Last week we posted an article about how February marks LGBT history month in the UK, alongside a small selection of LGBT history films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a companion piece to that article, here are eight book recommendations featuring queer characters, romance, or otherwise recounting queer history.
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We Are Okay<\/strong> by Nina LaCour<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Having fled California after the death of her grandfather, Marin is faced with weeks of isolation in her dorm over winter break. Her only visitor, Mabel, is a reminder of the past she\u2019s done her best to escape. After years spent toeing the line between friendship and something more, Mabel\u2019s presence threatens to bring Marin\u2019s loneliness to light, and with it, all the things she has tried to forget.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A tale of connection and grief, \u2018We Are Okay\u2019 is a heartwrenching take on the coming-of-age genre and a poignant reminder that the worst kinds of isolation are self-imposed.<\/em> The Song of Achilles<\/strong> by Madeline Miller<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n With its roots tangled in the tragic complexities of \u2018The Iliad\u2019, Miller\u2019s retelling is a fresh take on the ancient classic, centred, instead, around the relationship between the legendary warrior Achilles and his devoted companion, Patroclus.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Told in elegant, brutal prose, the tender exploration of mortality, love, and divine fate allows tragedy to pierce through the narrative like a spear through the gut.<\/em> Or, if you\u2019re a fan of the classics, why not try reading what inspired Miller\u2019s retelling? The Iliad<\/strong> by Homer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026your fate awaits you too, godlike as you are, Achilles \u2013 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n to die in battle beneath the proud rich Trojans’ walls!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n But one thing more. A last request \u2013 grant it, please.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Never bury my bones apart from yours, Achilles,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n let them lie together\u2026\u201d (Book 23, lines 98 – 101)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Regarded as one of the oldest, and greatest, works of literature, \u2018The Iliad\u2019 is more than a tale of war and heroics. In bold, prosaic verses, Homer weaves a narrative where human life is underpinned by suffering and the cold, unsympathetic gaze of the Greek pantheon. Not confined to the battlefield, tragedy spills into every character and every aspect, where death is an expected certainty yet never without grief.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n At its heart, \u2018The Iliad\u2019 is an exploration of the depths of humanity and the inescapable nature of fate; a message made all the more bitter by the compassion and raw honesty of Homer\u2019s narration.<\/em> The Left Hand of Darkness<\/strong> by Ursula K. Le Guin<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Set in the distant future, \u2018The Left Hand of Darkness\u2019 orbits around a lone human envoy, Genly Ai. Sent to establish relations between Ekumen, the interplanetary trade network, and the planet Gethen, whose native inhabitants possess an absence of fixed gender, Genly must learn to traverse the chasm of his own disparate views and the Gethenians\u2019 distrust.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In an exploration of duty and humanity, Le Guin cuts right to the heart of complex topics such as religion, gender, and identity, and, with probing questions and razor-sharp wit, flays them wide open.<\/em> A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) <\/strong>by Becky Chambers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and strayed, all at once, into the wilderness. With robots nothing more than a distant myth, Dex is a tea monk tasked with providing custom-brewed tea to suit people\u2019s personalities and whatever they may need. Tired of their routine, Dex strays into the wilderness in search of adventure only to stumble across a lone robot, honouring a centuries-old promise. Neither of them can return to their old lives until they find an answer to the question \u201cWhat do people need?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dealing with themes of consumption, existentialism and compassion, Chambers\u2019 series welcomes its readers like an old friend \u2013 with an open door, a sense of comfort, and a place to stop and rest.<\/em> This is How You Lose the Time War<\/a><\/strong> by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rival agents, Red and Blue, belong to something larger than standard warring factions. Able to traverse the timeline in any direction, they alter the history of multiple universes to suit the needs of their respective empires, leaving each other secret messages as they go. Starting as nothing more than taunts, the letters morph into reluctant affection and eventually into love \u2013 a love that would see both of them killed if ever discovered.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In a world that isn\u2019t bound by linear time, El-Mohtar & Gladstone depict a new take on star-crossed lovers. Spanning the rise and fall of civilizations, of empires, of humanity itself, \u2018This is How You Lose the Time War\u2019 explores the perseverance of love in the unlikeliest of places, and just how infinite it can be.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice<\/strong> by Shon Faye<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In a climate that has routinely denied trans people a voice in conversations about themselves, Shon Faye considers what it really means to be transgender within a largely transphobic society. Exploring issues of class, employment and violence, she outlines the myriad of injustices transgender people face within the UK and proposes new ways to bring about meaningful change.\u00a0<\/em> Outrageous!: The Story of Section 28 and Britain\u2019s Battle for LGBT Education<\/strong> by Paul Baker<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Through personal accounts, interviews, and detailed research, Baker tells the story of Section 28, a law that prohibited the \u201cpromotion of homosexuality\u201d in settings such as schools. Attempting to silence a generation, Outrageous! explores how the Act came to pass, how protestors fought for its repeal, and the legacy it has left behind.<\/em> Trans Britain: Our Journey from the Shadows<\/strong> by Christine Burns<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n A collection of essays written by a range of activists, filmmakers, broadcasters, musicians and many more, \u2018Trans Britain\u2019 explores transgender rights, both historically and in present-day. Spanning almost a century, it covers life in the 30s, media response, and the myriad of ways transgender people have been treated, from medical attention to societal hostility.<\/em> Our previous article can be found here<\/a>, and further information on LGBT history month may be found on their website here<\/a>. Last week we posted an article about how February marks LGBT history month in the UK, alongside a small selection of LGBT history films. As a companion piece to that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":331329,"featured_media":16810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,2886,66],"tags":[110,114,4038,334,366,4014,4018,1822,1942,1954,2014],"class_list":["post-16802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acting-together","category-equality-and-diversity","category-sustainability-engagement","tag-acting-together","tag-actingtogether","tag-book-recommendations","tag-canterbury-christ-church-university","tag-cccusustainability","tag-lgbt","tag-lgbt-history-month","tag-sgo","tag-student-blogger","tag-student-green-office","tag-sustainability"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"authorName":"Bethany Climpson","featuredImage":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/669\/2023\/02\/robert-anasch-McX3XuJRsUM-unsplash.jpg","postExcerpt":"Last week we posted an article about how February marks LGBT history month in the UK, alongside a small selection of LGBT history films. As a companion piece to that […]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/331329"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16802"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16806,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16802\/revisions\/16806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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Non-fiction\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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By Holly Steventon, SGO Project Officer<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"