Support Us
 
Search
MENUMENU
  • Nonfiction
        • Art
          • Architecture
          • Art History
          • Design & Illustration
          • Fashion & Style
          • Modern and Contemporary Art
          • Photography
        • Business
          • How to Invest
          • Leadership
          • Marketing
        • Economics
          • Behavioural Economics
          • Development Economics
          • Economic History
          • Finance
          • Financial Crisis
          • Globalisation & Inequality
          • World Economies
        • Environment
          • Climate Change
          • Environmental Ethics
        • Food & Cooking
          • The Best Cookbooks
          • Food & History of Food
          • Wine & Drinks
        • Health & Lifestyle
          • Death & Dying
          • Education
          • Family & Relationships
          • Happiness
          • Sex & Sexuality
        • History
          • Ancient History (up to 500)
          • History by Country
          • Historical Figures
          • Military History
          • Medieval History (500-1400)
          • Modern History (1800-1945)
        • Language
          • Grammar & Punctuation
          • Learning Languages
          • Linguistics
        • Law
        • Literary Nonfiction
          • Biography
          • Essays
          • Memoir
          • Artists' Biographies
          • Travel
          • True Crime
        • Music & Drama
          • Classical Music & Opera
          • Film & Cinema
          • Music
          • Theatre
        • Nature
          • Dinosaurs & the Prehistoric World
          • The Earth
          • Plants, Trees & Flowers
        • Philosophy
          • Ancient Philosophy
          • Ethics & Moral Philosophy
          • Great Philosophers
          • Social & Political Philosophy
        • Politics & Society
          • Conflict & War
          • Feminism
          • Foreign Policy & International Relations
          • Human Rights
          • Terrorism
        • Psychology
          • Mental Health
          • Neuroscience
          • Psychoanalysis
          • Psychology Research
          • Self Help
        • Religion
          • Best Atheist Books
          • Buddhism
          • Christian
          • Islamic
          • Jewish
          • Religious History
        • Science
          • Astronomy
          • Biology
          • Geoscience
          • Maths & Statistics
          • Moon Landing
          • Popular Science
          • Physics
        • Sports, Games & Hobbies
          • Football (Soccer)
          • Gardening
          • Hobbies
          • Sport & Sporting Culture
        • Technology
          • Artificial Intelligence
          • Computing
          • Digital Age
          • History of Technology
          • Internet
  • Fiction & Literature
        • Classic English Literature
        • Contemporary Fiction
          • NEW Fiction
        • Literary Criticism
        • Literary Figures
        • Classical Studies
        • Romance
        • Comics & Graphic Novels
        • Fairy Tales & Mythology
        • Crime Novels
        • Mystery
        • Historical Fiction
        • Horror
        • Humour
        • Memoir
        • Poetry
        • Science Fiction
        • Short Stories
        • Thrillers
        • Fantasy
  • World
        • Africa
          • Egypt
          • Ghana
          • Nigeria
          • Rwanda
          • South Africa
          • Zimbabwe
        • Americas
          • Latin America
            • Argentina
            • Brazil
            • Chile
            • Cuba
            • Mexico
          • United States
          • Canada
        • Arctic & Antarctica
        • Asia
          • Afghanistan
          • Burma
          • China
          • India
          • Japan
          • Korea
          • Pakistan
          • Bangladesh
          • Sri Lanka
          • Singapore
          • Vietnam
        • Australia
        • Europe
          • Belgium
          • Britain
          • France
          • Germany
          • Greece
          • Ireland
          • Italy
          • Netherlands
          • Norway
        • Middle East
          • Iran
          • Iraq
          • Israel
          • Syria
          • Turkey
          • Yemen
        • Russia & FSU
          • Azerbaijan
          • Georgia
          • Russia
          • Ukraine
  • Kids
        • Search by Age
          • Ages 3-5
          • Ages 6-8
          • Ages 9-12
          • Young Adult
        • Search by Topic
          • Science Books for Kids
          • Politics and Philosophy
          • Economics Books for Kids (Fiction)
          • History
          • Nature and Environment
          • Happiness & Mental Health
          • Family & Pets
        • Best New Children's Books
        • High School Teachers Recommend Books by Subject
        • Novels & Novelists
        • By Kids for Kids
  • Best Books of 2020
        • Politics
        • Biography
        • Memoirs and Autobiography
        • Cookbooks
        • Business
        • Philosophy
        • Fiction
          • Crime Fiction
          • Science Fiction
          • Historical Fiction
          • Romance
          • Mysteries
          • Thrillers
        • Nonfiction
        • Art
        • Economics
        • History
        • Science
        • Self Help
        • Audiobooks
        • Poetry
        • Kids Books
        • Kids Science
  • New Books
        • All new books
        • History
        • Philosophy
        • Science
        • Mathematics
        • Physics
        • Fiction
        • Biographies
        • Economics
        • Paperbacks
        • New Editions (of old books)
        • Our in-house reviews (nonfiction)
        • Our in-house reviews (fiction)
        • Gifts for Book Lovers
  • Audiobooks
    • Actors Read Great Books
    • Best Audiobooks for Kids
    • Books Narrated by Their Authors
    • Best Audiobook Thrillers
    • Best History Audiobooks
  • Book Awards
    • Booker Prize
    • Baillie Gifford Prize
    • Royal Society
    • Wolfson Prize
    • Walter Scott Prize
    • Arthur C Clarke Prize
    • Audie Awards
    • Nobel Prize
  • Experts

LGBTQ

Most Recommended Books

Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran

“It has this exquisite elegiac air, which obviously compounds the poignancy of the tragedy of Aids.”

