#_author:MJ Franklin

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11 podcasts to listen to if you want to laugh your ass off

Life is hard. The news is stressful. And sometimes you just need a break from *gestures broadly at everything happening in the world right now.* .

Fortunately for anyone looking for a bit of escapism of the madness of everyday life, we have two words for you: comedy podcasts.

While there are heavy-hitter comedy shows like The Nerdist, Comedy Bang Bang, and WTF With Marc Maron, there are also a plethora of other podcasts that will help you digest what's happening in the world, expose the absurdity what's happening in the news and pop culture, and ultimately leave you in fits of laughter.

SEE ALSO: Here are 5 unrealistic things that happen in every romantic comedy

Some of these shows cover current events and some of them will give you (extremely dubious) advice, but no matter what, these 11 podcasts that will make you laugh your ass off.

1. My Dad Wrote A Porno

My Dad Wrote A Porno has a purely descriptive title: host Jaime Morton discovered that his dad had a secret hobby of writing erotica. So Morton did what any person would do: read it out loud and broadcast it to the world.

In addition to reading from his dad's book, Morton is joined by two friends — James Cooper and Alice Levine — who deconstruct what happens in each chapter, switching between hysterically laughing at some of the more absurd sections of the book to deadpan analysis of our protagonist Belinda Blumenthal and her adventures.

Tl;dr, it's very awkward and very NSFW podcast about what happens when you discover the sexual fantasy of your parents. How can you not laugh at that?!

(Author's note: This podcast literally had me cackling in the street while listening. Sorry to the Brooklynites that I scared with my sudden outbursts.)

Episode to start with: "The Job Interview"

2. Keep It

Crooked Media may have launched with a slew of politics shows, most notably Pod Save America, but if you're not listening to the network's pop culture show Keep It, you're truly missing out.

Hosted by journalist Ira Madison III, who is often joined by Kara Brown and Louis Virtel, the show is a weekly discussion podcast that breaks down what's happening in the entertainment world.

The title comes from Madison's Twitter catchphrase "keep it," which is the two-word clap back Madison uses to shut down the trash news that comes through his Twitter feed. But what makes the show especially good is the extreme amount of chemistry between the panelists as they provide pop culture analysis that's simultaneously thoughtful, brutal, and hilarious.

Episode to start with: They Cancel Roseannes, Don't They?

3. Baby-Sitters Club Club

Aaaaahhh remember the Baby-Sitters Club, that classic '80s and '90s children's book series about a group of babysitters who are just trying to earn a buck while also dealing with the challenges of growing up. Well, have you read those books again recently, as an adult?

Hosts Jack Sheppard and Tanner Greenring have, and wow, those books are nothing like you remember. 

Each week in The Baby-Sitters Club Club, Shepherd and Greenring read one of Ann M. Martin's classic novels, and deconstruct it. But what makes the show so hilarious are the many theories that Shepherd and Greenring generate about what's actually going on in the town of Stoneybrook. Is the Baby-Sitters Club marxist? And are the characters secretly in a parallel universe that's actually a beehive? Who knows, but after listening to this podcast, you won't be able to read The Baby-Sitters Club the same way again.

Episode to start with: Kristy's Great Idea

4. Judge John Hodgman

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball, and you just need a little bit of advice. And that's where Judge John Hodgman comes in.

In the podcast, comedian John Hodgman (who you may know as PC from those early aughts Mac vs. PC commercials) arbitrates the petty grievances that crop of in our day to day lives.

Whether he's deciding if a wife should be freed of her lifelong agreement to let her husband order the toppings of the pizzas they order or whether it's okay to meditate at work, Hodgman delivers very serious rulings to very absurd debates that'll leave you in stitches.

Episode to start with: Pizza Parley

5. Lovett or Leave It

Sometimes the best way to deal with news is to laugh at it, and for anyone who wants to poke fun at current events, there's Lovett or Leave It. Each week, host Jon Lovett is joined by comedians, journalists, and more to "deal with whatever bullshit came flying over the transom in our broken, insane political nightmare factory."

Episodes are recorded live in front of an audience and include a mixture of discussions, pop quizzes, and games, which means you'll be just as informed as you are entertained.

Episode to start with: Rudy Giuliani, Esquire

6. The Read

You know those conversations with your best friend that get crazy because you hold absolutely nothing back. That's exactly what The Read is.

