Bisexuality: An Annotated Bibliography of Nonfiction Books
Compiled by Jane Sandberg
Updated by April Sheppard
Last updated April 11, 2025
This bibliography includes non-fiction published 2005 or later about bisexuality, bisexuals, sexual fluidity, pansexuality, and other non-monosexual identities
Contents
General nonfiction
Biography
Autobiography
Acknowledgements
Alexander, J. & Anderlini-D’Onofrio, S. (Eds.). (2012). Bisexuality and queer theory: intersections, connections and challenges. Routledge.
This volume – which won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction Finalist – was originally published as a 2009 special issue of the Journal of Bisexuality.
Alford-Harkey, M. & Haffner, D. W. (2014). Bisexuality: making the invisible visible in faith communities. Westport, CT: Religious Institute.
Publisher’s description: This multifaith compendium of stories and resources will help congregations they take the next step toward full inclusion of LGBT people.
Amherst, M. (2018). Go the way your blood beats: on truth, bisexuality and desire. Repeater Books.
Go the Way Your Blood Beats questions the division of sexuality into straight and gay, in a timely exploration of the complex histories and psychologies of human desire. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction and winner of the Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Stone Book Award.
Anderlini-D’Onofrio, S. (2009). Gaia and the new politics of love: notes for a poly planet. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Publisher’s description: Controversial Italian author Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio has authored the first global ecology study based on an analysis of human health. Anderlini-D’Onofrio identifies her remedy within the context of Gaia theory, re-envisioning it as a more inclusive philosophy that positively impacts not only relationships, but world ecology under duress. The author links human sexuality to the global ecosystem, claiming that freedom from fear will stimulate a holistic health movement powerful enough to heal relationships and restore planetary balance.
Anderson, E. & McCormack, M. (2016). The changing dynamics of bisexual men’s lives: social research perspectives. Springer.
Presenting research from sexology, sociology, and psychology, this book features extensive findings on the sexual, social, romantic, and emotional behaviors of the 90 men interviewed in the U.S. and U.K. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Block, J. (2009). Open: love, sex, and life in an open marriage. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.
Block describes her relationships with men and women, and contextualizes them within other authors’ ideas about non-monogamy. Open won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature.
Burleson, W. (2005). Bi America: myths, truths, and struggles of an invisible community. New York: Harrington Park Press.
Publisher’s description: Bi America: Myths, Truths, and Struggles of an Invisible Community offers an inside look at the American bisexual community and gives an understanding of the special circumstances unique to being bisexual. The book takes the reader to bi community events from picnics, to conferences, to support groups, to performances in order to expose the everyday trials of the bisexual community.
Deri, J. (2015). Love’s refraction: jealousy and compersion in queer women’s polyamorous relationships. University of Toronto Press.
Clear and concise, Love’s Refraction speaks to both the academic and the polyamorous community. Deri lets her interviewees speak for themselves, linking academic theory and personal experiences in a sophisticated, engaging, and accessible way. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Diamond, L. M. (2008). Sexual fluidity: understanding women’s love and desire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Is love “blind” when it comes to gender? For women, it just might be. This book offers a radical new understanding of the context-dependent nature of female sexuality. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature.
Eisner, S. (2013). Bi: notes for a bisexual revolution. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.
Eisner’s volume presents a feminist political discussion of what bisexuality means. She takes aim at transphobia, homonormativity, and mis- conceptions about bisexuality throughout the text. This book includes sidebars with definitions of vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to a lay audience and trigger warnings around potentially traumatic con- tent. Bi was a finalist both for the Bisexual Book Awards and the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Eriksen, T. (2017). Unconditional: a guide to loving and supporting your LGBTQ child. Mango Media.
A parenting guide book that provides parents of an LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning) child with a framework for helping their LGBT child navigate a world that isn’t always welcoming. Winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Firestein, B. A. (2007). Becoming visible: counseling bisexuals across the lifespan. New York: Columbia University Press.
Becoming Visible is a crucial step in the improved mental health and well-being of bisexuals, transgender individuals, and other sexual minorities. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature.
Flanders, C.E. (2019). Under the bisexual umbrella: diversity of identity and experience. Routledge.
Through these writings, the diversity underneath the bisexual umbrella is revealed. This book was originally published as a Special Issue of the Journal of Bisexuality. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Fox, R. C. (2006). Affirmative psychotherapy with bisexual women and bisexual men. New York: Harrington Park Press.
