As division in the United States becomes more and more pronounced, any actions championing common ground, shared empathy and inclusive communities are vital. 

Reading is one such action. Fiction in particular allows us to immerse ourselves in the lives of others, cultivating compassion despite our differences and giving us insight into our similarities. For the positive effects to be felt fully, we must celebrate and make available books that showcase diverse perspectives. 

This is especially crucial for youth. Despite outcries about age-appropriate topics, banning books may underscore young people’s impressions that if they don’t see themselves in books carried by their public or school libraries, then they too are unwelcome, not to mention the dire ramifications of bullying, safety and mental health.   

Student safety is a top priority, but Americans disagree on what we should be protecting students from. Well, here are some powerful data points: The 2021 National School Climate Survey found that “68.0% of LGBTQ+ students felt unsafe at school because of their SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression) characteristics – 50.6% because of their sexual orientation, 43.2% because of their gender expression and 40.3% because of their gender.” 

The problems facing our world don’t have easy solutions. However, there is a lot to be said for the relief – and perspective – offered by a good read. 

Here’s a (far from complete) list of books for all types of lovers on this Book Lovers Day, some written for young people and some for adults. 

The Books

And Tango Makes Three 
‍by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell and Henry Cole

“At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo got the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own.”

Cinderella Is Dead 
‍by Kalynn Bayron

“It's 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl's display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again. Sixteen-year-old Sophia [teams up with]... Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella… to bring down the king once and for all.”

Two Boys Kissing 
‍by David Levithan

“Based on true events – and narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS – Two Boys Kissing follows Harry and Craig, two seventeen-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teens dealing with universal questions of love, identity, and belonging.”

Red, White & Royal Blue 
‍by Casey McQuiston

“First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. … As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with [his longtime nemesis, British Prince] Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations.”

Our Colors
‍by Gengoroh Tagame

“Set in contemporary suburban Japan, Our Colors is the story of Sora Itoda, a sixteen-year-old aspiring painter who experiences his world in synesthetic hues of blues and reds and is governed by the emotional turbulence of being a teenager. Our Colors is a mesmerizing coming-of-age and coming-out graphic novel by the genius writer-artist of the Eisner Award-winning breakout hit My Brother’s Husband.”

Nightcrawling
‍by Leila Mottley

“A dazzling novel about a young Black woman who walks the streets of Oakland and stumbles headlong into the failure of its justice system – the debut of a blazingly original voice that “bursts at the seams of every page and swallows you whole” (Tommy Orange, bestselling author of There There).”

Detransition, Baby
‍by Torrey Peters

“This provocative debut is about what happens at the emotional, messy, vulnerable corners of womanhood that platitudes and good intentions can’t reach. Torrey Peters brilliantly and fearlessly navigates the most dangerous taboos around gender, sex and relationships, gifting us a thrillingly original, witty and deeply moving novel.”

Gender Outlaw
‍by Kate Bornstein

“Gender Outlaw was decades ahead of its time when it was first published in 1994. Now, some thirty-odd years later, this book stands as both a classic and a still-revolutionary work – one that continues to push us gently but profoundly to the furthest borders of the gender frontier.”

Horse Barbie
‍by Geena Rocero

“The heartfelt memoir of a trans pageant queen from the Philippines who went back into the closet to model in New York City – until she realized that living her truth was the only way to step into her full power. A dazzling testimony from an icon who sits at the center of transgender history and activism, Horse Barbie is a celebratory and universal story of survival, love and pure joy.”

Giovanni’s Room
‍by James Baldwin

“James Baldwin’s groundbreaking novel about love and the fear of love, set among the bohemian bars and nightclubs of 1950s Paris. With sharp probing insight, Giovanni’s Room tells an impassioned, deeply moving story that lays bare the unspoken complexities of the human heart.”

How to Live Free in a Dangerous World
‍by Shayla Lawson

“Poet and journalist Shayla Lawson follows their National Book Critics Circle finalist This Is Major with these daring and exquisitely crafted essays, where Lawson journeys across the globe, finds beauty in tumultuous times and powerfully disrupts the constraints of race, gender and disability.”