The lending library must have been good this year, because we have a lot of amazing books just in time for the holidays. These books cover a lot of ground, looking at history, culture, fashion, activism, and more. And we'll let the books themselves do most of the talking this time, with descriptions straight from the publishers. These will be added into our new checkout system soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for them there!
Young Queer America: Real Stories and Faces of LGBTQ+ Youth, edited by Maxwell Poth. From the publisher:
"Get to know real queer kids from all over the country-these inspiring stories of LGBTQ+ youth, written in their own words, provide crucial snapshots of what it's really like to grow up trans or queer in America. Photographer and activist Maxwell Poth has traveled all over the United States, inviting LBGTQ+ youth to share their stories as part of Project Contrast, a nonprofit that amplifies these voices and connects kids and families with the resources they need to survive and thrive."
dapperQ Style: Ungendering Fashion by Anita Dolce Vita. From the publisher:
"Fashion plays a significant role in the construction of identity. How we style our clothing and adorn our bodies sends a message not only about who we are as individuals, but the norms and values of communities, cultures, and societies across the world. For too long, mainstream Western fashion has promoted unattainable beauty standards and restrictive binaries as a means of social control. As editor-in-chief of leading queer style magazine dapperQ, Anita Dolce Vita has provided a platform that transcends these rigid, exclusionary, and oppressive fashion rules, inspiring people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender presentations to think differently about both queer fashion and beauty as art and visual activism and ultimately have a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with style. She believes that fashion should reflect who we are and values such as visibility, belonging, and liberation. In this refreshing style book, she shows that, no matter your gender identity, race, body size, ability, age, or style, queer fashion is for everyone."
Pretty Boys: Legendary Icons Who Redefined Beauty (and How to Glow Up, Too) by David Yi. From the publisher:
"In this inclusive, illustrated history and guide to skin care and beauty, journalist and founder of Very Good Light David Yi teaches us that self-care, wellness, and feeling beautiful transcends time, boundaries, and binaries—and that pretty boys can change the world"
Our Work Is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance by Syan Rose. From the publisher:
"Over the past ten years, we have witnessed the rise of queer and trans communities that have defied and challenged those who have historically opposed them. Through bold, symbolic imagery and surrealist, overlapping landscapes, queer illustrator and curator Syan Rose shines a light on the faces and voices of these diverse, amorphous, messy, real, and imagined queer and trans communities."
Birthing Liberation: How Reproductive Justice Can Set Us Free by Sabia Wade. From the publisher:
"Birthing Liberation presents reproductive justice as the pathway to equity and the birthplace of liberation. Sabia C. Wade, renowned radical doula and educator, speaks to the intersections of systemic issues—such as access to health care, house transportation, and nutrition—and personal trauma work that, if healed, have the power to lead us to collective liberation in all facets of life. Collective liberation rests on the idea that in order for us all to have equity in this world—from the safety of childbirth, to the ability to bring a baby home to a safe community, to having access to resources, safety, and opportunities over the long term—we must all become liberated individuals."
Crip Kinship: The Disability Justice & Art Activism of Sins Invalid by Shayda Kafai. From the publisher:
"The remarkable story of Sins Invalid, a performance project that centres queer disability justice. In recent years, disability activism has come into its own as a vital and necessary means to acknowledge the power and resilience of the disabled community, and to call out ableist culture wherever it appears. Crip Kinship explores the art activism of Sins Invalid, a San Francisco Bay Area-based performance project, and its radical imaginings of what disabled, queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming bodyminds of colour can do: how they can rewrite oppression, and how they can gift us with transformational lessons for our collective survival."
Original Plumbing: The Best of Ten Years of Trans Male Culture, edited by Amos Mac and Rocco Kayiatos. From the publisher:
"Independently published from 2009 to 2019, Original Plumbing grew from a Bay Area zine to a nationally acclaimed print quarterly dedicated to trans men. For nearly ten years, the magazine was the premier resource focused on their experiences, celebrations, and imaginations, featuring writing on both playful and political topics like selfies, bathrooms, and safer sex; interviews with queer icons such as Janet Mock, Silas Howard, and Ian Harvie; and visual art, photography, and short fiction. In celebration of the magazine’s ten-year run, this essential collection compiles the best of all twenty issues. Selections are reprinted in full color, with an introduction by activist Tiq Milan and a new preface by the founding editors."
Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni. From the publisher:
"Best friends and chosen family Chris, Elise, Jo, and Alex work hard to keep themselves afloat. Their regular brunches hold them together even as the rest of their lives threaten to fall apart. In an effort to avoid being the oldest gays at the party, the crew decides to put on a new queer event called Grind—specifically for homos in their dirty 30s. Grind is a welcome distraction from their real problems: after a messy divorce, Chris adjusts to being a single parent while struggling to reconnect to their queer community. Elise is caught between feelings for her boss and the career of her dreams. Jo tries to navigate the murky boundaries of being a supportive friend and taking care of her own needs. And Alex is guarding a secret that might change his friendships forever. While navigating exes at work, physical and mental exhaustion, and drinking way, way too much on weekdays, this chosen family proves that being messy doesn’t always go away with age."