Recs if you like Under the Udala Trees...

every struggled to find actual lesbian/sapphic books when at the library or bookstore? so did I!

bc of said struggle, I started to curate a personal list of books that either has lesbian MCs and/or featured a primary sapphic romance.

i haven't read all of these, but I do try my diligence in confirming that they meet the above perimeters, since many books claim to be sapphic when they're not. this is an ever updating list, only fiction for now!

in progress

Basically, a huge list of every book I ever heard features sapphic characters.

I have not read all of these, so I cannot be sure of the amount of the time on page of the sapphic characters or of the quality of the books.

Some of these I do not plan to read at all, since they are not my style. If you feel like a book doesn't belong here, let me know.

For my favs / read, check out my other lists & shelves.

Open to suggestions for more titles.

Don't shoot the messenger.

Writing and voices from outside of the white Western canon. Fiction and Non-fiction with an emphasis in diaspora, decolonization, global history, and resistance narratives from around the world. Features African, Asian, Central American, South American, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern voices.

Began with many recommendations from Jamin Anderson (@jaminanderson__ on Instagram) and has expanded with the help of the Pagebound community.

All the lesbians books I can find. If you have any book you want me to add please comment ❤️

Literary fiction, historical fiction, memoirs, and/or poetry by queer authors from nations in Africa, set in the nation. Not every nation is represented yet—I'm still researching them! Keeping it at maximum 3 books per nation.

Cameroon: These Letters End in Tears Egypt: Shubeik Lubeik; In the Spider's Room Equatorial Guinea: La Bastarda Ethiopia: The History of a Difficult Child Ghana: No One Dies Yet; Before We Hit the Ground* Kenya: Stories of our Lives; For What are Butterflies Without Their Wings Morocco: Infidels Nigeria: Under the Udala Trees; Butter Honey Pig Bread; An Ordinary Wonder Somalia: Fairytales for Lost Children South Africa: They Called Me Queer; A Soft Landing; The Quiet Violence of Dreams Uganda: Everything is Fine Here Zambia: The Lions' Den Zimbabwe: The Hairdresser of Harare

(*) diaspora author

The only queer & GNC lists/quests I’ve seen have been genre. I love them, but I wanted to also curate a list of literary fiction with LGBTQIA+ characters and themes!

Stories that tell the tale of sapphic life and love throughout time

Because there's no quest to suit this genre and a girls got specific interests

Queer books by authors from south of the equator

an engaging collection that captures the depth and diversity of African storytelling, blending tradition, history, and modern life through powerful voices.

For people who want to dip toes in Nigerian literature.

Any sapphic book that I feel falls in the category of lit fic

This is a list for novels about wars other than World Wars I & II. It is intended to expand one’s knowledge about conflicts often ignored due to the eurocentrism and whiteness of the publishing industry (and how those conflicts are often the result of western actions). Please feel free to recommend books!

Books where black lesbians and black lesbian relationships are center stage.

Yes, that has been said to me. 😐 Fiction featuring Black characters that are also queer. :)

Queer, radical and progressive books set and/or written in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

spanning many genres, including classic queer literature, weird girl lit fic, fantasy, horror, memoir-ish, & romance. because we must learn our history while we continue to celebrate our present & imagine beautiful futures free from oppression.

Niche but underrated!