Pride Month: Recommended Reads from Indie Booksellers

In honor of Pride Month, we’ve rounded up some recommended reads from a selection of independent bookstores from across the country. Each of these long-standing institutions has been in business since the early days of the LGBTQ civil rights movement, providing refuge as well as reading material to the communities they serve. From all of us at AuthorPods, Happy Pride, and happy reading!

Unabridged Bookstore – Chicago, IL

Opened in 1980 by Ed Devereux, Unabridged Bookstore has been Chicago’s go-to destination for LGBTQ literature for over 40 years. The independent shop is known for its dedicated and knowledgeable staff and their handwritten personal book recommendations.

Here’s a few of the authors and titles featured by Unabridged Bookstore this month via virtual events and their monthly Queer Book Club:

The Guncle, by Steven Rowley
Yes, Daddy, by Jonathan Parks-Ramage
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong
Antiman, by Rajiv Mohabir

Changing Hands Bookstore – Tempe & Phoenix, AZ

When Changing Hands opened in 1974, its founders envisioned it as a socially responsible, environmentally sound business that would also be a community gathering place. Today, two of the original founders, Gayle Shanks and Bob Somers, along with a third partner, Cindy Dach, continue to make that vision a reality.

In honor of Pride, Changing Hands bookseller Sav shared her “gay books” TBR (to be read, in bookspeak) list via YouTube. Her picks include:

Queer Love in Color, by Jamal Jordan
The Chosen and the Beautiful, by Nghi Vo
The Natural Mother of the Child, by Krys Malcolm Belc
Our Work Is Everywhere, by Syan Rose

Charis Books & More – Atlanta, GA

The oldest independent feminist bookstore in the South, Charis was founded by Linda Bryant in 1974 with a mission to sell books by and about women, spiritual books that were challenging and opening, and children’s books that were anti-sexist and anti-racist.

Together with its non-profit arm, Charis Circle, Charis Books & More today continues to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices.

Here’s a selection of the books and authors on their events calendar this month:

With Teeth, by Kristen Arnett
As a Woman: What I Learned About Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned, by Paula Stone Williams
Rainbow Milk, by Paul Mendez
The Queen’s English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases by Chloe Davis

Room of One’s Own – Madison, WI

A fixture in Madison since 1975, A Room of One’s Own was founded as an independent, feminist bookstore with a wide selection of books, including strong women’s studies, and LGBTQ fiction and nonfiction sections. Longtime employees Jes Lukes and Gretchen Treu took over the store from owners Sandi Torkildson and Nancy Geary in 2018, with a goal of staying true to the much-loved store’s original mission.

Room is currently offering a 10 percent discount on all six or 12-month Queer Lit subscription boxes purchased during Pride. Among the featured titles on their website and Instagram:

Heaven No Hell, by Michael DeForge
Sorrowland, by Rivers Solomon
Home Is Where You Queer Your Heart, edited by Miah Jeffra, Monique Mero-Williams, and Arisa White
The Girl from the Sea, by Molly Knox Ostertag

Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni’s Room – Philadelphia, PA

Giovanni’s Room (named after James Baldwin’s famed literary work) was founded in 1973 as one of the first LGBTQ and feminist bookstores in the country, and is the oldest gay bookstore still in existence. In 2011, the store received a historical marker in recognition of its service as “a refuge and cultural center at the onset of the LGBT civil rights movement.” The store briefly closed when longtime owner Ed Hermance retired in 2014, but Philly Aids Thrift soon struck a deal to become the proprietor and reopened the venture under its current name.

Here’s a selection of Pride recommendations from PAT @ Giovanni’s Room: