Over the years our community has found inspiration and insight in a variety of places. Many notable novels have made a considerable impact on all women and the lesbian community specifically. We wanted to take a moment to list some of the more influential books for lesbians and showcase how they’ve impacted our society and our understanding of sexuality.

Fried Green Tomatoes (at the Whistle Stop Cafe)

You’ve probably watched the movie, but have you taken the time to read Fried Green Tomatoes? If you have read the book you’ll notice a big difference as the Hollywood film focuses much more on friendship rather than a romantic relationship. It’s a classic written by Frannie Flagg and we suggest taking the time to check it out for yourself.

The Color Purple

When hear the title, The Colour Purple you typically think of racism rather than sexuality. In the film there is very limited screen time devoted lesbianism but in the book it is very clear that Celie (the protagonist) loves women. The novel covers quite a bit and spends considerable time showing her attraction to women. We recommend you read this extraordinary story from Alice Walker.

Rubyfruit Jungle

This is a true coming-of-age tale by author Rita Mae Brown. The book follows her true-to-life experiences and is incredibly insightful and entraining. As you can imagine the title, Rubyfruit Jungle is a fun reference to female anatomy. The book does a decent job portraying lesbian issues and is a great “field guide” to being a lesbian and being happy.

The Well of Loneliness

As you can imagine from the title, The Well of Loneliness is not one of those happy, pick-me-up titles. It is a sad tale set in the Victorian era.  It goes without saying that this was not an easy time to explore ones own sexuality. The story features a protagonist that pushes her love way because she simply thinks she can’t make her happy. This one might not be an easy read but we do suggest this novel by Radclyffe Hall.

The Price of Salt

Rounding out our list of influential books is this romantic story from Patricia Highsmith. She’s also written The Talented Mr Ripley but at the time she actually wrote this book under the pen name, Claire Morgan. The Price of Salt was first published in 1952 and followed two women who found love in each other.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of inspirational and impact-full book titles. If there is a particular novel that has made a significant impact on your life please let us know.