The new year is well and truly here, but we are still not over these 2022 releases that gave us a whole new outlook on the word ‘queer’. If you haven’t read these works, get them from a Kunzum store and put them on top of your TBR pile! By Paridhi Badgotri
We need books that can guide us, educate us, challenge our biases and preconceived notions, and provoke new thought―books that can shape our sense of self. Last year gave us a treasure trove of non-fiction books that portrayed the many hues of the queer community in India. We selected four of them, which bring forth diverse perspectives and address varied concerns, for you to pick up in the new year. This list, of course, is in no way comprehensive, and if you really want to dig into books on gender and sexuality, walk into a Kunzum store—each one has a dedicated shelf on the subject.
As a starting point, we recommend you pick up these four books from 2022 to understand what it means to be queer today.
A Queer Reading List
Get Out by Aniruddha Mahale
Mahale excavates his own (mis)adventures to put together an ultimate guide for dating as a gay man in India. This collection comprises real-life stories of gay men who came out to their families, multiple QnAs, Dos & Don’ts, as well as extensive information on queer dating apps—and how to make the most of them. Get Out, as Mahale says, is not only for gay men because its lessons can be applied to everyone!
Queersapien by Sharif D. Rangnekar
Queersapien is a probe into the queer state of existence. The book explores the queer mind that sees itself as part of the extreme diversity nature offers. In a raw reflection on life, media, neoliberalism, politics, and the inner self, Rangnekar examines the meanings of love, freedom, identity, and dignity in a society where family, religion, caste, and class dictate how we live.
Queeristan by Parmesh Shahani
Queeristan is a memoir-cum-manifesto for modern India. Drawing from his decade-long journey in the corporate world as an out and proud gay man, Parmesh Shahani makes a cogent case for inclusion and lays down a step-by-step guide to reshaping office culture in India. This book brings together data and strategy with intimate stories of love and family, as well as expansive references to history, literature, cinema, movements, and institutions and icons of the LGBTQ community.
I Am Onir & I Am Gay by Onir & Irene Dhar Malik
Award-winning filmmaker Onir opens up about his journey as a gay man in Bollywood. In this gritty memoir, written with his sister Irene Dhar Malik, Onir remains fearless about his identity and passionate about his role as a filmmaker in starting difficult conversations. In fact, Onir’s first claim to fame was his directorial debut, My Brother Nikhil (2005), which paved the way for LGBTQIA+ representation in Indian cinema.