Learn the latest practical and bisexually affirmative approaches to helping bisexual clients. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature.
Fox, R. C. (2013). Current research on bisexuality. Routledge.
Publisher’s description: The authors provide research findings and case studies that add to our understanding of bisexual identity, bisexuality and relationships, bisexuality and ethnicity, and attitudes toward bisexual people.
Galupo, M. P. (2006). Bisexual women: friendship and social organization. Routledge.
Publisher’s description: Bisexual Women: Friendship and Social Organization comprehensively explores the friendship relationships of bi- sexual women, and the ways that bisexuality shapes the friendship experience.
Galupo, M. P. (Ed.). (2009). Bisexuality and same-sex marriage. New York: Routledge.
This volume was originally a special issue of the Journal of Bisexuality.
Gurba, M. (2023). Creep: accusations and confessions. Avid Reader Press.
A ruthless and razor-sharp essay collection that tackles the pervasive, creeping oppression and toxicity that has wormed its way into society—in our books, schools, and homes, as well as the systems that perpetuate them—from one of our fiercest, foremost explorers of intersectional Latinx identity. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Hall, E. (2016). I have devoted my life to the clitoris. Tarpaulin Sky Press.
Hall set out to find all that had been written about the clit past and present. As she soon discovered, the history of the clitoris is no ordinary tale; rather, its history is marked by the act of forgetting. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Hayfield, N. (2020). Bisexual and pansexual identities: exploring and challenging invisibility and invalidation. Routledge.
Hayfield draws on research from psychology and the social sciences to offer a detailed and in-depth exploration of the invisibility and invalidation of bisexuality, pansexuality, and asexuality. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Hernández, D. (2021). The kissing bug: a true story of a family, an insect, and a nation’s neglect of a deadly disease. Tin House Books.
A riveting and nuanced investigation into racial politics and for-profit healthcare in the United States, The Kissing Bug reveals the intimate history of a marginalized disease and connects us to the lives at the center of it all. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Jordan, M.D. (2023). Queer callings: untimely notes on names and desire. Fordham University Press.
Shaking up current conversations that focus on “identity language,” this essential new book seeks to restore queer languages of desire by inviting readers to consider how understandings of “sexual identity” have shifted―and continue to shift―over time. Finalist for the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction.
Ka’ahumanu, L. & Hutchins, L. (Eds.). (2015). Bi any other name: bisexual people speak out. Riverdale, NY: Riverdale Avenue Books.
The 25th anniversary edition of this classic anthology includes a new introduction and a history of bisexual political activism.
Kristal, N., Skee, M., & Szymanski, M. (2006). The bisexual’s guide to the universe: quips, tips, and lists for those who go both ways. Alyson New York.
A tongue-in-cheek collection of writings, quizzes, glossaries, and tips for bi women and men. Parts of this book are out of date (e.g. the recommendation of MySpace and other sites that are now rarely used). This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature.
Maliepaard, E. & Baumgartner, R., ed. (2020). Bisexuality in Europe: sexual citizenship, romantic relationships and bi+ identities. Routledge.
A collection of fifteen contributions from both early-career and more senior academics reflects the current state of research in Europe on bisexuality and people who desire more than one sex or gender. Winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Mehta, V. (2023). Bisexual men exist: a handbook for bisexual, pansexual, and m-spec men. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Navigating a range of topics, including coming out, dating, relationships and health, Vaneet shares his own lived experience as well as personal stories from others in the community to help validate and uplift other bisexual men. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
McAllum, M. (2017). Young bisexual women’s experiences in secondary schools. Routledge.
Incorporating women’s own spoken and written anecdotes, this book reveals hidden narratives and helps boost awareness about the social and learning needs of young bisexual women. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Monroe, S. (2015). Bisexuality: identities, politics, and theories. Palgrave Macmillan.
Publisher’s description: This book provides an accessible introduction to bisexuality studies, set within the context of contemporary social theory and research. Drawing on interviews conducted in the UK and Colombia, it maps out the territory, providing a means of understanding sexualities that are neither gay, nor lesbian, nor heterosexual. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Namaste, V. K. (2012). HIV prevention and bisexual realities. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Publisher’s description: Through interviews with a variety of bisexual men and women, HIV Prevention and Bisexual Realities uncovers innovative, important directions to consider for more effective HIV prevention strategies.
Ochs, R. & Rowley, S. E. (2009). Getting bi: voices of bisexuals around the world. Boston, MA: Bisexual Resource Center.
Publisher’s description: Getting Bi collects 220 essays from around the world that explore bisexual identity. Topics include coming out, relationships, politics, community, and more.
Ochs, R. & Williams, S.W. (2014). Recognize: the voices of bisexual men. Boston, MA: Bisexual Resource Center.
A collection of short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, reflective essays, critical essays and visual art produced by cisgender and transgender bisexual, pansexual, polysexual and fluid queer men from the United States, Canada, Chile, India, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Pallotta-Chiarolli, M. (2016). Women in relationships with bisexual men: bi men by women. Lexington Books.
Framed by a comprehensive review of international research, literature, and film, this book is an intimate journey into the experiences and insights of 79 Australian women in relationships with bisexual men. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Prager, S. (2017). Queer, there, and everywhere: 23 people who changed the world. HarperCollins.
World history has been made by countless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals—and you’ve likely never heard of many of them. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Ruberg, B. (2020). The queer games avant-garde: How LGBTQ game makers are reimagining the medium of video games. Duke University Press Books.
Ruberg presents twenty interviews with twenty-two queer video game developers whose radical, experimental, vibrant, and deeply queer work is driving a momentous shift in the medium of video games. Winner of the Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Stone Book Award.
Sexuality, religion, and the sacred: bisexual, pansexual, and polysexual perspectives. (2012). New York: Routledge.
A lively collection of interesting essays – also a special issue of the Journal of Bisexuality – examines bisexuality and biphobia in several religious contexts. Several authors question the biphobia enacted as part of “gay-friendly” Christian initiatives. Authors also discuss sacred indigenous practices that resisted the homo/hetro dichotomy. The anthology also includes feminist, Buddhist, and neo-pagan perspectives.
Shepherd, C.A. (2020). Bi the way: pastoring bisexual Christians in Europe. Easy Yoke Publishing.
Bisexual Christians across Europe are given a voice, producing rich data that should be of use to pastors and supporters of LGBT+ people. Finalist of the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Smithers, G. (2022). Reclaiming two-spirits: sexuality, spiritual renewal and sovereignty in Native America. Beacon Press.
A sweeping history of Indigenous traditions of gender, sexuality, and resistance that reveals how, despite centuries of colonialism, Two-Spirit people are reclaiming their place in Native nations. Finalist for the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction.
Pallotta-Chiarolli, M. (2015). Bisexuality in education: erasure, exclusion and the absence of intersectionality. Routledge.
Provides an international collection of empirical research, theory and critical analysis of existing educational resources relating to bisexuality in education. Each chapter addresses three significant issues in relation to bisexuality and schooling: erasure, exclusion, and the absence of intersectionality. Winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Pallotta-Chiarolli, M. (2010). Border sexualities, border families in schools. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Explores the experiences of bisexual students, mixed sexual orientation families, and polyamorous families in schools. This book won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Rapoport, E. (2019). From psychoanalytic bisexuality to bisexual psychoanalysis: desiring in the real. Routledge.
This is the first book to assess bisexuality through a range of psychoanalytic and critical perspectives, highlighting both the issues faced by bisexual people in contemporary society and the challenges that can be presented by bisexual clients within a clinical setting. Winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
San Filippo, M. (2022). Appropriate behavior. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
This book explores the film, Appropriate Behavior, as an instant classic of US indie filmmaking in the 2010s, as a radical reappropriation of straight and gay film genres, as an artist’s coming-of-age story, and as a model for feminist-queer creative collaboration. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
San Filippo, M. (2013). The B word: bisexuality in contemporary film and television. Indiana University Press.
Chapters discuss bisexuality – implicit and explicit – in art films, sexploitation flicks, mainstream bromances, and TV shows from the 1990s and 2000s. This book won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and was a Bisexual Book Awards Finalist.
Schulman, S. (2021). Let the record show: a political history of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Twenty years in the making, Sarah Schulman's Let the Record Show is the most comprehensive political history ever assembled of ACT UP and American AIDS activism. Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Stone Book Award honor book.
