30 Books in 30 Minutes Pride Picks: Biographies and Memoirs

On Wednesday, June 7th at our South Side location, and Saturday, June 24th, at our Downtown location, CLP will be reprising the popular 30 Books in 30 Minutes program – but with all titles that we picked for Pride Month! Join us for a blitz of booktalking, some tasty refreshments and even book giveaways.

Here’s a taste of some of the titles we’ll be talking up. These are a great selection of newer biographies and memoirs delineating the perspectives of queer life from different people in different times in history and different cultural backgrounds. Come to one of our programs to get the real in-depth scoop on why these are great titles to put on your holds list. We’d love to see you!

You can sign up for a free library card here. If you are new to our eResources, check out these tutorial videos on how to get started.

If you’re looking for more book suggestions, we’re happy to recommend them to you! Use this Book Recommendation form to send us some information about what you like to read and we’ll curate a list just for you.

If you have any additional questions, you can contact a librarian through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can also call us at 412.622.3114 or email us at info@carnegielibrary.org

Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir

Lamya H (a pseudonym) delves into her childhood as a South Asian immigrant and her coming to terms with being gay – from her arrival in the U.S. to her early adult life, she lays bare what being a Muslim and a lesbian meant and means for her life. This title is also available for checkout in eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.


We Both Laughed in Pleasure

Lou Sullivan was an archivist, AIDS activist, and the first out gay trans man. The curated selection of his journals reveals what his life was like and is a rich, sensual, funny, painful, but often joyful look at the trans experience in the 70s and 80s in the U.S. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Hoopla.


Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir

This is one of the most powerful and personal memoirs I’ve ever read, uniquely crafted and eternally affecting, with local roots and a phenomenal addition to this year’s Battle of the Books. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on OverDrive/Libby, as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby, as an eBook on Hoopla, or as eAudio on Hoopla.


The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. The United States of America

Before Stonewall, there was an entire other gay resistance and visibility movement, born of persecution in government jobs. Frank Kameny, an astronomer for the Department of Defense, was fired in 1957 for being homosexual, and went on to found the Mattachine Society to protest this systematic discrimination. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on OverDrive/Libby, in eAudio on OverDrive/Libby, and in eAudio on Hoopla.


Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation

Gabdsby stormed onto the international comedy scene in 2018 with her stand-up special Nanette. The raw set eschewed traditional jokes for a more confessional storytelling structure, including her own complicated relationship with the art of comedy itself. In her memoir, Gadsby provides readers a deeper look into her life, including her upbringing in Tasmania, where homosexuality was illegal until 1997. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.