July 14th is International Nonbinary People's Day. Nonbinary is a person who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that is neither entirely male or entirely female. To celebrate, I encourage you to read a book by a nonbinary author that may also feature nonbinary characters. I've created a list of a few of my favorites that I hope you enjoy as well!
In the city of Lucille, there are no more monsters. This is what Jam and her best friend, Redemption have been taught. Everything Jam knows is about to be questioned as she meets Pet, a creature made of horns, colors, and claws who emerges from one of her mother's paintings. Jam discovers something dark in Redemption's house and she must discover the truth and answer the question how do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist? Emezi's style of writing takes magical realism to the next step. They paint a world with love and acceptance that warms the heart and makes you want to read all of their other books.
A beautiful blend of detective noir and fantasy genres. Gailey introduces us to a world full of witches and an esteemed school of witchcraft. When a beloved teacher of this school is found murdered in the library, the school reaches out to a human detective to solve this mystery. Truths are uncovered, secrets are revealed, and pasts are relived in this novel. Gailey continues their style of pairing opposing genres together and creating worlds and stories that will always leave me eagerly waiting for their next book, so if you like this book I encourage you to pick up any of their others!
Written by poet and activist Alok Vaid-Menon, Menon challenges the reader to not see gender in black and white. Told from their own experience in being gender nonconforming, Vaid-Menon educates the reader and answers the questions that many may feel too embarrassed to ask. Sometimes the first step to learning is asking questions without the fear of judgement. This book is part of a series called the Pocket Change Collective that highlights various topics written by poets, activists, and other artists.
