Library

LOUNGE LIBRARY RESOURCES:

We have the power to read books! We don’t need any expensive gadgets to read a book. We don’t need any cables, monitors or electricity for that matter. What we do need is the want to read. We might even have to change some gears so that we can get in the habit of reading. Now in the New Release section!

Who Are You? A kids guide to gender identity

by Brook Pessin-Wheedbee, illustrated by Naomi Bardoff

What do you like?
How do you feel?
Who are you?

This brightly illustrated children’s book provides a straightforward introduction to gender for anyone aged 5-8. It presents clear and direct language for understanding and talking about how we experience gender: our bodies, our expression and our identity. An interactive three-layered wheel included in the book is a simple, yet powerful, tool to clearly demonstrate the difference between our body, how we express ourselves through our clothes and hobbies, and our gender identity. Ideal for use in the classroom or at home, a short page-by-page guide for adults at the back of the book further explains the key concepts and identifies useful discussion points. This is a one-of-a-kind resource for understanding and celebrating the gender diversity that surrounds us. Link.

When Aidan Became a Brother

by Kyule Lukoff & Kaylani Juanita

When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl’s room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of his life that didn’t fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life.

Then Mom and Dad announce that they’re going to have another baby, and Aidan wants to do everything he can to make things right for his new sibling from the beginning–from choosing the perfect name to creating a beautiful room to picking out the cutest onesie. But what does “making things right” actually mean? And what happens if he messes up? With a little help, Aidan comes to understand that mistakes can be fixed with honesty and communication, and that he already knows the most important thing about being a big brother: how to love with his whole self.

“When Aidan Became a Brother” is a heartwarming book that will resonate with transgender children, reassure any child concerned about becoming an older sibling, and celebrate the many transitions a family can experience. To read more, visit: https://thelittlegayshop.com/products/when-aidan-became-a-brother?srsltid=AfmBOooC3OMpoy4gfX3YzHA3_ocx-i5200O7tHKZ58RqWybhDETEve5J

Hombrecito

by Santiago Jose Sanchez

A novel by a brilliant new voice, Hombrecito is a queer coming-of-age story about a young immigrant’s complex relationships with his mother and his motherland

In this groundbreaking novel, Santiago Jose Sanchez plunges us into the heart of one boy’s life. His mother takes him and his brother from Colombia to America, leaving their absent father behind but essentially disappearing herself once they get to Miami.

In America, his mother works as a waitress when she was once a doctor. The boy embraces his queer identity as wholeheartedly as he embraces his new home, but not without a sense of loss. As he grows, his relationship with his mother becomes fraught, tangled, a love so intense that it borders on vivid pain but is also the axis around which his every decision revolves. She may have once forgotten him, disappeared, but she is always on his mind.

He moves to New York, ducking in and out of bed with different men as he seeks out something, someone, to make him whole again. When his mother invites him to visit family in Colombia with her, he returns to the country as a young man, trying to find peace with his father, with his homeland, with who he’s become since he left, and with who his mother finally we come to know her and her secrets, her complex ambivalence and fierce love.

Hombrecito— “little man”—is a moving portrait of a young person between cultures, between different ideas of himself. From an extraordinary new talent, this is a story told with startling beauty and intensity, a story for anyone searching for home, searching for a way to love. To read more, visit: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200555888-hombrecito

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

by TJ Klune

Hope is the thing with feathers. And hope is the thing with fire.

DELUXE EDITION—Featuring gorgeous golden yellow sprayed edges! Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely anticipated sequel to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade.

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life, built on the ashes of a bad one. He’s the headmaster of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six magical and so-called dangerous children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. And he is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth; Zoe Chapelwhite, the island’s sprite; and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.

But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.

And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it. Most Anticipated from Goodreads, Paste, Polygon, BookBub, and more.

American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era

by Nico Lang

We were invited to an exclusive book signing event to celebrate its debut.

