Good Minds Suggest—Dan Savage's Favorite LGBT Relationship Books
Posted by Goodreads on June 4, 2013
Faggots by Larry Kramer
"Anyone curious about what life was like for gay men—gay elites—in post-Stonewall/pre-AIDS New York City should read this 1978 satirical novel by Larry Kramer. It's a scathing and scathingly funny portrait of a world that was soon to be lost, the literary equivalent of the murals at Pompeii. Unable to find love and commitment in a culture overwhelmed by recreational drug use and rampant promiscuity, the novel's main character, Fred Lemish, exclaims near the end of the story, 'We're fucking ourselves to death!' We were, but no one knew it at the time—except for Larry Kramer."

The Persian Boy by Mary Renault
"And anyone curious about what life was like for gay men—and for castrated slave boys—in the court of Alexander the Great should read this novel. I don't read a lot of fiction in general, and I'm not a fan of historical fiction in particular. But I love Mary Renault's 1972 novel about Bagoas, the favorite of Persian Emperor Darius III. Alexander acquires Bagoas after invading Persia and toppling Darius and quickly falls in love with the boy himself. Gay people have existed throughout human history, but our lives and our loves were written out of the story. The Persian Boy brings an epic—and once lost—love story to life."

What Is Marriage For?: The Strange Social History of Our Most Intimate Institution by E.J. Graff
"One of the best books about marriage that I've ever read. Graff unpacks the long and varied history of 'our most intimate institution,' and in doing so demonstrates that marriage has changed before and can—and will—change again."

Eighty-Sixed by David B. Feinberg
"OK, another novel. Maybe I like novels more than I realized. But in all honesty I thought Eighty-Sixed was a memoir until I pulled it off the shelf. The first half of the story is set in 1980; the second half, in 1986. B.J. Rosenthal narrates his search for love in New York City in the years immediately before and after the AIDS epidemic slams into the city. As an ex-Catholic, how could I not love a book that opens with this sentence: 'The priest rarely masturbated during confession.'"

The Mayor of Castro Street by Randy Shilts
"This is much more than a biography of Harvey Milk. In telling Milk's story, the late San Francisco journalist Randy Shilts tells the story of gay and lesbian people in the United States in the 20th century. Required reading for anyone who wants to understand how gay and lesbian people created a community and organized politically to fight for our equality."

Vote for your own favorites on Listopia: Best LGBTQIA Literature
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For a much more poetic, celebratory account of the same time period, rea..."
Chris, I agree with you regarding Dancer from the Dance, which is exquisitely, movingly written, truly a world-class novel. Reading Faggots is like taking a trip to a sexual hell, where every day is a variation of the one before. (Still, I do like Kramer's play, The Normal Heart, which at least has characters one can identify with.)


WHO is the "hater" you refer to and why do you think he's a hater specifically?


Thankyou Bob for taking Jerry to task. You can tell a lot about people from what they read, in Jerry's case it's Scientology and Zombies. Hmmmm

My favorite gay relationship book, though, has to be Surprising Myself by Christopher Bram. It was, to me, the first modern gay book that didn't treat being gay as a pathology or as part of a struggle. And it gave me tremendous hope. If you haven't read it, you really should.

Well, then, Brett, perhaps such mindless, unspecific ad hominem attacks on Mr. Savage prophesy the coming of a zombie apocalypse in secret Scientology lore?

Sounds like the pitch for Tom cruise's next movie


I doubt that Richard reads. People who don't know how to spell "you're" or "pants" seldom do, I find.

Richard, you have the right of free speech guaranteed in the First Amendment. However, Goodreads also has the right to delete any hate speech on their site if they choose. In other words, I suggest you start your own hate site and rant away or find some existing hate site, where you'll be welcome.


Most contemporary LGBT lit seems either self-righteous, claustrophobic, utopian, or mired in the past.

pa is too esoteric for me is this some new cryptic keyboard messaging?

For a much more poetic, celebratory account of the same time period, rea..."
Sadly, some of are old enough to remember BEFORE he became such a cynical old queen; he's always going to get older, but hope springs eternal his mood will lighten up a bit. (A lot of bits would help)


For a much more poetic, celebratory account of the same time period, read Holleran's Dancer From the Dance. It is unquestionably one of the finest LGBT books ever written.