This is quite lovely actually, cause at the beginning of the summer my friend wrote a book list for me of her quintessential queer reads.
I started with The Last Time I Wore A Dress, a memoir By Daphne Scholinski. 211 pages. Talk about heartbreaking, but enduring. Daphne detailed her detention in mental institutions for the greater part of her teenage years for so called “gender identity disorder.” This is the first bit of queer specific lit I have read since I began questioning my sexuality recently. It took me awhile to figure out that Daphne wasn’t actually confused about her gender identity, and was more-so in denial about her sexuality. I related to Daphne in that I have felt conflicted and confused, but relatively oblivious about my own sexuality till recently. I have some strong feelings about this book that I have yet to confront, but I am glad I picked it up.
Second on the list was Ariel Schrag’s graphic novels. I ended up with Potential, 224 pages. This is the first graphic novel I have ever picked up and I am so thrilled that I did. Potential is a part of her autobiographical comic series, and is actually the 2nd in the series. Ariel chronicled the high school experiences that shaped her sexuality- her first girlfriend, first love, her parent’s divorce, losing her virginity etc. All of that she did with amazing wit, frankness, and humor. What I loved about this as my first graphic novel was the little details in the comics… I will for sure be reading more of these.
Currently reading The Well of Loneliness, Radclyffe Hall, 437 pages.