Nonbinary Protagonists
Get ready to meet a diverse cast of nonbinary characters who are the protagonists of their own stories. Recommendations welcome!
created by amalgama
last updated October, 2026
Comments
This list is mostly fiction but also includes some nonfiction picks by nonbinary authors talking about their experiences. For a book to be included, the nonbinary character has to be the protagonist, not just part of the main cast. For books that are part of a series, only the first one is included
Feel free to drop your recommendations as a reply to this comment, happy reading!
Love to see this list!!!
amalgamaOP
Thank you! It makes me so so happy to see how much more nonbinary rep is out there nowadays compared to when I went through my own gender discovery journey đĽšđ
Prokaryote by Leo Fox would perhaps be an excellent addition !! If you're cool with graphic novels on the list :)
Thank you for the rec, I am! Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe is also a graphic novel đ
ETA: Did you mean Prokaryote Season? Just making sure I added the right book
this looks great! and has reminded me to get around to Walking Practice đ¤
Thank you, I was thinking about how we don't really have heroes the other day.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo might fit this list!
amalgamaOP
I didn't know that book had a nonbinary protagonist! Is it Rabbit or the other MC?
the other mc (Chih) is nonbinary!
amalgamaOP
Thank you, I'll add it! And possibly read it soon, too, did you like it?
i did!! the way the story was told was my favourite partt. i need to get to the rest of the series soon.
i wish you all the best is a really good book with great non-binary rep !!
amalgamaOP
Thank you, I will add it!
Ohhh I'm saving that, glorious thank you!
If you're still taking suggestions: Hijab Butch Blues, by Lamya H; They Bloom at Night, by Trang Thanh Tran; I think there's an argument to be made for Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi but it'd been a while since I read it.
amalgamaOP
I am definitely taking suggestions, thank you!
I will add the first two but as far I remember Emezi has said they don't feel comfortable with Freshwater being labelled as nonbinary rep, because for them ogbanje identity is tied to Igbo culture and can't be interpreted through a Western conception of gender
I haven't read any of your recs yet, but I want to get to all of them eventually! Do you have a favourite out of the three?
Oh I'm glad you know that, that's exactly why I was hesitant but I hadn't read that interview. Good to know, thanks!
They're all very different books in their own way, it's hard to pick a favourite đ Hijab Butch Blues, maybe? But that might just be because its my most recent read of the three.
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