October 25, 2024 | BY DREW HIRSCHINGER

On October 8, GWLA was invited to Skylight Books in Los Angeles to the launch of Nico Lang’s new book, American Teenager, which documents the lives of eight trans and nonbinary teenagers across the US. Our founder, Casey Weitzman, and one of our therapists, Drew Hirschinger, were excited to attend the event and have the opportunity to hear Nico’s inspiration for the book as well as the experiences of three of the book’s main subjects.

I had an incredible experience attending the launch of Nico Lang’s book, American Teenager. Nico (they/them) discussed their motivation for writing the book, which was to share stories of trans teenagers as teenagers, in opposition to the often popular narrative of trans youth as figures of inspiration or agents of change. Hearing Nico share their experience of living with the families portrayed in the book touched on an essential part of supporting trans youth – learning about their whole life, from the exciting to the mundane.

Additionally, Nico had three of the book’s subjects participate in a panel moderated by Zeke Smith, who did a great job of balancing the seriousness of the reality of being a trans person while also incorporating the joyous aspects of life. I was on the verge of tears hearing two of the mothers speak about their experience raising trans children and trying to protect them from a world that is often unaccepting, verging on violent. There are countless stories of trans and queer youth being rejected by their families, and hearing two mothers share their deep devotion to their children was beautiful.

“This book is a gift to all the trans youth and parents of trans children who may feel alone in their journey. There are truly loving and committed parents out in the world who are fighting against the hate not just for their own children, but for all of us.”

Personally, my mother always made sure I knew that I was loved and accepted no matter what, and yet I still struggled with the possibility of coming out and having her feel like I had let her down in some way. I grew up knowing that my personal world might be accepting, but the larger world remains deeply terrifying. In that regard, this book is a gift to all the trans youth and parents of trans children who may feel alone in their journey. There are truly loving and committed parents out in the world who are fighting against the hate not just for their own children, but for all of us. I am so grateful to have met Nico and the panel participants and to hear about their lived experiences. The event was truly a celebration of the diversity of experiences that trans teenagers have and why their futures are worth fighting for.

Here are some thoughts from our Founder & President Casey Weitzman:

“I was so happy to be involved and to have gone. I didn’t know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised and touched by such a special panel and book signing for Nico Lang. My heart felt full, as I was able to experience two mom’s deep love for their transgender children. One mom, Molly, lives in Texas and is an Evangelist, Catholic and LGBTQ+ Advocate. She was joined by her daughter Ruby, and you could feel the love between them both. It was special to witness their loving bond. I felt inspired as someone who assists families navigate coming out journeys, especially when the result is one of loving and acceptance.”

Thank you Nico Lang & team for inviting us to your special book signing. American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era is available now for purchase at select local bookstores. Find more information on Nico and follow their latest work here. (see this review online here.).

Side note: Our staff has been reading and discussing this book together, and highly recommend it.

The House in the Cerulean Sea.

by TJ Klune

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

(Order online here.)

Gay Science: The totally scientific examination of LGBTQ+ Culture, Myths, and Stereotypes.

by Rob Anderson

Gay Science by Rob Anderson is available now for quick shipment to any U.S. location! This book is in good condition or better. Over the years we have learned how to provide students with cheap prices on books with fast shipping. We know how overpriced books and textbooks can be, so we ensure that our customers have access to those same books at affordable prices. Just complete the checkout process for this book and it will be shipped to you for immediate use.

(Order online here.)

Necessary Fiction

by Eloghosa Osunde

From the acclaimed author of Vagabonds!: an audacious and eye-opening exploration of cross-generational queer life in Nigeria.
What makes a family? How is it defined and by whom? Is freedom for everyone?
In Necessary Fiction, Eloghosa Osunde poses these provocative questions and many more while exploring the paths and dreams, hopes and fears of more than two dozen characters who are staking out lives for themselves in contemporary Nigeria.
Across Lagos, one of Africa’s largest urban areas and one of the world’s most dynamic cities, Osunde’s characters seek out love for self and their chosen partners, even as they risk ruining relationships with parents, spouses, family, and friends. As the novel unfolds, a rolling cast emerges: vibrantly active, stubbornly alive, brazenly flawed. These characters grapple with desire, fear, time, death, and God, forming and breaking unexpected connections; in the process unveiling how they know each other, have loved each other, and had their hearts broken in that pursuit.
As they work to establish themselves in the city’s lively worlds of art, music, entertainment, and creative commerce, we meet their collective and individual attempts to reckon with the necessary fiction they carry for survival. (Order online here.)

