In today’s world, diversity and inclusion are crucial values that should be reflected in all aspects of our lives, including the workplace. One way to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace is by having a library of books that represent and celebrate the LGBTQ community. These books can serve as a valuable resource to educate and inform employees, while also creating a more welcoming and accepting workplace culture with romance books that focus on visibility. In this post, we will highlight some of the best books featuring LGBTQ diversity that you can add to your workplace library.
Laura May’s The One Woman is a beautifully crafted novel that explores the intricacies of love and the complexities of relationships. The story centers around Julie, a talented graphic designer who is feeling unfulfilled in her current relationship with Mark. When she meets Ann, a dynamic and accomplished woman, a spark ignites within her, and she finds herself drawn to Ann’s energy and passion.
As Julie and Ann’s connection deepens, they reunite in Barcelona, and their love for each other blossoms. However, their newfound happiness is short-lived when tragedy strikes, and Julie is forced to confront her true feelings and make a difficult decision. She must choose between staying loyal to Mark, the man she’s been with for years, or pursuing a life with Ann, the woman who has ignited a new passion within her.
Throughout the novel, Laura May delves into the complexities of relationships and the challenges of timing. She skillfully weaves a tale that is both intricate and poignant, exploring the depths of human emotions and the choices we make in life. The characters are relatable and authentic, and readers will find themselves drawn into their lives and rooting for their happiness.
2. Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly
In the novel “Endpapers” by Jennifer Savran Kelly, we meet Dawn Levit, a genderqueer bookbinder at the Metropolitan Museum of Art who feels stuck in her creative pursuits. Dawn struggles to express her identity, with a partner who wishes she were a man and a society that wants her to conform to feminine ideals.
Desperate for inspiration before her upcoming gallery debut, Dawn spends her free time searching the city for street art. It’s during one of these excursions that she discovers a torn-off cover of a lesbian pulp novel from the 1950s hidden under the endpapers of an old book, along with a queer love letter. Intrigued, she becomes obsessed with tracking down the author of the letter, hoping that this will help her find her place in the world. But as she pursues her quest, Dawn is forced to confront her own desires and the difficult conversations she needs to have to live an authentic life. A captivating and thought-provoking debut, “Endpapers” is a story about the journey towards self-discovery and the struggles faced by those who refuse to hide who they truly are.
After the success of her National Book Award-nominated debut, Burn the Place, Iliana Regan’s career as a Michelin star-winning chef took an unexpected turn. Along with her new wife, Anna, she decided to open a culinary destination, the Milkweed Inn, nestled in Michigan’s remote Upper Peninsula. The majority of the food served to guests would be foraged by Regan herself in the surrounding forest and river, a return to her rural roots and an effort to deepen her connection to nature.
In her memoir, Fieldwork, Regan shares her experiences growing up on her family’s farm in rural Indiana, where her relationship with her parents was shaped by her identification as a boy from a young age. Regan explores the ancient landscape of Michigan’s boreal forest while also facing personal and familial struggles with addiction, violence, fear, and obsession. All the while, she and Anna try to conceive a child and make a home and business out of the inn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interspersed with Regan’s stories of the land and its creatures, Fieldwork is a poignant and captivating memoir about reconnecting with nature and one’s roots.
4. The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor
The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor is a story of a group of friends and lovers in Iowa City who navigate a tumultuous year of self-discovery in both public and private settings. Seamus, a struggling poet, Ivan, a former dancer turned aspiring banker with a side interest in amateur pornography, Fatima, whose strong work ethic and independence complicate her relationships with friends and mentors, and Noah, who doesn’t actively seek sex but rather has it come to him unexpectedly. These four individuals are joined by a diverse cast of characters including artists, landlords, meatpacking workers, and mathematicians who frequent the cafes, classrooms, and kitchens of the city, leading to intense and occasionally violent encounters. As each character prepares for an uncertain future, they come together at a cabin to say goodbye to their past lives, resulting in a moment of profound transformation for all involved.
Exploring themes of love, sex, ambition, and vulnerability, The Late Americans is a novel about chosen family and the ways in which human beings can hurt each other in the process of discovering themselves. Brandon Taylor’s most immersive and powerful work of fiction to date, this book is a testament to his ability to capture the complexities of modern life with clarity and insight.
5. If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude
Avery Byrne has been keeping secrets – she’s queer, in love with her best friend Cass, and struggling with undiagnosed clinical depression. On the day she plans to end her life by jumping into the river near her college campus, the world learns that an asteroid is hurtling towards Earth and will cause a catastrophic impact in just nine days. In an effort to spare her loved ones from additional pain, Avery tries to make the most of the little time she has left.
As the clock ticks down and her secrets begin to unravel, Avery must do everything she can to save the people she cares about, while also learning to save herself. If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come is a powerful and thought-provoking book that celebrates queer love, blends speculative fiction and gripping narrative, and raises important conversations about depression, mental health, and the destructive effects of shame.
In conclusion, having a diverse LGBTQ book collection in your workplace library is important for creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees. By offering a range of perspectives and experiences, these books can promote empathy, understanding, and allyship within the workplace.