Hermione Hoby, Journalist

Read more

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

“It’s a very traumatic book, it illustrates a lot of problems of cross-gender, or gender-variant, living at the time.”

Juliet Jacques, Journalist

Read more

    The best books on Foucault, recommended by Gary Gutting

  • Read
    The best books on Foucault - How to Read Foucault by Johanna Oksala

    1

    How to Read Foucault
    by Johanna Oksala

  • Read
    The best books on Foucault - The Philosophy of Foucault by Todd May

    2

    The Philosophy of Foucault
    by Todd May

  • Read
    The best books on Foucault - Bodies and Pleasures: Foucault and the Politics of Sexual Normalization by Ladelle McWhorter

    3

    Bodies and Pleasures: Foucault and the Politics of Sexual Normalization
    by Ladelle McWhorter

  • Read
    The best books on Foucault - The Cambridge Foucault Lexicon by (ed.) Leonard Lawlor and John Nale

    4

    The Cambridge Foucault Lexicon
    by (ed.) Leonard Lawlor and John Nale

  • Read
    The best books on Foucault - The Lives of Michel Foucault by David Macey

    5

    The Lives of Michel Foucault
    by David Macey

The best books on Foucault, recommended by Gary Gutting

“Do not ask who I am and do not ask me to remain the same,” wrote Michel Foucault; a brilliant transdisciplinarian whose work spanned philosophy, history, social theory and literary criticism. He mined past ways of thinking so as to see present-day assumptions and practices afresh, explains the philosopher Gary Gutting.

    The Best Autofiction, recommended by Juliet Jacques

  • Read
    The Best Autofiction - Trawl by B. S. Johnson

    1

    Trawl
    by B. S. Johnson

  • Read
    The Best Autofiction - Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

    2

    Stone Butch Blues
    by Leslie Feinberg

  • Read
    The Best Autofiction - I Love Dick by Chris Kraus

    3

    I Love Dick
    by Chris Kraus

  • Read
    The Best Autofiction - How Should A Person Be? by Sheila Heti

    4

    How Should A Person Be?
    by Sheila Heti

  • Read
    The Best Autofiction - I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Lagercrantz

    5

    I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic
    by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Lagercrantz

The Best Autofiction, recommended by Juliet Jacques

Autofiction is writing that blurs the boundaries between autobiography and fiction. The writer of Trans: A Memoir, Juliet Jacques, picks her top five examples of the genre.

    The best books on Sex and Society, recommended by Eric Berkowitz

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Society - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

    1

    The Picture of Dorian Gray
    by Oscar Wilde

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Society - Disorder in the Court by George Robb and Nancy Erber (editors)

    2

    Disorder in the Court
    by George Robb and Nancy Erber (editors)

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Society - The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman

    3

    The Children’s Hour
    by Lillian Hellman

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Society - Roman Sexualities by Judith P Hallett and Marilyn B Skinner (editors)

    4

    Roman Sexualities
    by Judith P Hallett and Marilyn B Skinner (editors)

  • Read
    The best books on Sex and Society - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    5

    To Kill a Mockingbird
    by Harper Lee

The best books on Sex and Society, recommended by Eric Berkowitz

For thousands of years, human societies have tried to regulate sexual activity. The author of Sex and Punishment tells us why this should be so, and how what’s permissible has varied according to time and place.

    The best books on Gender Outlaws, recommended by Kate Bornstein

  • Read
    The best books on Gender Outlaws - Mother Camp by Esther Newton

    1

    Mother Camp
    by Esther Newton

  • Read
    The best books on Gender Outlaws - Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

    2

    Stone Butch Blues
    by Leslie Feinberg

  • Read
    The best books on Gender Outlaws - The Sandman by Dirk Maggs (audiobook adaptation), Full Cast & Neil Gaiman

    3

    The Sandman
    by Dirk Maggs (audiobook adaptation), Full Cast & Neil Gaiman

  • Read
    The best books on Gender Outlaws - Whipping Girl by Julia Serano

    4

    Whipping Girl
    by Julia Serano

  • Read
    The best books on Gender Outlaws - Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation by Kate Bornstein and S Bear Bergman (editors)

    5

    Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation
    by Kate Bornstein and S Bear Bergman (editors)

