KNOWhomo

LGBTQ* Novels/Books To Keep On Your Radar

Novels with Black/African-American Lesbian Themes or Characters (1920s-1970s)

1. Home To Harlem by Claude McKay (1928) - two scenes set in black lesbian bars, glimpses of early Harlem
2. Young Man with a Horn by Dorothy Baker (1938) - Josephine Jordan, a  singer, has a relationship with Amy North, a wealthy woman
3. The Wasteland by Jo Sinclair (1946) - novel depicting the oppression of women of color and opposition to women of color in lesbian circles 
4. The Big Money by John Dos Passos (1960) - Harlem 1920s
5. Loving Her by Ann Allen Shockley (1974) - one of the first novels to explore interracial relationships between lesbians
6. Strange Brothers by Blair Niles (1975) - Book takes liberties and draws from Harlem lesbian culture of the 1920s 
7. Ruby by Rosa Guy (1976) - West Indian girl finds friendship after relocating
8. In Her Day by Rita Mae Brown (1976) - longtime friendship of Adele, a wealthy lesbian woman of color, and Carole, a working-class white lesbian woman
9. Ed Dean is Queer by N.A. Diaman (1978) - San Francisco elects their new mayor (a queer woman of color) 

List/Information From:

Richards, Dell. Lesbian Lists: A Look at Lesbian Culture, History, and Personalities. Boston: Alyson Publications, 1990. p.34