So here's the deal, I'm writing a book. A high fantasy. I am a non-straight American white woman, and I would love suggestions for books to help me better my understanding of communities. I'm having trouble finding credible books about being a man; however, I would love any book that teaches me the struggles of any community
I do have a list started so I'll place it here in case it could help others. A lot of these, if not the majority, were recommended by Jameelah Jones on Tiktok (thank you). From this list you can tell it's very American dense, so please open my mind to outside. I can read Spanish, and can use Google translate for any books not in Spanish or English. I'm ready to learn more.
X Indigenous themes X
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
As long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice from Colonization to Standing Rock by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
Bad indians: A tribal Memoir by Deborah A. Miranda
X Housing insecurity/ Class System X
Settlers, the Mythology of the White Proletariat: The True Story of the White Nation by J. Sakai
Down & Out, On the Road: The Homeless in American History by Kenneth L. Kusmer
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
X Struggles/ History of the Black Community X
Too Heavy a Yoke: Black Women and the Burden of Strength by Chanequa Walker-Barnes
The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Woman in America by Tamara Winfrey Harris
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Men We Reaped: A Memoir Jesmyn Ward
X Struggles/ History of the LGBTQIAP+ Community X
Real Talk about LGBTQIAP by Tara Y. Coyt
Stand by Me: The Forgotten History of Gay Liberation by Jim Downs
X A mix of the two categories above X
A Burst of Light and Other Essays by Audre Lorde
The Tradition by Jericho Brown (highly recommend)
by Littlefieldsharks