Every year, Oct. 11 marks National Coming Out Day, an awareness day to raise the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community and encourage people to share an important part of their identity with friends, family, work or school.

The first National Coming Out Day was celebrated in 1988 on the one-year anniversary of the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. With a mission to strengthen the community and spread awareness through stories, the day serves as a reminder of the difficulties of coming out for LGBTQ+ folks, which is not always easy or safe.

Books provide a safe, comforting space to read about these shared experiences and explore when to make this personal choice. These recommended reads available in the Libby app feature characters discovering who they are—whether as a teen or later in life—and their stories prove there’s no right way to come out.

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

Tiến loves his family and his friends, but he has a secret he’s been keeping from them, and it might change everything.

An amazing YA graphic novel that deals with the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together.

All Kinds of Other by James Sie
🎧 Audiobook

In this tender, nuanced coming-of-age love story, two boys—one who is cis, and one who is trans—have been guarding their hearts, until their feelings for each other give them a reason to stand up to their fears.

Flamer by Mike Curato

It’s the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone’s going through changes—but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies and spends time with Elias (a boy he can’t stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.

Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love.

Fashionably Late by Vinnie Kinsella

What happens when adult men come out? What triumphs and struggles do they experience? The stories in this collection explore the impact of exposing long-held secrets.

Filled with tales about divorce, conversion therapy, misadventures in dating, overcoming bigotry, and gender exploration, Fashionably Late paints a vivid picture of gay, bisexual, and transgender men experiencing their second coming of age.

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
🎧 Audiobook

When Ben comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister and her husband. Ben’s attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. What started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

This groundbreaking, bestselling graphic memoir charts the author’s fraught relationship with her late father. It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve.

Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out and Finding My Place by Jackson Bird
🎧 Audiobook

An unflinching and endearing memoir from LGBTQ+ advocate Jackson Bird about how he finally sorted things out and came out as a transgender man.

With warmth and wit, Jackson also recounts how he navigated the many obstacles and quirks of his transition.

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H
🎧 Audiobook

This searingly intimate memoir in essays spans Lamya’s childhood to her arrival in the United States for college through early-adult life in New York City. She ultimately finds that the answer to her lifelong quest for community and belonging lies in owning her identity as a queer, devout Muslim immigrant.

Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)?, by Zach Zimmerman
🎧 Audiobook

To see the world through comedian, writer, and The New Yorker contributor Zach Zimmerman’s eyes is to be reminded of the many ways in which love, religion, family, and money lay bare our most elemental and embarrassing humanness.

From meditations on heartbreak to not-so-helpful how-tos, this laugh-and-cry-out-loud essay collection documents one person’s navigation through queerness and all the minute, beautiful discoveries in between.

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
🎧 Audiobook

Nishat doesn’t want to lose her family, but she also doesn’t want to hide who she is, and it only gets harder once a childhood friend, Flávia, walks back into her life.

When a school competition entangles their lives once again, Nishat has a decision to make: stay in the closet for her family, or put aside her differences with Flávia and give their relationship a chance.

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

A sharply funny and moving debut novel about a queer Mexican American girl navigating Catholic school while falling in love and learning to celebrate her true self.

Told in a captivating voice that is by turns hilarious, vulnerable, and honest, this book explores the joys and heartaches of living your full truth out loud.

*Title availability may vary by region.

RELATED READ: 12 LGBTQIA+ books to read for Pride (and all year long)