‘The Velvet Rage. Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man’s World’
Alan Downs
This book outlines three distinct stages to emotional wellbeing for gay men.
The current ‘must read’ book.
‘The Year of Ice’
Brian Molloy
Set in Minneapolis in 1978, the narrator is the happy go lucky school jock surrounded by admiring friends, who is hiding a guilty secret as he slowly begins to come to terms with his sexuality. Laugh out loud funny, it deftly captures a whole process that all lesbians and gay men have to deal with.
‘THE CAT SANCTUARY’
‘FRIENDLY FIRE’
and all other novels and short stories by
Patrick Gale
‘The Line of Beauty’
The 2004 Man Booker prizewinning novel by
Alan Hollinghurst
‘THE DUKE WHO OUTLAWED JELLY BEANS’
Johnny Valentine
Five very different fairy tales, all including gay or lesbian parents in some context.
‘TRANS: A MEMOIR’
Juliet Jacques
Adapted from her Guardian column ‘A Transgender Journey’, Juliet documents her own transition, with flashbacks to how she felt in her youth, coming out and the present day. This straightforward and engaging account is interspersed with information about trans histories, experiences and identities which make it an informative read for parents.
‘TRANS LIKE ME’
CN Lester
CN gives a really thorough study of trans issues and what gender means for all of us. This is a thoughtful and thought provoking book that can really help you to challenge your assumptions, explore issues and think clearly about gender and society. CN also gives insights into their own life and experiences. Highly recommended.
‘THE GENDER GAMES’
Juno Dawson
Sometimes lighthearted and irreverent in tone, this book examines how gender affects all our lives. Subtitled ‘The problem with men and women from someone who has been both’, in this book Juno tells us about her own life and journey to transition with frank anecdotes that will make you laugh out loud. But you’ll also learn about serious issues faced by the trans community and by all of us.
These have all been recommended to FFLAG by parents and LGBT individuals