Barbara Gittings Collection

What's an LGBT book you would consider "Canon" or absolutely essential? What LGBT book do you think is timeless, and eternally the best of the best? What's your favorite LGBT book you've ever read, or which had the greatest impact on your life?

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"Gittings Canon" Recommendations The Barbara Gittings Gay & Le***an Collection is the largest public library collection of LGBT materials east of San Francisco. Kay Lahusen, Barbara's long-time partner, recently passed away and left a generous bequest to us to support and sustain the Gittings Collection here at the Independence Bra...

More new books! Body Grammar is a critically-acclaimed coming-of-age story set in the gritty world of international modeling.

"To her own dismay, Lou is a natural model: tall, thin, captivatingly androgynous, and with a striking look. Out of nowhere, every agent in the Portland area wants to represent her. But Lou doesn't care for fashion, nor does she wish to be seen. Fresh out of high school, Lou's plan is to spend the summer taking photographs and hoping to catch the attention of Ivy, her close friend and secret crush. But when an afternoon hiking trip ends in a tragic accident, Lou finds herself lost, ridden with guilt, and unsure how to connect with her friends. Determined to find a purpose, Lou steps into the dizzying world of modeling auditions, commercial shoots, shockingly expensive haute couture, and runways in New York, Paris, and Milan. It's a whirlwind of learning how to walk, how to command her body and its movements, and how to manage her newfound fame. But in the dazzling flash of the camera and the thrill of seeing her face giant-size on billboards, Lou begins to worry that she's losing her identity-as a person, as an artist, and as a young woman still in love with the girl she left behind. A sharply observed and intimate story of grief and healing, doubt and self-acceptance set against the intense hyper-image-conscious industry of modeling and high fashion, Body Grammar shines with the anxieties of growing up and the often heartbreaking beauty of pursing love"