A Collective Liberation Bookshelf
In honor of Pride month and Juneteenth, Silent Book Club has created a Collective Liberation Bookshelf stacked with voices that resist, reimagine, and rise. The books in this collection celebrate queer joy, Black brilliance, resistance, and the kind of freedom that lives in both protest and poetry.
From the Stonewall riots to generations of voices that never stopped demanding more, these exceptional stories remind us: liberation is collective — and it’s for all of us. We've highlighted some favorites here, but you can see our full list of book recommendations on Bookshop.org.
Liberation tools: Exploring how we liberate ourselves internally and externally — through imagination, dialogue, strategy, and radical re-envisioning of systems.
The Body is not an Apology, by Sonya Renee Taylor - Self-love as a radical tool for justice.
Crucial Conversations, by Al Switzler, Emily Gregory, Joseph Grenny - How to speak up with care when it matters most.
How to be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi - A guide to choosing action over neutrality in the fight against racism.
Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler - A dystopian journey of survival, hope, and spiritual reimagining.
Identity power: Moving from coming out to showing up — highlighting the spectrum between being seen and actively organizing, through both personal and communal lenses.
The Book of Pride, by Mason Funk - LGBTQ+ pioneers share stories of resistance and visibility.
We Are Everywhere, by Leighton Brown and Matthew Riemer - A photo history of queer rebellion and joy.
Biting the hand, by Julia Lee - A memoir challenging race, academia, and gratitude politics.
Teaching Community, by bell hooks - Education as liberation through love and connection.
Past & future: These works span timelines and geographies, calling us to reckon with what was — and dream toward what could be.
How the Word is Passed, by Clint Smith - Reckoning w/ the legacy of slavery through historical landmarks.
Trans Futures Now, by Milo Stewart - Visions of liberation from young trans activists.
An Indigenous People's History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz - U.S. history through Indigenous resistance and survival.
Utopia for Realists, by Rutget Bregman - A case for radical ideas like Universal Basic Income and open borders.