Over the Rainbow Committee announces 2022 Top 10 Book List

CHICAGO — The Over the Rainbow committee of ALA’s Rainbow Roundtable gave careful consideration to 332 books across all genres, including memoir, history, true crime, mystery, romance, fiction, poetry, and more. The final ten selections showcased a wide range of queer stories and experiences, working to dispel, one book at a time, the single narrative. 

The Top 10 selections in fiction and non-fiction were: 

• “Black Boy Out of Time: A Memoir” by Hari Ziyad; Published by Little A
• “The Natural Mother of the Child” by Krys Malcolm Belc; Published by Counterpoint
• “Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness and Anti-Blackness” by Da’Shaun Harrison; Published by North Atlantic Books
• “With Teeth” by Kristen Arnett; Published by Riverhead Books
• “Milk Fed” by Melissa Broder; Published by Scribner
• “One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston; Published by St. Martin’s Griffin, and imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
• “Detransition Baby: A Novel” by Torrey Peters; Published by One World, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House
• “Stone Fruit” by Lee Lai; Published by Fantagraphics
• Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon; Published by MCD
• “Patience & Esther” by SW Searle; Published by Iron Circus Comics

“In a year which saw more book challenges than any other, largely concerning books with queer content, it was heartening to also see publishers continue to feature, promote, and elevate queer narratives across all genres.” The Over the Rainbow Committee noted. “Queer stories can be heartbreaking, exciting, romantic, incredible, challenging, unbearable, exquisite, silly, and anything else you can think of. These selections prove it.”

The charge of the Over the Rainbow Book List Committee is to promote the improved quality and accessibility of LGBTQIA+ literature through the creation of an annual annotated bibliography of books for general adult readership. Committee members select titles that exhibit commendable literary quality and significant, authentic LGBTQIA+ content and are recommended for adults over age 18. The Over the Rainbow Book List Committee (OTR) coordinates with other Rainbow Round Table committees to promote the improved quality and accessibility of LGBTQIA+ literature.

The Rainbow Round Table (RRT) – formerly known as the GLBTRT – of the American Library Association, is the oldest professional association for LGBTQIA+ people in the United States. It is committed to serving the information needs of the LGBTQIA+ professional library community and information and access needs of individuals at large. It is home to Rainbow Book Month, a nationwide celebration every June, and the Stonewall Book Award, the first award honoring LGBTQIA+ books. The Rainbow Round Table is committed to encouraging and supporting the free and necessary access to all information, as reflected by the missions of the American Library Association and democratic institutions.