Serano, J. (2013). Excluded: making feminist and queer movements more inclusive. Seal Press.
Serano, well known for her book Whipping Girl and examinations of trans-misogyny, discusses how mainstream feminist and queer groups exclude bisexual and transfeminine voices from their discussions.
Suresha, R. J. (2010). Bisexual perspectives on the life and work of Alfred C. Kinsey. London: Routledge.
This volume is a special issue of the Journal of Bisexuality and finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Excellence in Bisexual Literature.
Suresha, R. J. & Chvany, P. (2013). Bi men: coming out every which way. New York: Routledge.
A moving and pioneering celebration of the male bisexual self that addresses biphobia in our society. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Excellence in Bisexual Literature.
Tweedy, A. (2016). The body’s alphabet. Headmistress Press.
Through poem, Tweedy poignantly explores human vulnerability and the need for belonging, using her own bisexuality, childhood loneliness, and discontinuity with nature as lenses. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and winner of the Bisexual Book Award.
Upland, T. (2016). Advice from a wild deuce: the best of Ask Tiggy. Jennifer L. Bonardi.
Quirky and extraordinary Tiggy Upland, the Wild Deuce, shares the best of her Ask Tiggy advice column for and about bisexuals. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Vicari, J. (2011). Male bisexuality in current cinema: images of growth, rebellion and survival. McFarland.
The author references over a dozen well-known and obscure films to examine how men’s bisexuality serves as a metaphor for liberation.
Walsh, C. & Andre, L. (Eds.). (2010). Dear John, I love Jane: women write about leaving men for women. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.
The book is comprised of essays written by a broad spectrum of women, including a number of well-known writers and personalities. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Abse, L. (2006). The bi-sexuality of Daniel Defoe: a psychoanalytic survey of the man and his works. London: Karnac Books.
Abse argues that Defoe’s novels, when read through a Freudian lens, give compelling evidence for Defoe’s bisexuality.
Bailey, B. (2009). Cheever: a life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Bailey relies on a rich body of sources, including journals, to provide a detailed and affable account of author John Cheever’s life. This biography was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Bingham, E. (2015). Irrepressible: the Jazz Age life of Henrietta Bingham. Farrar, Straus & Biroux.
The biography of a nearly forgotten member of one of Louisville, Kentucky’s most notable families. Deeply researched and beautifully written by her great niece, the book tells a story that is intriguing and heartbreaking. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature and finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Byrne, P. (2010). Mad world: Evelyn Waugh and the secrets of Brideshead. New York: Harper.
A terrifically engaging and original biography of one of England’s greatest novelists, Evelyn Waugh, and the glamorous, eccentric, debauched, and ultimately tragic family that provided him with the most significant friendships of his life and inspired his masterpiece, Brideshead Revisited. Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction Finalist.
Copley Eisenberg, E. (2020). The third rainbow girl: the long life of a double murder in Appalachia. Hachette Books.
In the early evening of June 25, 1980 in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, two middle-class outsiders were murdered in an isolated clearing. Copley Eisenberg follows the threads of this crime through the complex history of Appalachia, revealing how this mysterious murder has loomed over all those affected for generations, shaping their fears, fates, and desires. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Fahs, B. (2014). Valerie Solanas: the defiant life of the woman who wrote SCUM (and shot Andy Warhol). The Feminist Press.
The authoritative biography of the 60s countercultural icon who wrote SCUM Manifesto, shot Andy Warhol, and made an unforgettable mark on feminist history. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Harmon, C. (2018). On the road and off the record with Leonard Bernstein: my years with the exasperating genius. Imagine Publishing.
Celebrating Leonard Bernstein's centenary with an intimate and detailed look at the public and private life of the Maestro written by his former assistant. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Hawthorne, M. (2013). Finding the woman who didn’t exist: the curious life of Gis`ele d’Estoc. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
A scholar offers a first-person account of her search for primary sources about the flamboyant 19th century personality Gis`ele d’Estoc, who was once presumed to be a hoax. The author paints a vivid life filled with orgies, duels, and revenge while examining d’Estoc’s story in the context of contemporary gender roles. Finding the Woman Who Didn’t Exist also offers interesting thoughts on the meaning of the practice of biography.
