Queereaders discussion

I'll ALWAYS remember when I stumbled upon Patricia Nell Warren's novel The Front Runner.

I was attending a summer session in college in 1976 and I read the book cover to cover putting everything in my life on hold until I'd finished it.

It was a revelation and I think I've been pursuing the dream of finding something else that moved me as much for the rest of my life. That's probably unrealistic... you never forget your first! At least I don't.


What was YOUR first?

My very first queer book was James Kirkwood's Good Times, Bad Times. I read it in 1980 for my high school Modern Novel class. It was one of my favorite books. I read and enjoyed it a few years later.

27 years later, I still have a tattered copy of the book and want to read it again, but I'm afraid to.

Not because the book will probably fall apart in my hands, but because the story may not have the same impact on me that it did then.

James Kirkwood

I'm really not sure what mine was, but I figure it was something by William S. Burroughs just because of when I was reading his stuff. I guess I'm not one to remember "firsts".

The Front Runner seems to be so many people's first queer book and really important to them. I didn't really like it but I kept the used copy I bought because of the inscription on the inside cover "To Wayne - my front runner, Love Paul" so cute!

I can't remember which was first - "Maurice" or "The Front Runner". Both had a big impact on me.

My 1st novel was Chrome, a Science Fiction by George Nadar. Unfortunately the sequel was never published.

Valencia by Michelle Tea, right around the time everything "clicked" for me.

I remember picking up a copy of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh: A Novel by Michael Chabon at my local Barnes and Noble when I was 18. I don't know why I gravitated towards it but I definitely don't regret ever doing so now. Its not completely a "queer" book as a lot of it is centered around the protagonist's love triangle between himself and two opposing forces: a sophisticated young gay man and strange young woman who works at his college library. Still though I fell in love with it, it introduced me to the world of adult romance, and more importantly to the world of homosexual adult romance, the mechanics of which confounded my then very sheltered young mind. I found it to very sincere and well written, and has since become my favorite novel thus far.

The first gay-themed book I ever "found" and read was Patricia Nell Warren's "The Front Runner". I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! At the time, I didn't realize gay themed novels (much less movies) even existed. Immediately thereafter, I read her next book, "The Fancy Dancer". I SO loved these novels as I discovered them when a teenager and still dealing with my sexuality. These books helped me realize that love between two men was possible and sustainable. I've read a slew of books since then and I'm so delighted that today, teenagers dealing with their sexuality have a plethera of great novels available to them. I also loved "Tory's" (published by Avon books, but I honestly can't remember the author and "Good Times/Bad Times" by James Kirkwood - another novel that deeply affected me. I still have my original paperback copies of "The Front Runner", "Good Times / Bad Times" and Vincent Lardo's original novels, "China House", "Prince And The Pretender"; they are true treasures.

Jon, have you read Kirkwood's other novels? I remember hunting down as many as I could find after reading Good Times, Bad Times.

The only other one I can recall reading is "PS, Your Cat Is Dead"....I think that's all I read by him. Didn't he write "A Chorus Line", too?

Yes, he did write "A Chorus Line". I was just checking my shelf and haven't read any of his books since the 80's. The two that stood out for me besides GT/BT were P.S. Your Cat Is Dead and Some Kind of Hero. The 1982 film of the same title starring Richard Pryor was rather disappointing. Oh, and I remember buying his non-fiction American Grotesque: An Account of the Clay Shaw-Jim Garrison Affair in the City of New Orleans from Glad Day Books in Boston before they closed, but haven't read it yet.

One of these days I'll have to revisit his books. I've been pleased so far with the childhood favorites I read as an adult.

I actually re-read "Good Times / Bad Times" last year - it didn't have the same impact on me as the first time I read the story, but it's still very, very good...

It's funny that I remembered the name of the cat in P.S. Your Cat Is Dead after so many years.

The first queer book I ever read was Annie on my Mind. I read it in high school when I was just just a confused young lass. I had to sneak it into my parent's house because I was so scared they'd find it and freak out!

I don't know if it was the very first one I read, but I stumbled onto James Earl Hardy's B-Boy Blues: A Seriously Sexy, Fiercely Funny, Black-on-Black Love Story when I was 13 or 14 and my life hasn't been the same, since. Not only did it open my eyes to the world of black gay literature but it opened my eyes to the wonders of the library and the amazing amount of information there (and now, I'm in school to be a librarian, so thanks Mr. Hardy).

Oh, and it's also the sexiest piece of literature I've ever read. :-)

This is hard. I read a lot of beat work in high school and that definitely had queer under current, but I think the first book I could specifically point to I guess would be Melissa Scott's Burning Bright. I remember reading it and thinking well it's about time the female leads got together instead running into random guy with a space ship and a laser gun (the joys of Sci-fi).

I remember very well that it was Edmund White's "A Boy's Own Story." That was just the beginning of what would become an extensive list of queer novels in my home library for me!

Not sure, but i think it was "The Persian Boy" by Mary Renault.I think I was only about twelve years old. I fell in love with Mary Renault's writing and ended up reading all of her books.

