Thank you for sharing this, Hunter. As a bookstore owner in a conservative state, I want to honor representation for every person. I also personally want to read stories about every type of person. Reading queer stories has increased my empathy and expanded my worldview and thought process about many things, just as reading stories about other underrepresented people has done the same. My now 20 year old daughter told us that she is queer two years ago. If I had not been reading queer stories for years, I would not have been as ready for it and able to empathize with all of the things that surround her life now. I am 50 years old and grew up in the South in a conservative Christian family and world. If I was not a reader, I know that my worldview would be different. It’s the reason that I often read books that may not be my preferred genre or subject matter. I read for many reasons and only one of them is pure enjoyment. But there are also wonderful stories that truly are pure joy for me that happen to be queer stories as well. I really love quiet books regardless of content so I adore Nina LeCour. We Are Okay and her more recent Yerba Buena are gorgeous books. Thank you for sharing your favorites; I’ll be checking them out, both for myself and for my store!
Thank you for sharing this, Hunter. As a bookstore owner in a conservative state, I want to honor representation for every person. I also personally want to read stories about every type of person. Reading queer stories has increased my empathy and expanded my worldview and thought process about many things, just as reading stories about other underrepresented people has done the same. My now 20 year old daughter told us that she is queer two years ago. If I had not been reading queer stories for years, I would not have been as ready for it and able to empathize with all of the things that surround her life now. I am 50 years old and grew up in the South in a conservative Christian family and world. If I was not a reader, I know that my worldview would be different. It’s the reason that I often read books that may not be my preferred genre or subject matter. I read for many reasons and only one of them is pure enjoyment. But there are also wonderful stories that truly are pure joy for me that happen to be queer stories as well. I really love quiet books regardless of content so I adore Nina LeCour. We Are Okay and her more recent Yerba Buena are gorgeous books. Thank you for sharing your favorites; I’ll be checking them out, both for myself and for my store!
This is a beautiful essay, my friend. Thank you for it!