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ERIC Number: EJ786476
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-May-1
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0363-0277
EISSN: N/A
A Place on the Shelf
Thomas, Devon
Library Journal, v132 n8 p40-43 May 2007
If we read to discover new worlds, we also read to find ourselves. For gays and lesbians, this act of discovery can be problematic: literature has so often excluded them. In the last decades, as gays and lesbians have grown increasingly vocal in the effort to secure their rightful place in society, a broad range of fiction has emerged that effectively captures their concerns. Whether gay or straight, readers interested in the gay/lesbian experience now have a wealth of books from which to choose. Collection development for gay and lesbian readers is complicated by several factors. First, the mainstreaming of gay- and lesbian-themed works ironically makes it harder to locate them easily. Second, for every reader seeking a complex literary novel, there is another who wants a sexy beach read and a third who wants a cozy mystery. While all libraries should carry some of the classics, including older titles like James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room" and new classics like Sarah Waters's "Tipping the Velvet," libraries with larger gay and lesbian service populations will want to offer more selection, including genre reads and experimental novels. This article suggests titles in general gay men's and lesbian fiction, recent titles, mystery, romance, and speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, and horror).
Reed Business Information. 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010. Tel: 646-746-6819; Fax: 646-746-6734; e-mail: ljinfo@reedbusiness.com; Web site: http://www.libraryjournal.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reference Materials - Bibliographies; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A