BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

by QLDC Library

Embark on a WP23 literary journey with QLDC Library’s handpicked book recommendations. From enthralling fiction to enlightening non-fiction, there’s something for every reader to explore and enjoy.

30 Queer Lives: Conversations with LGBTQIA+ New Zealanders by Matt

McEvoy

Identity, understanding and celebration through the stories of 30 remarkable New Zealanders, 30 Queer Lives explores the lives, struggles and successes of LGBTQIA+ New Zealanders society, from north to south and from soldiers, celebrities, lawyers, drag queens, businesspeople and Olympians to farmers and fa`afafine. From the famous - Grant Robertson, Gareth Farr, Chloee Swarbrick - to the less well known, these 30 stories encourage empathy and understanding, challenge stereotypes, and offer courage and hope

Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez

An essential and revelatory coming-of-age narrative from a thrilling new voice, Rainbow Milk follows nineteen-year-old Jesse McCarthy as he grapples with his racial and sexual identities against the backdrop of his Jehovah’s Witness upbringing. A wholly original novel as tender as it is visceral, this novel is a bold reckoning with race, class, sexuality, freedom and religion across generations, time and cultures.

Pride 2023

week, was just getting started. There was no still 4 years away from being a thing and it festival schedule and witnessed huge social in 2018 with the idea of broadening it out, enormously successful step forward. and without the broad community support time ago. Queenstown ensures visitors feel safe assume that acceptance and openness is a normal part regressing. In some ways it would have been nice if some of the technologies that platforms have provided a megaphone for hate and conspiracy theories that hard-fought rights in what we see as very liberal communities. is the one time of the year, where they will feel freedom and love across a be illegal or marginalised. Even in Australia and yes in some corners of New themselves at home or in their place of work. It’s one reason I am so proud of all the the pride flag out to says to the festival guest, welcome and you are safe year, there are over 5,000 tickets sold and events will sell out like they do community events where Queenstown locals come and have a terrific time and economic and cultural growth. I am immensely proud of that and proud of heart, but I don’t take it for granted, none of us ever should. Now let’s Party

Martin King, Director

You’re That B*tch: & Other Cute Stories About Being Unapologetically Yourself

You’re That Bitch welcomes you into Bretman Rock’s world—from how his childhood in the Philippines, his family, Filipino culture, and being a first-generation immigrant helped shape him into who he is today. Peek into how Bretman became a social media sensation at the precocious age of 14, balancing living a glamorous jet-setting lifestyle on weekends while still serving lunch at his school’s cafeteria, running as a varsity track-star, and making honor roll during the week

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn’t hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness. A whipsmart debut about three women—transgender and cisgender— whose lives collide after an unexpected pregnancy forces them to confront their deepest desires around gender, motherhood, and sex

Pageboy by Elliot Page

Pageboy is a groundbreaking coming-of-age memoir from the Academy Award-nominated actor Elliot Page. A generation-defining actor and one of the most famous trans advocates of our time, Elliot will now be known as an uncommon literary talent, as he shares never-before-heard details and intimate interrogations on gender, love, mental health, relationships, and Hollywood