Pride-ful Stories: 4 Books with Black Queer Characters

By Ahtiya Liles

Before we get started, just a reminder that this mini-list only spotlights 4 titles, but there’s an entire wide world of queer Black literature. If you’re trying to diversify your reading and are unsure where to start, the bookish communities on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are always great avenues to both find new reads and support Black content creators who are championing these works and stories. Make use of the hashtags to curate your FYP (For You Page) to show you the content you want. Now, for the books! Let’s get started with 4 titles with Queer Black protagonists that I think you should add to your TBR (To-Be-Read) list:

1. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender is a Young Adult contemporary novel that follows transgender Afro-Latinx teen Felix over the course of a summer as he participates in an art program and discovers more about his identity and maybe, just maybe, falls in love for the first time. This is a solid YA contemporary that deals with so much, including: messy friendships and evolving relationships, transphobia within the queer community, the difficulties and intersections of having multiple marginalized identities, and questioning your identity when you think you’ve figured it out. Felix is a Messy AF™️ character, and that made me love him even more. I love the curious conversations that he and his group of friends have throughout the book. Teens are definitely having the hard conversations, whether society wants to acknowledge this or not, because they are not too young to know their own identity, sexuality, and beliefs. I like how it was completely okay that Felix didn’t have all the answers, but he was trying to make do with the information he had.
2. The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi is an Adult fantasy in an Arab- and African-inspired world in which the color of one’s blood determines their place in the social hierarchy, and with the mantle of ruler is up for grabs, two women from opposite ends of the hierarchy hatch a plot to secure one’s reign. This fantasy opens with a beautifully written passage that hooks you and doesn’t let go! I always love when a book shows you the power and lushness of its writing in a few pages, and the opening to this book did not disappoint. The Final Strife is slow-paced and intriguing and keeps you wanting to come back to know what’s happening, with the added bonus of investigating themes of oppression and capitalism.
3. That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams is a Young Adult historical fantasy novel set in Shakespearean London where a Black female sword fighter must fight off a Fae uprising whilst balancing her job as a thespian and choosing between two unexpected loves.  Joan, the protagonist, is sharp, bold, and, while aware of her position as a young Black girl in London, manages to live boldly and for herself. I highly recommend picking up the audiobook because the narrator did a spectacular job bringing the atmosphere of this novel to life and differentiating between the various major players in Joan’s sphere. Plus, my thespian heart was swooning with the fact that not only is Joan a talented stage fight choreographer but we also get several scenes of Shakespeare’s acting company, The King’s Men. I’ve read a few magic systems that revolve around the Orishas, but the blend of the Orishas, fae, and historical London in That Self-Same Metal are simply *chef’s kiss*.
4. The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown is a scientific horror novel that follows the last vestiges of the human population traveling through space as their ship is overcome by an unknown intruder. First things first: I desperately NEED a movie based on this novella. Full stop. Hire Jordan Peele, cast an up and coming bunch of actors, and give it the budget it deserves. Ness Brown’s writing in this novella is soooooo creepy — I was able to envision everything! There’s lots of tension and jump scares, surprising answers to questions brought up in the beginning of the story, and perfect pacing. The descriptive writing plunges you into the story and grips you until the very end. I literally found myself saying aloud several times “nope nope nope” because I was getting CHILLS whilst reading. I loved the scientific horror in this compact and powerful punch of a story, and I’m looking forward to more of Ness Brown’s writing.

Remember: Queer BIPOC people exist all year around! While upping your reading of queer literature during the month of June (Pride month) is always a great thing, make sure you’re actively adding and recommending literature by and about queer BIPOC all throughout the year. This list is an infinitesimal percentage of the amount of literature centering the queer BIPOC community, so don’t stop at this list.

Happy Reading!