Holcomb, G. E. (2007). Claude McKay, code name Sasha: queer Black Marx- ism and the Harlem Renaissance. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
The author explores McKay’s FBI files and other primary sources to explore McKay’s Marxist affiliations and their influence on his early work. The biography also explores the queer background and motivations of McKay’s work.
Levy, E. (2009). Vincente Minnelli: Hollywood’s dark dreamer. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
The first full-length biography of Vincente Minnelli, one of the most legendary and influential directors in the twentieth century, encompassing his life, his art, and his artistry. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Michaud, M. G. (2010). Sal Mineo: a biography. New York: Crown Archetype.
Revealing a charming, mischievous, creative, and often scandalous side of Mineo few have known before now, Sal Mineo is an intimate, moving biography of a distinctive Hollywood star. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Moore, H. (2008). The bishop’s daughter. New York: Norton.
The Bishop’s Daughter is his daughter’s story of that complex, visionary man: a chronicle of her turbulent relationship with a father who struggled privately with his sexuality while she openly explored hers and a searching account of the consequences of sexual secrets. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature.
Nadel, I. (2016). Virginia Woolf. Reaktion Books.
Drawing on Woolf’s letters, journals, diaries, autobiographical essays, and fiction, Ira Nadel paints a portrait of the writer in situ, whether in the enclosed surroundings of Hyde Park Gate or the open and free-spirited environs of Gordon Square’s Bloomsbury. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
North, A. (2015). The life and death of Sophie Stark. Penguin Random House.
A story of the power of art to transform lives and to destroy them, and of an artist’s drive to create something greater than herself, even if it means sacrificing everything—and everyone—she loves. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature.
O’Brien, E. (2009). Byron in love: a short daring life. New York: W.W. Norton.
A readable biography of Byron highlighting his many affairs with men and women. Though O’Brien’s writing is informed by careful study of Byron’s letters and biographies, her style is whimsical as she follows the poet’s passionate adventures across Europe.
Schenkar, J. (2009). The talented Miss Highsmith: the secret life and serious art of Patricia Highsmith. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Publisher’s description: Patricia Highsmith, one of the great writers of twentieth-century American fiction, had a life as darkly compelling as that of her favorite ”hero-criminal,” the talented Tom Ripley. Joan Schenkar maps out this richly bizarre life from her birth in Texas to Hitchcock’s filming of her first novel, Strangers on a Train, to her long, strange self-exile in Europe.
Schreiber, D. (2014). Susan Sontag: a biography. Northwester University Press.
Drawing on newly available sources, Schreiber explores the roles that Sontag played in influencing American public cultural and political conversations. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Shapland, J. (2021). My autobiography of Carson McCullers: a memoir. Tin House Books.
In smart, illuminating prose, Shapland interweaves her own story with McCullers’s to create a vital new portrait of one of our nation’s greatest literary treasures, and shows us how the writers we love and the stories we tell about ourselves make us who we are. Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Stone Book Award honor book.
Stahr, C. (2020). Frida in America: the creative awakening of a great artist. St. Martin’s Press.
The riveting story of how three years spent in the United States transformed Frida Kahlo into the artist we know today. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
White, E. (2008). Rimbaud: the double life of a rebel. New York: Atlas.
Poet and prodigy Arthur Rimbaud led a life that was startlingly short, but just as dramatically eventful and accomplished. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature.
White, E. (2014). The tastemaker: Carl Van Vechten and the birth of modern America. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
A revealing biography of the influential and controversial cultural titan who embodied an era. Finalist for two Bisexual Book Awards.
Anderlini-D’Onofrio, S. (2007). Eros: a journey of multiple loves. New York: Harrington Park Press.
Publisher’s description: Eros: A Journey of Multiple Loves is a poignant memoir that explores the evolution of erotic love through the international and transcultural journeys of an extraordinary woman.
Anderson-Minshall, D. & Anderson-Minshall, J. (2014). Queerly beloved: a love story across genders. Bold Strokes Books.
Imagine if, after fifteen years as a lesbian couple, your partner turned to you and said, "I think I'm really a man." What would you do? How would you respond? For Diane and Jacob (née Suzy) Anderson-Minshall this isn't a hypothetical question. It's what really happened. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Azzoni, E. (2011). A year straight: confessions of a boy-crazy lesbian beauty queen. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.
After dating women for her entire adult life, the author developed a crush on her yoga teacher. Azzoni writes about her one-night stands and her discoveries about dating men.
