Queer Book Group – RSVP and share your reading suggestions – Ridgefield

We’re excited to announce our first book club meeting on Monday, April 20th, at 7 PM! We definitely want feedback for any scheduling preferences of our members, but for right now we intend to host the book club on the 2nd or 3rd Monday at 7PM  every other month so participants will have a chance to pick, find, and read the book at an acceptable (non-rushed) pace. But scheduling is amenable to feedback from members, so please feel free to share any preference or concerns you may have with scheduling.

Now for the fun part–our first book to read! Below are a few options with a brief explanation. While we intend to have a focus on queer identity, authors, and stories, we are definitely open to suggestions depending on reader input. We can also decide if we prefer a specific genre (memoirs, history of LGBTQ+ struggles, novels, etc.) or change it meeting-to-meeting based on reader input.  A bit further down in this form you will have the opportunity to rank the books, to make suggestions or to add any comments. 

1.) This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. A novel about a 5-year-old boy that wants to be a girl, told from the perspective of the mother. Told in a very sweet way, it grapples with the challenges of being a parent that wants the best for their child and struggling to find the best way to love them.

2.) The Lie: A Memoir of Two Marriages, Catfishing, and Coming Out by William Dameron. This is by a man that came out as gay to his wife and two daughters back in 2007. It’s a beautiful retelling of his story of accepting himself and finding where his found family.

3.) I Have Something to Tell You by Chasten Buttigieg. This is a very simple read that’s aimed at an AYA crowd and one I found quite enjoyable. Since I don’t know more about the demographics of the book club, I don’t know how many would like this, but I enjoyed it enough to put it on the list.

4.) The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eger. Dr. Eger survived the Holocaust as a teenager, emigrated to America, obtained her PhD in Psychology, and specializes in PTSD. This is the only book on the list not written by an LGBTQ+ author or directly grappling with a queer character or them, but her story of facing her PTSD and choosing to live the best life possible resonates with any maligned group.

5.) We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib. A retelling of the life experience of a Muslim refugee and her family from Pakistan seeking refuge in Canada, where the persecution didn’t end after reaching the New World. Many great themes about intersectionality, faith, family (both by blood and found), and forgiveness.

6.) Let us know if you have a book to suggest! We’d love to get feedback from readers and be introduced to books that take us out of our own biases. I suggested two memoirs by gay men and 4 of the 5 options are memoirs, so I clearly have a bias I’ll do my best to be mindful of. 

Please submit your responses/suggestions by February 15th so we will have plenty of time to find a copy of the proposed book and read at a leisurely pace. I promise future emails will be more concise, this email is a bit large to get out all the information necessary for us to start Ridgefield Pride Book Club. 

Thank you all for your participation and we look forward to seeing you April 20th at 7 PM!

For more information email ridgefieldctpride@gmail.com.