Intersectional

2024 curated booklist

These books include intersections of social and political identities such as race, religion, culture, disability, gender and class which result in unique combinations of discrimination and privilege.

Out Here: An Anthology of Takatāpui and LGBTQIA+ Writers from Aotearoa (Anthology)

ED. Chris Tse and Emma Barnes

We became teenagers in the nineties when New Zealand felt a lot less cool about queerness and gender felt much more rigid. We knew instinctively that hiding was the safest strategy. But how to find your community if you’re hidden? Aotearoa is a land of extraordinary queer writers, many of whom have contributed to our rich literary history. But you wouldn’t know it. Decades of erasure and homophobia have rendered some of our most powerful writing invisible. Out Here will change that. This landmark book brings together and celebrates queer New Zealand writers from across the gender and LGBTQIA+ spectrum with a generous selection of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and much much more. From established names to electrifying newcomers, the cacophony of voices brought together in Out Here sing out loud and proud, ensuring that future generations of queers are afforded the space to tell their stories and be themselves without fear of retribution or harm.

Category: NZ Authors, Non-fiction
Representation: Takatāpui, diverse genders, diverse sexualities
Content Warnings: Unknown

ISBN: ‎9781869409319
Find it in your local library (WorldCat)

Cemetery Boys

Aiden Thomas

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Category: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Representation: Gay, transgender, BIPOC
Content Warnings: Racism, substance use/abuse, discrimination, abuse, violence

ISBN: ‎9781035008636
Find it in your local library (WorldCat)

Felix Ever After

Kacen Callender

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle….

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.

Category: Young Adult
Representation: Diverse gender identities, diverse sexualities, transgender, BIPOC
Content Warnings: Bullying, homophobia, transphobia, racism, substance use/abuse

ISBN: 9780062820259
Find it in your local library (WorldCat)

The Black Flamingo

Dean Atta

A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen – then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers – to show ourselves to the world in bold colour.

Category: Young Adult
Representation: Gay, BIPOC
Content Warnings: Homophobia, transphobia, racism, police violence/brutality, religion, sexual activity, bullying, substance use/abuse

ISBN: 9781444948608
Find it in your local library (WorldCat)

The Boy from the Mish

Gary Lonesborough

I don’t paint so much anymore,’ I say, looking to my feet.

‘Oh. Well, I got a boy who needs to do some art. You can help him out,’ Aunty Pam says, like I have no say in the matter, like she didn’t hear what I just said about not painting so much anymore. ‘Jackson, this is Tomas. He’s living with me for a little while.’

It’s a hot summer, and life’s going all right for Jackson and his family on the Mish. It’s almost Christmas, school’s out, and he’s hanging with his mates, teasing the visiting tourists, avoiding the racist boys in town. Just like every year, Jackson’s Aunty and annoying little cousins visit from the city – but this time a mysterious boy with a troubled past comes with them… As their friendship evolves, Jackson must confront the changing shapes of his relationships with his friends, family and community. And he must face his darkest secret – a secret he thought he’d locked away for good.

Category: Young Adult
Representation: Gay, diverse sexualities, BIPOC
Content Warnings: Homophobia, racism, police violence/brutality, sexual activity, substance use/abuse

ISBN: 9781760525880
Find it in your local library (WorldCat)

Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution

Kacen Callender

Lark Winters wants to be a writer, and for now that means posting on their social media accounts––anything to build their platform. When former best friend Kasim accidentally posts a thread on Lark’s Twitter declaring his love for a secret, unrequited crush, Lark’s tweets are suddenly the talk of the school—and beyond.

To protect Kasim, Lark decides to take the fall, pretending they accidentally posted the thread in reference to another classmate. It seems like a great idea: Lark gets closer to their crush, Kasim keeps his privacy, and Lark’s social media stats explode. But living a lie takes a toll—as does the judgment of thousands of Internet strangers. Lark tries their best to be perfect at all costs, but nothing seems good enough for the anonymous hordes––or for Kasim, who is growing closer to Lark, just like it used to be between them . . .

In the end, Lark must embrace their right to their messy emotions and learn how to be in love.

Category: Young Adult, Romance
Representation: Non-binary, transgender, diverse genders, BIPOC
Content Warnings: Bullying, mental illness, racism, suicide, police violence/brutality, transphobia, substance use/abuse, character death

ISBN: 9781419756870
Find it in your local library (WorldCat)

Mooncakes

Wendy Xu And Suzanne Walker

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft. Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods and comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home. Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves, and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

Category: Comic, Young Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Lesbian, non-binary
Content Warnings: Violence, character death, abuse

ISBN: 9781620109731
Find it in your local library (WorldCat)

We Have Always Been Here

Samra Habib

Samra Habib has spent most of her life searching for the safety to be herself. As an Ahmadi Muslim growing up in Pakistan, she faced regular threats from Islamic extremists who believed the small, dynamic sect to be blasphemous. From her parents, she internalized the lesson that revealing her identity could put her in grave danger.

When her family came to Canada as refugees, Samra encountered a whole new host of challenges: bullies, racism, the threat of poverty, and an arranged marriage. Backed into a corner, her need for a safe space–in which to grow and nurture her creative, feminist spirit–became dire. The men in her life wanted to police her, the women in her life had only shown her the example of pious obedience, and her body was a problem to be solved.

So begins an exploration of faith, art, love, and queer sexuality, a journey that takes her to the far reaches of the globe to uncover a truth that was within her all along. A triumphant memoir of forgiveness and family, both chosen and not, We Have Always Been Here is a rallying cry for anyone who has ever felt out of place and a testament to the power of fearlessly inhabiting one’s truest self.

Category: Autobiography, Non-Fiction
Representation: Lesbian, BIPOC
Content Warnings: Religion, sexual violence, islamophobia, homophobia, suicide, racism, transphobia, bullying, abuse

ISBN: 9780735235007
Find it in your local library (WorldCat)

Black Girl, Call Home

Jasmine Mans

A literary coming-of-age poetry collection, an ode to the places we call home, and a piercingly intimate deconstruction of daughterhood, Black Girl, Call Home is a love letter to the wandering black girl and a vital companion to any woman on a journey to find truth, belonging, and healing.

Category: Poetry
Representation: Lesbian, BIPOC
Content Warnings: Racism, police violence/brutality, sexual violence, homophobia, transphobia, character death, religion, suicide

ISBN: 9780593197141
Find it in your local library (WorldCat)