Baumgardner, J. (2008). Look both ways: bisexual politics. Macmillan.
This memoir of bisexuality and feminism offers the author’s theories about women’s bisexuality. Baumgardner writes about her sexual and romantic encounters with men and women as well as the sexual climate of the 1990s. Look both ways was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature.
Bird, J. (2019). Sorted: growing up, coming out, and finding my place (a transgender memoir). Tiller Press.
An unflinching and endearing memoir from LGBTQ+ advocate Jackson Bird about how he finally sorted things out and came out as a transgender man. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Blow, C.M. (2014). Fire shut up in my bones. Houghton Mifflin.
A gorgeous, moving memoir of how one of America's most innovative and respected journalists found his voice by coming to terms with a painful past. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and two Bisexual Book Awards.
Boudreau, E. (2023). Crying wolf: a memoir. Book*hug Press.
A gripping memoir that shares the raw path to recovery after violence and spotlights the ways survivors are too often demonized or ignored when they belong to marginalized communities. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction
Brady McDonald, J. (2022). Carrying it forward: essays from Kistahpinanihk. Wolsak & Wynn Publishers.
A member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and a descendent of Metis leader Jim Brady, John Brady has worked to move carefully between these two nations – to learn their stories, honuor their traditions and reclaim their languages, all of which were nearly lost to him. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Bright, S. (2011). Big sex, little death. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.
An explosive yet intimate memoir that's pure Susie: bold, free-spirited, unpredictable, larger than life, yet utterly true to life. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Burke, C. (2012). My awesome place: the autobiography of Cheryl B. New York: Topside Signature.
A rare authentic glimpse into the electrifying arts scene of New York City's East Village during the vibrant 1990s, My Awesome Place is the chronicle of a movement through the eyes of one young woman working to cultivate her voice while making peace with her difficult and often abusive family. Winner of the Bisexual Book Award in Bisexual Non-Fiction and the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature.
Castillo, A. (2016). Black Dove: Mamá, Mi’jo, and Me. The Feminist Press.
A lyrical memoir-in-essays by an award-winning Chicana writer Ana Castillo. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Clammer, C. (2015). BodyHome. Hopewell Publications.
With both lyricism and wit, Clammer uses her body to explore a complicated history of assault, addictions, mental illnesses and sexuality. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Cook, C. (2021). The way she feels: my life on the borderline in pictures and pieces. Tin House Books.
A witty and one-of-a-kind debut graphic memoir detailing and drawing the life of a girl with borderline personality disorder finding her way―and herself―one day at a time. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Cumming, A. (2014). Not My Father’s son: A memoir. Dey Street Books.
In his unique and engaging voice, the acclaimed actor of stage and screen shares the emotional story of his complicated relationship with his father and the deeply buried family secrets that shaped his life and career. Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction Finalist and Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Davis, C. (2013). The soundtrack of my life. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Music legend Clive Davis recounts an extraordinary five-decade career in the music business, while also telling a remarkable personal story of triumphs, disappointments, and encounters with some of the greatest musical artists of our time. Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction Finalist.
Evan, K. (2015). Call it wonder: an odyssey of love, sex, spirit, and travel. Coyote Creek Books.
Kate Evans' brave and honest memoir explores how transformation is our nature. Winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Freeman, V. (2019). A world without Martha: a memoir of sisters, disability, and difference. UBC Press.
Victoria Freeman was only four when her parents followed medical advice and sent her sister away to a distant, overcrowded institution. In this frank and moving memoir, Freeman describes growing up-in a world that excluded and dehumanized her sister until changing attitudes to disability and difference offered both sisters new possibilities for healing and self-discovery. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Gay, R. (2017). Hunger: a memoir of (my) body. HarperCollins.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist: a searingly honest memoir of food, weight, self-image, and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Guillermo, K. (2023). Nimrods: a fake-punk self-hurt anti-memoir. Duke University Press.
Guillermo’s shameless mixtures of autotheory, queer punk poetry, musical ekphrasis, haibun, academic (mis)quotations, and bad dad jokes present a bold new take on the autobiography: the fake-punk self-hurt anti-memoir. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Hajratwala, M. (2009). Leaving India: my family’s journey from five villages to five continents. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
An inspiring personal saga that explores the collisions of choice and history that led one unforgettable family to become immigrants. This book won the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Hardy, J. W. (2012). Girlfag: a life told in sex and musicals. Eugene, OR: Beyond Binary Books.