Kids on the Street: Queer Kinship and Religion in San Francisco’s Tenderloin

by Joseph Plaster

In Kids on the Street Joseph Plaster explores the informal support networks that enabled abandoned and runaway queer youth to survive in tenderloin districts across the United States. Tracing the history of the downtown lodging house districts where marginally housed youth regularly lived beginning in the late 1800s, Plaster focuses on San Francisco’s Tenderloin from the 1950s to the present. He draws on archival, ethnographic, oral history, and public humanities research to outline the queer kinship networks, religious practices, performative storytelling, and migratory patterns that allowed these kids to foster social support and mutual aid. He shows how they collectively and creatively managed the social trauma they experienced, in part by building relationships with johns, bartenders, hotel managers, bouncers, and other vice district denizens. By highlighting a politics where the marginal position of street kids is the basis for a moral economy of reciprocity, Plaster excavates a history of queer life that has been overshadowed by major narratives of gay progress and pride. (Order online here.)

A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder

by Ma-Nee Chacaby

A Two-Spirit Journey is Ma-Nee Chacaby’s extraordinary account of her life as an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian. From her early, often harrowing memories of life and abuse in a remote Ojibwa community riven by poverty and alcoholism, Chacaby s story is one of enduring and ultimately overcoming the social, economic, and health legacies of colonialism.

As a child, Chacaby learned spiritual and cultural traditions from her Cree grandmother and trapping, hunting, and bush survival skills from her Ojibwa stepfather. She also suffered physical and sexual abuse by different adults, and by her teen years she was alcoholic herself. At twenty, Chacaby moved to Thunder Bay with her children to escape an abusive marriage. Abuse, compounded by racism, continued, but Chacaby found supports to help herself and others. Over the following decades, she achieved sobriety; trained and worked as an alcoholism counselor; raised her children and fostered many others; learned to live with visual impairment; and came out as a lesbian. In 2013, Chacaby led the first gay pride parade in her adopted city, Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Ma-Nee Chacaby has emerged from hardship grounded in faith, compassion, humor, and resilience. Her memoir provides unprecedented insights into the challenges still faced by many Indigenous people.

A Grand Love: Stories for Grandparents of Transgender Grandchildren

by Janna Barkin

Be Love. Be Patience. Be Curious. Be Approachable. Be Supported.

Being a grandparent to a transgender child may feel isolating. Generational differences can make it challenging for you to understand what your grandchild is going through, and you might not have the vocabulary to discuss it with them or have peers who are experiencing something similar. At the same time, your love, understanding, and acceptance will play a huge role in the flourishing of your trans grandchild.

With up-to-date research on gender identity, letters and stories from grandparents on the same journey, resources for transgender youth and their families, and a selection of online and local support groups, this book provides uplifting, educational guidance on how to support your grandchild – and yourself!

Published: Aug 21 2024, Pages: 240

Bi The Way, I love You: A Charity Anthology of Diverse Bi+ Love Stories

Published: Aug 21 2024

by Frances M. Thompson, C.J. Lucci, Cozy DuBois, Rochelle Wolf, Amelia Lascaux, MK Owens, Julie Brydon, Madison Diaz, and S.C. Muir

