Tehlor Kay Mejia
[isbn]
With a Handmaid's Tale-esque society, poly-Latinx culture, and espionage, We Set the Dark on Fire is the perfect dystopian novel for the older YA reader. If that doesn't check all your boxes, add queer love, consent culture, and one sexy shower scene.
Recommended by Andy A.
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John Green
[isbn]
All the feels. Yes, this was hard to read, and will be a hard read for anyone who has experienced even the smallest bit of anxiety or OCD. However, it’s also a healing and reflective book. The story is all life, all truth, and all yearning to find meaning. John Green, thank you for sharing this part of yourself. You’ve done it again.
Recommended by Andy A.
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Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson
[isbn]
This tiny graphic novel was easily the most influential book of 2018 for me. Archie (a nonbinary person like me) and Tristan (a cisgender man) break down gendered language in a funny, patient, and understandable manner. I immediately gifted my copy to the employee breakroom anonymously (hi, it was me, I'm allowed to out myself). Your mom needs this book. Your boss needs this book. You need this book.
Recommended by Andy A.
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Mark Oshiro
[isbn]
Wow... This book is BRUTAL. Mark Oshiro (from the online world of Mark Reads) delivers a timely and necessary look into the system of oppression and police brutality. The cast is diverse, the plot expansive, and the dialogue raw. This is an incredible debut.
Recommended by Andy A.
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Angie Thomas
[isbn]
Y'all. This book is so, so, so good. Not only does it paint a realistic picture inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, it is also about family, friendship, dating, socioeconomics, and coming of age in the cross-cultural world that is America. I'm telling you, read it, especially those of you who, like me, didn't grow up in a black home. Angie Thomas is a force to be reckoned with, and this book hits readers where it hurts. Oh, and an extra... (read more)
Recommended by Andy A.
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Mackenzi Lee
[isbn]
Mackenzi Lee's comedic historical novel will take you on a hilarious swashbuckling adventure full of friendship, drunkenness, and gay love. It also tackles issues such as ableism, racism, and feminism — this book has it all.
Recommended by Andy A.
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Emily M. Danforth
[isbn]
Wow. So much is crammed into this book! It was phenomenal — so much my story, so much entirely beyond or an exaggeration of my story. Raw, honest, and exposed, demonstrating the emotional abuse of trying to "fix the gay" or "pray the gay away," Danforth gives a voice to the silenced, and to the aches and joys of being a queer youth.
Recommended by Andy A.
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Hannah Hart
[isbn]
In Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded, Hannah Hart bravely gives us the inside scoop on her childhood with a schizophrenic mom and a dad who was a Jehovah's Witness. Buffering is about a life taking care of the ones you love; about how mental illness rocked her family to the core; about differences in coping; about coming out and seeking love and comfort in another human being. The book is heavy, but not... (read more)
Recommended by Andy A.
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April Daniels
[isbn]
If you are trying to break out of the typical cishet male superhero story, this is the book for you! Danny Tozer becomes Dreadnought on one fateful trip to the mall, taking on the body she'd always wished she had. The plot is interesting, the characters relatable, and the subject matter is written about with serious oomph and grace. It is also important to note that Dreadnought is an Own Voices novel, which we need lift up and praise.... (read more)
Recommended by Andy A.
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Lowrey, Sassafras
[isbn]
Reading Lost Boi was like going on the most dangerous, thrilling ride of my life.
It was a kinky, unashamed, raw, unapologetic, and literary adventure into a queer D/s Neverland.
This book is a friend unspoken to, a road never traveled, a genre never read.
It took me to uncomfortable yet mind-blowing places.
Recommended by Andy A.
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Meredith Russo
[isbn]
"Gasp" is the only word I had when finishing this book. Meredith Russo delivers a poignant and emotional story about Amanda, a trans girl who moves to a new town and falls in love with Grant, a kind and honest soul. This is a story about friendship, coming of age, and being true to yourself. You will root for Amanda throughout and find yourself relating to her struggles whether you are trans or not. Five stars.
Recommended by Andy A.
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Audre Lorde
[isbn]
I dog-eared my way through this entire book. Audre Lorde tells her story of what it was like to be a lonely black lesbian woman coming to adulthood in early 1950s NYC. She writes with raw, poetic, political, and heartbreaking detail and never holds back. I recommend her work to every person who has ever used "feminist" when describing themselves.
Recommended by Andy A.
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Renee Watson
[isbn]
Renee Watson's young adult novel is set in Portland, Oregon, where gentrification threatens to erase a primarily black neighborhood's history. Follow twins Maya and Nikki as they come of age in a quickly changing city and find the meaning of "home." This is not only a story of transformation but one of discovery and healing.
Recommended by Andy A.
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Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely
[isbn]
All American Boys is a dual narrative story of two teenage boys: Rashad, an artistic ROTC kid, and Quinn, a star of the school basketball team. Their lives are thrown into chaos when Rashad is falsely accused of stealing chips from a local convenience store and gets badly beaten by a cop. Frighteningly similar to the brutal murders of Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, and countless others, this fictional masterpiece uncovers layered... (read more)
Recommended by Andy A.
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Nicola Yoon
[isbn]
Over the course of one fateful day in New York City, Natasha and Daniel unravel the impact of one day's worth of choices. Yoon tackles crucial subjects such as immigration, race, suicide, and heartbreak while delivering honest and genuine protagonists. I also appreciated that every minor character had a story to tell. In a world full of constant struggle, Yoon's second novel gifted me with the power of hope and love!
Recommended by Andy A.
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