1. Body Counts: A Memoir of Politics, Sex, AIDS, and Survival by Sean Strub - This memoir is a personal account of the AIDS epidemic, and follows the authors life through a series of events that led him to the world of LGBTQ+ activism. There is a lot of discussion about politics, but there are also themes of friendship and love, coming of age, fear and hysteria, mental illness, and more. It also touched on finding a career without a formal college education, which was even more interesting to read about from the perspective of a gay man, as he kept his identity a secret for so long as to not complicate any opportunities that presented themselves. This memoir was a really enlightening first-hand account from a born and raised midwestern-er to politics-crazed entrepreneur, and teaches readers about the AIDS epidemic from a perspective that isn’t shared very often. It’s a beautiful memoir and more than anything, it makes you feel like you’re listening to an old friend tell their story.
2. Prairie Silence: A Memoir by Melanie Hoffert - Prairie Silence is a metaphor for the silent plains of North Dakota, and it felt like a brilliant description of growing up queer in Nebraska and Wyoming too. This memoir was all too familiar, from the midwest gossip, to extreme caution in your hometown, to the religious undertones from people back home, to the romanticization of city life--it truly hit the hammer on the nail when it came to describing rural life. Hoffert grapples with the hard dichotomy of appreciating the anonymity that comes from living in the city and missing the familiarity of life back home. She brings her readers along on her journey of moving to the city, exploring her identity, missing home and moving back, forgiveness, reconciliation, and more. The best way to describe this memoir is that it feels like a warm hug from someone who understands you, especially if you grew up in a rural place but had big dreams for something more.
3. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado - This memoir is a beautiful, poetic, compelling, emotional, and just amazing story, written in short vignettes. The style is very different from the other memoirs on this list, but it is still a phenomenal piece. Machado recounts and explores a topic in this memoir that is often considered taboo, which is violence in same-sex relationships. Domestic violence is not often discussed in queer relationships but that is not to say that is doesn’t exist--and Machado recounts the devastation from her relationship with a toxic partner in a way that is heartbreaking, blissful, terrifying, and emotional in so many other ways. I truly cannot recommend this memoir enough, especially for folks who are a part of the community that prides themselves on love above all else. I don’t want to give away too much from this story because I truly believe everyone should read it so instead of summarizing it any further, I will tell y’all that there is an audiobook of this memoir, which is read by the author herself. If you want to hear a chilling story with narratives influenced by fairy tales, check it out.
4. The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel - Yet another non-traditional memoir, The Secret to Superhuman Strength is a graphic novel that intersects fitness and queerness in a way that is simply indescribable. This is a story of self-improvement, self-detriment, interdependence, transcendence, and more. The story is exceptional, as is the comic-style graphics. If y’all are anything like me, you probably haven’t read a lot of graphic novels and maybe have preconceived notions about them… Well, get over it, throw all of those ideas away, and take a chance on this one because it is so worth it. You might have heard of Alison Bechdel before too, as she is the creator of the “Bechdel Test,” which measures the representation of women in popular media. In general, this test asks whether a piece of media features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man, and whether or not these women are named, which is an easy way to gauge representation. If you read this memoir, keep the “Bechdel Test” in the back of your mind, because it’s super interesting.
5. A Body, Undone: Living on After Great Pain by Christina Crosby - In our last unit, we explored disability and crip studies, as they intersect with queer theory. This memoir is a brilliant exploration of those two intersecting identities, written by an author who became disabled later in life. Crosby describes the myriad of emotions she experienced following a bicycle accident that left her paraplegic, and it is an interesting account of recognizing your own ableism while still grieving over what’s been lost after acquiring a disability. Crosby’s exploration of the body, relationships and sex, intimacy with her partner, losing her active lifestyle, and more, were beautifully written. It was also an interesting experience to read this in a time where COVID is disproportionality affecting marginalized communities, and more and more people are becoming disabled due to the effects of long-COVID. This memoir allowed me to confront my own ableism, while still empathizing with Crosby. This is a beautiful piece and I highly recommend it.
