Gay
Down And Across
Author: Arvin Ahmadi
Description: Down and Across is a contemporary novel. It follows an Iranian-American male protagonist who runs away to Washington D.C. find an expert on the psychology of success. Along the way he gets into adventures and meets many new characters.
Includes: #middleeast #iranian #maleprotagonist #contemporary
Citation: Ahmadi, A. (2018). Down and across. Viking Books for Young Readers.
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Tyler Johnson Was Here
Author: Jay Coles
Description: Tyler Johnson Was Here is a contemporary novel about a gay African American teen whose twin brother is shot and killed by the police.
Includes: #gay #LGBTQIA #maleprotagonist #africanamerican #black #policebrutality #mentalhealth #trauma
Citation: Coles, J. (2018). Tyler Johnson Was Here. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
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Mariam Sharma Hits The Road
Author: Sheba Karim
Description: Mariam Sharma Hits The Road is a contemporary novel about three South Asian American characters, one of whom is closeted and gay, on a road trip from New Jersey to New Orleans.
Includes: #asianamerican #southasian #contemporary #femaleprotagonist #muslim #LGBTQIA
Citation: Karim, S. (2018). Mariam Sharma Hits The Road. HarperTeen.
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Darius The Great Is Not Okay
Author: Adib Khorram
Description: Darius The Great Is Not Okay is a contemporary novel about a biracial white and Iranian boy who lives with depression. The story centers around his first trip to visit his family in Iran and the friendship he builds with a boy there.
Includes: #maleprotagonist #LGBTQIA #biracial #asianamerican #iranian #mentalhealth #depression
Citation: Khorram, A. (2018). Darius The Great Is Not Okay. Dial Books.
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Two Boys Kissing
Author: David Levithan
Description: Two Boys Kissing is a contemporary novel based on a true story of two boys trying to beat the world record for two boys kissing the longest.
Includes: #gay #LGBTQIA #maleprotagonist #contemporary
Citation: Levithan, D. (2013). Two Boys Kissing. Knopf Books for Young Readers.
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You Know Me Well
Author: David Levithan and Nina LaCour
Description: You Know Me Well is a contemporary novel told through the alternating perspectives of a gay male teen and a lesbian female teen throughout the course of Pride week in the Bay Area.
Includes: #gay #lesbian #LGBTQIA #maleprotagonist #femaleprotagonist #contemporary
Citation: Levithan, D. & LaCour, N. (2016). You Know Me Well. St. Martin’s Griffin.
Image retrieved from: Goodreads.
Black Wings Beating
Author: Alex London
Description: Black Wings Beating is a fantasy novel with a gay male protagonist and his female twin set in a world where falcons are revered. The two set off on a journey to save their kingdom.
Includes: #gay #LGBTQIA #maleprotagonist #femaleprotagonist #fantasy #magic
Citation: London, A. (2018). Black Wings Beating. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr).
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Picture Us In The Light
Author: Kelly Loy Gilbert
Description: Picture Us In The Light is the story of an Asian American gay teen who is dealing with the issues of grief, unrequited love, and family mystery.
Includes: #asianamerican #LGBTQIA #gay #contemporary #maleprotagonist.
Citation: Loy Gilbert, K. (2018). Picture Us In The Light. Disney-Hyperion.
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More Than This
Author: Patrick Ness
Description: More Than This is the story of a gay teen who dies and wakes up in an in-between world.
Includes: #gay #LGBTQIA #maleprotagonist #sciencefiction
Citation: Ness, P. (2014). More Than This. Walker Books Ltd.
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Anger Is A Gift
Author: Mark Oshiro
Description: Anger Is A Gift is a contemporary novel about a gay African American teen growing up in Oakland, California and dealing with anxiety and panic attacks because of the trauma of his father’s death at the hands of Oakland police.
Includes: #gay #LGBTQIA #maleprotagonist #africanamerican #black #latinx #mentalhealth #trauma #policebrutality
Citation: Oshiro, M. (2018). Anger Is A Gift. Tor Teen.
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Description: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is the story of two Mexican American boys and their struggles with racial and ethnic identity, sexuality, and family.
Includes: #gay #LGBTQIA #maleprotagonist #latinx #contemporary #rural
Citation: Sáenz, A. ( 2012). Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers.
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The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Description: The Inexplicable Logic of My Life is a novel about a Mexican American teen who has grown up with his adoptive gay father in a Mexican American family. This story follows him as he and his best friend dig into their own histories and deal with grief and loss.
Includes: #latinx #mexican #LGBTQIA #gay #contemporary #maleprotagonist
Citation: Sáenz, B. A. (2017). The Inexplicable Logic of My Life. Clarion Books.
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Rainbow Boys
Author: Alex Sanchez
Description: Rainbow Boys is about three boys with different backgrounds, dealing with various stages of the coming out process.
Includes: #gay #LGBTQIA #maleprotagonist #contemporary
Citation: Sanchez, A. (2003). Rainbow Boys. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
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History Is All You Left Me
Author: Adam Silvera
Description: History Is All You Left Me is about a gay teen’s grief, mental health, letting go of his past, and the rebuilding of his new future.
Includes: #gay #LGBTQIA #maleprotagonist #mentalhealth #grief #suicide
Citation: Silvera, A. (2017). History Is All You Left Me. Soho Teen.
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What If It’s Us
Author: Adam Silvera & Becky Albertalli
Description: What If It’s Us is a contemporary love story told through alternating perspectives. It follows two teens, one who is Latinx and one who is white, as they spend a summer falling in love.
Includes: #latinx #LGBTQIA #gay #maleprotagonist #contemporary #interraciallove
Citation: Silvera, A. & Albertalli, B. (2018). What If It’s Us. HarperTeen.
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Highly Illogical Behavior
Author: John Corey Whaley
Description: Highly Illogical Behavior is a contemporary novel about a boy with agoraphobia who is introduced to a new friend and her boyfriend who try to get him out into the real world. But the protagonist soon starts to grow feelings for his new friend’s boyfriend.
Includes: #gay #LGBTQIA #maleprotagonist #mentalhealth #contemporary
Citation: Whaley, J. C. (2016). Dial Books.
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How to Be Remy Cameron
Author: Julian Winters
Description: How To Be Remy Cameron is a contemporary young adult novel told through the point of view of a Black high school junior boy who is a transracial adoptee. After being assigned an essay in his AP Literature class asking him to define himself, he dives into questions of self discovery. He is Black, gay, adopted, popular, a good son, a loving brother, and still discovering what else he is.
Includes: #africanamerican #black #maleprotagonist #adoption #transracialadpotee #contemporary #hope #joy #LGBTQIA+ #youngadultliterature
Citation: Winters, J. (2019). How To Be Remy Cameron. Duet.
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