Michael wrote: "I don't know if it was the very first one I read, but I stumbled onto James Earl Hardy's B-Boy Blues: A Seriously Sexy, Fiercely Funny, Black-on-Black Love Story when I was 13 or 14 a..."

Have you read any of the novels of Larry Duplechan? I really enjoyed "Got Till It's Gone". Next on my list is "Tangled Up In Blue". Larry is a great writer--we were chums in college.

I grew up devouring fantasy novels - and I think my first queer books were written by Tanith Lee (The Flat Earth), and Marion Zimmer-Bradley's Catch-Trap. I must have been 12-14ish.

Mines was the "Gay Black Female" magazine in my hometown.

Even before I was out to myself, in 8th grade I read On Wings Of Song by Thomas Disch. It's a near-future science fiction book with a main character whose closest relationships are initially with a youth his own age (who disappears), then a marriage to a woman, then as a kept boy of a castrato opera singer.

Still not out to myself, I read Tennessee Williams autobiographical Memoirs while researching a high school humanities report. It's quite direct about his relationship with Frank Merlo, and I did not gloss over that in my report. I guess I thought I was liberal and accepting. Being self-accepting took a couple years of college.

My first gay book was Maybe Tomorrow by Jay Little. I found it in the woods (lover's area) .... really! I lived in the Jersey mountains, so it was the late 50's.... a time when “deviant”-themed books were widely censored, if not banned. Even Gore Vidal claims that he was blacklisted for years by the New York Times after he wrote the now celebrated gay novel The City and the Pillar in 1948. Ironically, Jay Little’s books were advertised in the Times right next to books about God and religion by Dale Evans and Roy Rogers. Later they were promoted vigorously in various magazines of the period.

The first Queer book I read was Empress of the World by Sara Ryan when I was in the 7th grade. I had just recently come out to my parents & reading this book made me a little more comfortable & a lot better about my sexuality.

LethalLovely wrote: "The first Queer book I read was Empress of the World by Sara Ryan when I was in the 7th grade. I had just recently come out to my parents & reading this book made me a l..."

That sounds good! I read a lot of YA fiction and definitely will see if the library has it. You may also enjoy Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole.

I read Down to the Bone late last year & I loved it. I've read LGBT books before but never from such a colorful, ethnic perspective before. It definitely was one of my top 15 books of the year.

I found it a very realistic view of Hispanic culture, and felt Laura's character was very spot on for someone her age. And "colorful" is a perfect word to describe the story. I hope Mayra is busy writing another book. =)

Likewise, Nancy. I think Julie Anne Peters is known for her LGBT novels & I've enjoyed all the ones I've read except for Rage: A Love Story. I just couldn't relate to a protagonist who stayed in an abusive relationship.

Does Little Women count?

The first time the characters were not vampires but living, breathing human beings and the situation between them was not a euphemism but an actual relationship was with Zack and Trevor in the ghost story _Drawing Blood_ by Poppy Z. Brite.

Robert wrote: "Does Little Women count?"

i think it should! my, Rubyfruit Jungle

Robert wrote: "Does Little Women count?"

I was about 10 when I read Little Women.

Larry-bob wrote: "Even before I was out to myself, in 8th grade I read On Wings Of Song by Thomas Disch. It's a near-future science fiction book with a main character whose closest rel..."

This sounds interesting, Larry. I was very sad to learn of the author's untimely death.

Who Killed Thomas M. Disch?

Desert Of The Heart by Jane Rule
I stumbled on the movie Desert Hearts one weekend when my folks were out of town and found out that the movie had been based on a novel. Queer books how cool.

My first queer book was "Keeping you a Secret" by Julie Ann Peters and I loved it. I loved how real/true it was and how much I could relate to it. I also found it ridiculously adorable. Even though it's teen fiction, I'd still read it again. My second was Rubyfruit Jungle and I loved that just as much and now have my eye out for more!

I've always thought of Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger as my first Queer read.

Unfortunately I was never lucky enough to come across a queer book when I was young and discovering myself. Although I was quite taken with George the tomboy from Enid Blyton's famous 5 when I was in primary school.
It wasn't til late teens, after I'd already come to terms with most of it, that I got round to reading Tipping the Velvet, and watching the movie 'Ma vie en Rose'. Both of which spoke to me quite deeply, but were inherently depressing!

My first reading of any queer books was the Gay Black Female Magazine. It was filled with many fiction stories and stories written by women who bought the magazine. It was this magazine who got me where I am today and it is were I wrote my 1st non-fiction story.

Later i read stories by the late E.Lynn Harris.
I really enjoyed his stories, reading his work inspired me to want to write more.

I'm another person that had Annie on My Mind as their first. It was just over a year ago, and it was just as my girlfriend and I were starting to come out. (Not very easy in a small town high school). Several people commended me for "bringing change to the town", and others weren't as friendly. Either way, I loved the book, and I'm looking for more suggestions on queer literature that might be easy to find.

Magic's Pawn would have been my first. The best part is, I had no idea I had picked up a gay book. I fell in love with the story first, and was pleasantly surprised by the sexuality second.

That would be Giovanni's Room. I read all of J. Baldwin's books as a young adolescent. It was much later, after moving out of my parent's home, that my father discovered what he considered an interesting collection of books. LOL.