Girlfag: A Life Told in Sex and Musicals is a memoir, and much more. It visits girlfags past and present (from Pharaoh Hatshepsut through Mary Renault), it meanders through the shifting meanings of gender and orientation, and it spends a whole lot of time at the theater (Janet is not just a girlfag, she's also a showtune queen). Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature and the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Hardy, J.W. (2019). IMPERVIOUS: confessions of a semi-retired deviant. SinCyr Publishing.
Hardy takes the reader from the spark of her own awakening and all the way up until today - the five twisty stages of her own kinky life mirroring those of any good scene: negotiation, warmup, engagement, climax, and aftercare. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Hauser, C.J. (2022). The crane wife: a memoir in essays. Knopf Doubleday Publishing.
The Crane Wife is a book for everyone whose path doesn't look the way they thought it would; for everyone learning to find joy in the not-knowing and to build a new sort of life story, a new sort of family, a new sort of home to live in. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Hernández, D. (2014). A cup of water under my bed: a memoir. Beacon Press.
In this lyrical, coming-of-age memoir, Daisy Hernández chronicles what the women in her Cuban-Colombian family taught her about love, money, and race. Winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Irby, S. (2020). Wow, no thank you: essays. Vintage.
The essays in this collection draw on the raw, hilarious particulars of Irby's life. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Jarrar, R. (2021). Love is an ex-country: a memoir. Catapult.
Jarrar delivers a euphoric and critical, funny and profound memoir that will speak to anyone who has felt erased, asserting: I am here. I am joyful. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Jolie, R.A. (2020). Rust belt femme. Belt Publishing.
Jolie digs into both the pain of past traumas and the joy of teenaged discovery to craft a love letter to the brassy, big-haired women who raised her and the 90s alternative, riot grrrl culture that shaped her into who she is today: a queer femme with PTSD and a deep love of the Midwest. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Jones, A. (2013). The blind masseuse: a traveler’s memoir from Costa Rica to Cambodia. Madison, WI: Terrace Books.
Jones describes her travels across the world, particularly to Costa Rica. Her beautiful travel writing intertwines with reflections on other aspects of her life, including relationships with women and men. Blind Masseuse won the Bisexual Book Award in the Memoir/Biography category.
Jones, A. (2020). The wanting was a wilderness: Cheryl Strayed’s WILK and the art of memoir. Fiction Advocate.
Alden Jones began a deep dive into Cheryl Strayed's Wild. The result is a profoundly original work that merges literary criticism, craft discussion, and memoir―a celebration of Wild, of memoir, and of the power of a book to change one's life. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Krantz, R. (2022). Open: an uncensored memoir of love, liberation, and non-monogamy. Harmony.
Krantz documents her dive into polyamory, from Brooklyn sex parties to swinging and beyond, in her extraordinary debut memoir. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Lawson, S. (2020). This is major: notes on Diana Ross, dark girls, and being dope. Harper Perennial.
From a fierce and humorous new voice comes a relevant, insightful, and riveting collection of personal essays on the richness and resilience of black girl culture. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Lucido Johnson, S. (2018). Many love: a memoir of polyamory and finding love(s). Touchstone – Simon & Schuster.
In this bold, graphic memoir, Lucido Johnson explores her sexuality, her values, and the versions of love our society accepts and practices. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and winner of two Bisexual Book Awards.
Machado, C.M. (2019). In the dream house: a memoir. Graywolf Press.
A revolutionary memoir about domestic abuse by the award-winning author of Her Body and Other Parties. Winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir and Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Stone Book Award honor book.
Meneghetti, M. (2017). What the mouth wants: a memoir of food, love and belonging. Dagger editions.
This mouthwatering, intimate, and sensual memoir traces Monica Meneghetti’s unique life journey through her relationship with food, family and love. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Moll, A. (2018). Out of step: a memoir. Ohio State University Press Mad Creek Books.
Moll tells the story of a working-class bisexual boy running off to join the army in the midst of two wars and the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and winner of The Journal Non/Fiction Prize.
Moon, A. (2014). Bad dyke: salacious stories from a queer life. Lunatic Ink.
