The picture shown here is one I took while scuba diving in the Solomon Islands. I surfaced from my dive to see the gray, rainy sky above briefly lit up by a flicker of rainbow. And that’s your hint as to what we’ll be reading in June.
We believe it’s important for people to be seen through authentic & diverse stories to reflect actual lived experiences. That’s why we focus on books about countries written by people native to those lands. This becomes even more critical in the LGBTQIAP+ community as most (if not all) authors have experienced discrimination just for being themselves. Sadly, many have noted that publishers & their own countries have even tried to silence them writing about their own lives especially in the countries where being gay is punishable by jail time.
But it’s Global Pride Month in June, a month that brings together the LGBTQIAP+ community & their allies around the world to celebrate diversity & equality, & we’ll be celebrating together through our monthly June read.
Before we get to your book suggestions, I wanted to share a wonderful cookbook written by a “queer woman born to a Ghanaian father & Irish mother” in this “love letter to Ghana that will show you how wonderfully versatile West African flavors can be.” (Bookriot)
A NY Times Best Cookbook of the Year
Celebrated cook and writer Zoe Adjonyoh passionately believes we are on the cusp of an African food revolution. First published to widespread acclaim in the United Kingdom, Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen began as a pop-up restaurant in London featuring dishes such as Pan-Roasted Cod with Grains of Paradise, Nkruma (Okra) Tempura, Cubeb-Spiced Shortbread, and Coconut and Cassava Cake. Soon those dishes evolved into this tempting and celebratory cookbook, newly revised and updated for American cooks.
Join Zoe as she shares the beauty of Ghana’s markets, culture, and cuisine, and tells the evocative story of using these tastes and food traditions to navigate her own identity. Whether you are familiar with the delights of Ghanaian cuisine or new to the bold flavors of West Africa, this book contains inspiration for extraordinary home cooking.
”Adjonyoh celebrates the march into an African food revolution with easy to follow recipes.” ―Essence
”Not only is this book full of mouthwatering recipes, it also features beautiful, colorful photos that make it equally interesting as a coffee table book to browse for the images alone. Buy this for the person on your list who would appreciate a cookbook that doubles as a piece of art!” ―Autostraddle
HAVE ANY BOOK CLUB SUGGESTIONS?
Just let us know your LGBTQIAP+ suggestions by Sun., May 26 11PM ET. (That's NYC time. See this converted to your local time below.)
You can comment with your suggestion below or in our online book club in Facebook.
We'll use your suggestions & suggestions from the book club management team to compile a list of 6 books. The book judged as best will then be read.
Please note - We're specific in our books & even more so this month. Your suggestions this go around must:
Have at least 1 main LGBTQIAP+ character or focus on an LGBTQIAP+ theme
Be written by an author who identifies as LGBTQIAP+ & is not originally from the US, UK, Ireland, or Canada
Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere
Also, we love it when folks suggest books which are also available in audio format. While we know this isn’t always possible so it is not a requirement, it is more inclusive & something for which all of us should strive.
Not sure which book to suggest? You can also suggest one from our reading list as long as we didn’t previously include it as a monthly read.