stories of a racially and socio-economically diverse group of 25 gay men — including a well-known porn director, a former Catholic priest, and a South Dakota rodeo cowboy — the book can also serve as a how-to manual. And many of us (and our dads) could use the help. (CreateSpace)
—D.G.
