Classics Not Written by Straight Cis White Men
I've seen so many people say they don't read classics as they aren't diverse, and I wanted to give some suggestions that are.
This is a list of classics written by authors who are not Straight, Cis, White, and Men as the title suggests. I am also aiming to include a variety of cultures and regions in this list. If your looking for something more focused (e.g. diverse US classics) check out the lists I posted in the comments.
Suggestions are more than welcome!






Literature of the Global South
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.






โtiny bookshopโ books ๐
books featured in the cozy video game โtiny bookshopโ






Lucy Dacus Recommendations ๐
Books recommended by musician Lucy Dacus, a solo artist and member of the band boygenius. Pulled from her goodreads list.






HRCYED 3.0 x Pagebound Quests (Titles Edition)
If we are going to do Qwordy's the Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do 3.0 - we should probably get some Pagebound badges along the way! I'm specifically going to be adding books from Quests and readalongs that go past the July start date and match at least one of these title prompts: Periodic Table, Familial Terms, Rainbow of Words (also Joseph's coat), Numerical Titles, Titular Counting 5+, Pun in the Title, and First & Last Name in the Title. Recommendations welcome!






Read Until You Understand
novels, poetry, literary criticism, and history books by Black authors referenced in Farah Jasmine Griffinโs Read Until You Understand; The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature โ forming a type of Black literary canon






lesbian classics






Queer Books in "Tiny Bookshop"
Queer books and books written by queer authors that are featured in the indie game "Tiny Bookshop", a cosy bookstore management life sim by the studio Neoludic






Lesbian Herstory
Make your way through the lesbian herstorical canon.
This list features standalone non-fiction texts only.
Please request these books at your local library.
Most out-of-print texts can be requested through your library's ILL system or read on archive.org. ๐






diverse global classics
a list of classics with a focus on global and marginalised authors.






lesbian/sapphic history ๐๐๐ค๐งก
from photographs, essays, poems and more: these reads offer the living experiences of lesbians/sapphics of different backgrounds โก
all lesbians/sapphics are welcome! anything sapphic-centered i find will be added on here! hope you enjoy!






Anti-Racist 101
You cannot be anti-capitalist if you are racist. Racism is the capitalistsโ sharpest sword.
No one is free until we all are free.
Focused on America and anti-blackness but touches on other groups as well.






The Gayest History List
So much LGBTQ+ history! A lot of this is centered in the US, though there are some exceptions and I'm trying to grow it all the time. Note that I have an HIV / AIDS list that a lot of queer history, especially around the 80s + 90s. So check that one out for more






Girl Boss? More Like System-Buster #8M2026
Fiction and nonfiction that question patriarchy, critique power, and imagine new futures for anyone tired of individualistic feminism. From ghosts to economics, magic to memoirs, these books challenge everything, and make you think, feel, and maybe even rage a little.






prose by poets
donโt you love it when poets write novels, nonfiction, memoir! the language they bring!!






Why they burned the books
History is really just a convenient story if it's the government or a company pushing the narrative. Investigative and alternative perspectives to popular history.






Black Female Voices
A few lovely books written by Black women spanning every genre!






You & Me Against White Supremacy
Me & White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad, and books from as many of the authors mentioned therein that I could find. (Including books from the Further Learning section.)






Not the Same Five White Ladies
All credit for this list goes to ysaleftyouonread on instagram! This is her list of female authors she spotlighted for Womenโs History Month, that are โnot the same five white ladiesโ we always hear about! My personal goal is to read one book from each of these 31 women this year; I have been loving this journey and wanted to share with you all!
(Check out Ysaโs reels, she does a great job of describing the vibes without giving away the story!)






Queer Black Books
Books where the main character is black and part of the lgbt community! A lot of these came from recommendations on a post I made here, thank you to everyone who replied! And feel free to recommend more! :)





