Book cover of Rainbow Milk

Book description

Nominated for a 34th annual Lambda Literary Award • An essential and revelatory coming-of-age narrative from a thrilling new voice, Rainbow Milk follows nineteen-year-old Jesse McCarthy as he grapples with his racial and sexual identities against the backdrop of his Jehovah's Witness upbringing.

"The kind of novel you never…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Rainbow Milk as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a coming-of-age story linking three generations of Black men in the Midlands. It starts with an incredibly moving sequence of Norman and his wife moving to the Black Country in the 1950s, but the main action takes place in the 2000s. Mendez and I are of a similar age, and Jesse’s story really took me back to my childhood of flip phones and dancing along to Jamelia’s Superstar. Although the noughties are far from “historical,” Mendez’ precise focus on the details of the era makes it read like the best historical fiction. 

I learned a lot about the…

From Rachel's list on queer historical fiction.

If you love Rainbow Milk...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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