You’ll meet teenage frenemies to 30-something lovers Dion and Benji in Something About Us (MM) which features a mixed-race trans MC and a white MC with chronic illness (Crohn’s/stoma bag). In The To-Screw List (FF) best friends Amber and Jade make a sex-pact to be each other’s firsts at well, almost everything, but they’re absolutely NOT allowed to catch feelings. Ash and Luke are the thyroid-cancer-research academic heroes of STEM forbidden romance Experimental Affection (MX) which also features chronic illness rep (migraine disease) and a whole lot of should-we-shouldn’t-we tension! Love on the Airwaves (FFM) featuring Gabby, Stephanie and Adrian, is a short-story teaser for a workplace romance with pansexual and hearing loss rep. In Petty Roots (XX) two grumpy enbies, Eris and Blake, become fake wedding dates for an ex’s wedding and it turns out all these queer idiots needed was a road trip to a small town to realise how much they have in common. In Lattes and Plot Twists (FF), you’ll enjoy the best friend’s sister trope, dyslexia and social anxiety rep, and a whole ton of sapphic mutual pining between Em and Holly! Kami and Evan are the hot bisexual neighbours in Good Things Come in Unexpected Packages (MF) where Kami teaches Evan all about books, and more! We have Iris, an author dating for research in Doing It For the Plot (FX) only to realise their one true love, Hazel, was a lot closer than they thought. And in high-heat Caught in the Middle (MMF), (a different!) Gabby has to work closely — very closely — with rivals Shane and Luca on a project that quickly becomes much more than a working relationship.

Bi The Way: The Bisexual Guide to Life

By Lois Shearing

‘The friendly introduction to all things bi’ – MEG-JOHN BARKER

‘A masterfully crafted guide to all things bisexual’ – THE PSYCHOLOGIST

‘Excellent and much-needed’ – GSCENE MAGAZINE

Whether you are openly bisexual, still figuring things out or just interested in learning more about bisexuality, Bi the Way is your essential guide to understanding and embracing bisexuality. With first-hand accounts from bi advocates, it includes practical tips and guidance on topics including dating, sex, biphobia, bi-erasure, coming out, activism and gender identity, demystifying a community that is often erased or overlooked.

Rallying, honest and powerfully written, this must-read book is a manifesto for bisexual people everywhere and will empower you to live your most authentic bisexual life.

Embracing All of Me: Identity-focused writing & Self-discovery for Bisexual, Pansexual & Fluid Men.

By Ross Victory

Embracing All of Me introduces a self-guided approach to “identity-focused storytelling.” This beginner-friendly tool blends reflection and creativity to help readers explore their story, connect with their experiences, and express themselves through written form. Curated for Bi+ men, men who may identify as bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, or non-monosexual, and relevant to anyone with nuanced or fluid identities, this book offers culturally relevant inspiration, accessible language, and a structured path to turn self-reflection into tangible writing projects on your terms.

Through journaling, poetry, narrative storytelling, and more, this book will help you:

Uncover deeper layers of your perspective and the interconnectedness of your experiences and identities
Discover practical writing styles and tools to reclaim, reframe, and embody your truth with clarity and confidence
Develop a sustainable, “you-centered” writing practice
Rooted in the creative writing principles of Aristotle’s Poetics, backed by research on expressive writing’s impact on well-being, and enriched with anecdotes from public figures and personal insights from the author, Embracing All of Me empowers you to claim your space and embrace all of who you are in a world built on binaries and erasure.

Review from https://littledistrictbooks.com/products/embracing-all-of-me

MAKING THE CASE FOR EQUALITY: 50 Years of legal milestones

By Jennifer C. Pizer & Ellen Ann Anderson

There is a great book that has surfaced as of recent and it has been gifted to us by Brigid Reilly. Part of LAMBDA LEGAL and their 50 years of achievements in the struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights!

In this book we will take a journey together as we celebrate this historic 50 year anniversary! The intricacies and the relationship between cases, education and policy work. We will even be reminded that the language used to describe the LGBTQIA+ has evolved greatly in the past fifty years.

Along the way they have drafted statutes, trained judges, published know your rights tool kits, led awareness campaigns and responded to at least a quarter million Legal Help Desk inquiries. This is why…In September, it is being showcased as the “ Book of the Month “ at SOLANO PRIDE CENTER.

Come into our LOUNGE LIBRARY located at the Solano Pride Center and please take a look into this book. It will be sitting on the table here waiting for you!