AfterElton’s 50 Best Gay Books!

5. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

This mesmerizing 1956 novel tells the story of a young American man considering marriage to a woman, who goes on a trip to Paris; there he meets Giovanni, and the two begin a passionate affair. But can two men create any kind of life living together in Giovanni’s room? Baldwin, an African-American man, knew something about prejudice, and he’d been warned not to publish a novel on this subject matter. Thankfully, he ignored the naysayers, and this amazing novel helped establish him as a major literary figure.

6. Hero by Perry Moore

Film producer Perry Moore was so upset when Marvel killed a gay superhero in one of their comic books that he sat down and wrote Hero, a 2007 young adult novel about — what else? A gay teenage superhero. Thom Creed isn’t just dealing with the emergence of his superpowers; he’s also coming to terms with his sexuality. But what with secret identities and bully-like villains, the two things aren’t really so different, are they? A movie and TV series are reportedly in the works.

7. The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst

Yes, it’s another book about repressed Brits and the secret longing of the gay main character, a student, for his straight best friend. But that’s the only thing that’s typical about this extraordinary 2004 novel that won the Booker Prize in the U.K. — a vindication for those who felt the author didn’t get the recognition he deserved because his earlier novels dealt explicitly with gay themes. The novel became a very successful three-part mini-series on the BBC.