This collection of 18 memoirs celebrates the humor and tenderness of falling in and out of love and in and out of bed. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Nicolson, J. (2016). A house full of daughters: a memoir of seven generations. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
A family memoir that traces the myths, legends, and secrets of seven generations of remarkable women. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Pennington, M. (2017). A girl walks into a book: what the Brontës taught me about life, love, and women’s work. Seal Press.
A candid and emotional love affair that braids criticism, biography and literature into a quest that helps us understand the place of literature in our lives; how it affects and inspires us. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Peralta, M. & James, P. (2013). Barriers to love: embracing a bisexual identity. Los Angeles: Barriers Press.
Publisher’s description: In Barriers to Love, psychotherapist Marina Peralta uses her own life story to address the question of bisexual identity. Set in Mexico and California, Marina reveals how early sexual abuse led to sexual confusion in her adolescence. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Non-fiction.
Roth, M. (2012). The scientists: a family romance. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
The Scientists is a story of how we first learn from our parents and how we then learn to see them as separate individuals; it’s a story of how precociousness can slow us down when it comes to knowing about our desires and other people’s.
Sabatini Sloan, A. (2021). Borealis. Coffee House Press.
Art about glaciers, queer relationships, political anxiety, and the meaning of Blackness in open space. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Sajé, N. (2020). Terroir: love, out of place. Trinity University Press.
This memoir-in-essays combines poetic lyricism with incisive commentary on nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and class. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Scheier, L. (2022). Never simple. Holt.
Never Simple is the story of enduring the legacy of a hard-to-love parent with compassion, humor, and, ultimately, self-preservation. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Seeger, P. (2017). First time ever: a memoir. Faber & Faber.
The musician Peggy Seeger has lived a life full of art and passion, family and separation, tragedy, celebration and the unexpected – and irresistible – force of love. Winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Singh, J. (2018). No archive will restore you. Punctum Books.
At once memoir, theory, poetic prose, and fragment, No Archive Will Restore You is a feverish meditation on the body. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Sirisena, H. (2021). Dark tourist: essay. Mad Creek Books.
Deftly blending reportage, cultural criticism, and memoir, Sirisena pieces together facets of her own sometimes-fractured self to find wider resonances with the human universals of love, sex, family, and art―and with language’s ability to both fail and save us. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Smith, P. (2010). Just kids. New York: Ecco.
Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists’ ascent, a prelude to fame. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Stein, A. B. (2009). Map: a memoir. Lulu.com.
As a late-blooming, sexually-confused college senior, Audrey Beth Stein was looking for love, but she never expected it to arrive via email. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Reynolds, S. A. (2009). Surviving Steven. Ven Rey.
“I came home one night to my parents furious with the decisions that I had been making. Within the next twenty-four hours I found myself stranded in the middle of the western desert of Utah with only the essentials of survival and a journal.” This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Tripp Weaver, J. (2017). Truth be told: Serenading life & dead in the age of AIDS. Finishing Line Press.
These poems come from the author's experience working at the largest AIDS service agency in the Northwest and her status as a Long-Term Survivor. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and winner of the Bisexual Book Award.
Turner, L. (2021). Out of the woods. Nature, sexuality, and faith in the forest. Greystone Books.
In this highly original work of nature writing and memoir, a young man explores his shifting sexual identity and troubled family history against the backdrop of a sprawling urban forest in London. Finalist for the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Winston, J. (2021). Greedy: notes from a bisexual who wants too much. Atria Books.
With her clever voice and clear-eyed insight, Jen draws on personal experiences with sexism and biphobia to shed light on the reasons women, queer people, and other marginalized groups tend to make ourselves smaller, provoking the question: What would happen if we suddenly stopped? Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir.
Wizenberg, M. (2020). The fixed stars: a memoir. Abrams Press.
A taut, electrifying memoir exploring timely and timeless questions about desire, identity, and the limits and possibilities of family. Winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Biography and Memoir and Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Stone Book Award honor book.
Zane, Z. (2023). Boyslut: a memoir and manifesto. Harry N. Abrams.
A sex and relationship columnist bares it all in a series of essays—part memoir, part manifesto—that explore the author’s coming-of-age and coming out as a bisexual man and move toward embracing and celebrating sex unencumbered by shame. Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction and the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Dev Singer, who created an early draft of this bibliography.