The best books on Gender Outlaws, recommended by Kate Bornstein

The author, gender theorist and self-described “SM femme tranny dyke” tells us why gender isn’t binary, and recommends books that give long-suppressed voice to the transgender community

    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction

  • Read
    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet

    1

    Our Lady of the Flowers
    by Jean Genet

  • Read
    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

    2

    A Single Man
    by Christopher Isherwood

  • Read
    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - The Folding Star by Alan Hollinghurst

    3

    The Folding Star
    by Alan Hollinghurst

  • Read
    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - Maurice by E M Forster

    4

    Maurice
    by E M Forster

  • Read
    Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction - Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran

    5

    Dancer from the Dance
    by Andrew Holleran

Edmund White recommends the best of Gay Fiction

The author, critic and creative writing professor tells us about the battle to establish gay fiction. He recommends five novels where beautiful writing and gay themes come together.

    The Greats of Classical Literature, recommended by Charlotte Higgins

  • Read
    The Greats of Classical Literature - Children of the Gods by Kenneth McLeish

    1

    Children of the Gods
    by Kenneth McLeish

  • Read
    The Greats of Classical Literature - The Iliad by Homer

    2

    The Iliad
    by Homer

  • Read
    The Greats of Classical Literature - The Odyssey by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson

    3

    The Odyssey
    by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson

  • Read
    The Greats of Classical Literature - Poems and Fragments by Sappho & translated by Stanley Lombardo

    4

    Poems and Fragments
    by Sappho & translated by Stanley Lombardo

  • Read
    The Greats of Classical Literature - Catullus by Catullus

    5

    Catullus
    by Catullus

The Greats of Classical Literature, recommended by Charlotte Higgins

The Guardian’s chief arts writer, Charlotte Higgins, believes that the contemporary value of the Classics is incalculable – here, she tells us why, via her selection of the great and good of classical literature.

    The best books on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, recommended by Dan Choi

  • Read
    The best books on Don’t Ask - The Bible The New Oxford Annotated Bible

    1

    The Bible
    The New Oxford Annotated Bible

  • Read
    The best books on Don’t Ask - Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg

    2

    Saving Private Ryan
    by Steven Spielberg

  • Read
    The best books on Don’t Ask - My American Journey by Colin Powell

    3

    My American Journey
    by Colin Powell

  • Read
    The best books on Don’t Ask - Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawrence

    4

    Seven Pillars of Wisdom
    by TE Lawrence

  • Read
    The best books on Don’t Ask - My First Time, Vol. 2 by Jack Hart

    5

    My First Time, Vol. 2
    by Jack Hart

The best books on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, recommended by Dan Choi

The graduate of West Point Military Academy, fluent Arabic speaker and Iraq war veteran, talks about the books that inspired him to take a stand against the US military’s regressive Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy

    The best books on Puppeteering, recommended by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler

  • Read
    The best books on Puppeteering - Skin Lane by Neil Bartlett

    1

    Skin Lane
    by Neil Bartlett

  • Read
    The best books on Puppeteering - Biological Exuberance by Bruce Bagemihl

    2

    Biological Exuberance
    by Bruce Bagemihl

  • Read
    The best books on Puppeteering - Glove and Rod Puppets by Hansjürgen Fettig

    3

    Glove and Rod Puppets
    by Hansjürgen Fettig

  • Read
    The best books on Puppeteering - The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

    4

    The Magic Faraway Tree
    by Enid Blyton

  • Read
    The best books on Puppeteering - African Scenery and Animals by Samuel Daniell

    5

    African Scenery and Animals
    by Samuel Daniell

The best books on Puppeteering, recommended by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler

Founders of the Handspring Puppet Company pick their favourite five books on puppeteering. Enid Blyton and African Scenery and Animals both make the cut, as does same-sex behaviour in the natural world

    The best books on Marriage, recommended by Jonathan Rauch

  • Read
    The best books on Marriage - Mary Poppins [DVD] by Robert Stevens

    1

    Mary Poppins [DVD]
    by Robert Stevens

  • Read
    The best books on Marriage - Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran

    2

    Dancer from the Dance
    by Andrew Holleran

  • Read
    The best books on Marriage - And the Band Played on by Randy Shilts

    3

    And the Band Played on
    by Randy Shilts

  • Read
    The best books on Marriage - What's Happening to the American Family? by Professor Frank Gallo, Professor Richard Belous & Professor Sara A. Levitan

    4

    What's Happening to the American Family?
    by Professor Frank Gallo, Professor Richard Belous & Professor Sara A. Levitan

  • Read
    The best books on Marriage - The Case for Marriage by Linda J. Waite, Maggie Gallagher

    5

    The Case for Marriage
    by Linda J. Waite, Maggie Gallagher

The best books on Marriage, recommended by Jonathan Rauch

Jonathan Rauch, the National Journal columnist and author of Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America, recounts his own marriage odyssey, starting with Mary Poppins.

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases.

Newsletter Contact us Privacy Policy Terms of Service

© Five Books 2021