The show is a pop culture podcast hosted by friends Kid Fury and Crissle. Each episode is composed of a few segments: "black excellence" (where the hosts shout out good news that's happening to the black community), "hot topics" (which is a discussion of what's happening in the pop culture), "listener letters" (where Kid Fury and Crissle give advice to people who write in), and the titular segment "the read" (where the hosts each rant about something that's weighing on their hearts).

But what makes the podcast so funny is that Kid Fury and Crissle will drag literally anything and everything. Passionate and irreverent, listening to The Read feels like hanging out with your friends.

 Episode to start with: Beychella

7. How Did This Get Made

Have you ever watched a movie that's so bad that you asked yourself "how the hell is this even real?!" If so, you're not alone because that is the exact subject of How Did This Get Made.

Each week, actors Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas watch movies that are so bad they're amazing and talk about it. And you know that feeling you get when you watch an objectively bad movie and just spend the entire time making fun of it with your friends. That's exactly what this podcast is, for 189 episodes and counting.

Episode to start with: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

8. All Fantasy Everything

You've heard of fantasy football. Maybe even fantasy The Bachelor and fantasy RuPaul's Drag Race. But have you heard about a fantasy breakfast food draft? Or a fantasy "Mike" draft (you know, who's the best person named Mike). 

Enter All Fantasy Everything. As the name implies, the show makes a fantasy drafts out of, well, everything. Then, host Ian Karmel along with a rotating cast of guests debate each topic until a champion is crowned.

Episodes are ridiculous, unexpected, and sure to make you laugh.

Episode to start with: Fictional Detectives

9. 2 Dope Queens

If you've ever wanted to see a comedy show but don't have the time to go in person, we have three words for you: 2 Dope Queens.

The show is part standup set, part discussion podcast hosted by comedians Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams. In each episode the duo talk about everything from online dating to the tiny house trend, which means conversations are always fun and varied. Additionally, episodes are recorded live, giving each discussion a performative flair that'll make you feel like you're carrying around a comedy club in your pocket as you listen. 

Episode to start with: Sitting Too Close to Queen Latifah

10. Dear Hank and John

If you're a human on the internet, you probably know John Green and Hank Green, the brother duo that helped shape the YouTube world with their vlog series The Vlog Brothers. And then by launching VidCon. And then with John's hit novels The Fault In Our Stars, Turtles All The Way Down, Looking For Alaska, and more.

But did you know that the duo also has a podcast too? And it's freaking hilarious.

Dear Hank and John is an advice podcast where Hank and John attempt to answer your most absurd questions, like "what are the rules of doctor-patient small talk" and "what do I do with 23 plastic molds of my teeth." In addition those bigger advice segments, the show is chock-full of jokes hiding everywhere from their intro where they announce "the elephant in the room" to phrase of the week where each brother is challenged to sneak a phrase recommended by a listener into their conversation without the other brother noticing, which means whether you're a new listener or an old fan, you'll still find something fresh and new in each episode.

Episode to start with: Eleven Peas

11. Thirst Aid Kit

Listen, we all thirst. It's human. It's natural. And it's the topic of writer Bim Adewunmi and Nicole Perkins' show Thirst Aid Kit. 

Thirst Aid Kit is a weekly about your love, sex, and your favorite celebrity boo thangs. The podcast is unapologetically filthy, as the hosts talk about your crushes, read fan-fiction, and in general, share the thirst that we all know and feel.

Episode to start with: We Learned to Spell Jake Gyllenhaal

WATCH: Here are some things you didn't know about "Super Troopers"

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Ariana Grande posted a video of her side-eyeing as a baby, and it's our new forever mood

Apparently Ariana Grande has been serving lewks since the moment she was born.

On Monday, Grande — House Slytherin, carrier of the light and Dangerous Woman, first of her name, long may she reign — took a break from posting upside down tweets to celebrate her birthday with a nostalgic gift for her fans: a home video from 1996 of baby Ariana Grande celebrating her bday.

pic.twitter.com/DZHoPEHiCA

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) June 25, 2018

In the video, someone behind the camera coaches Grande to close her eyes as she waits for a surprise from her brother Frankie. Like most children excited for a gift on her birthday, Grande has trouble staying patient, stealing peeks while she waits.

And that's when she drops it: a soul-piercing side eye to end all side eyes.

Y'ALL! Side-Eying Chloe is SHOOK!

pic.twitter.com/M7ZWJNgZDS

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) June 25, 2018

Grande's side eye truly applies to everything.

"We're updating our privacy poli—"

Image: ariana grande/twitter

"Donald Trump tweeted on Monday mo—"

Image: ariana grande/twitter

"Hey, u up?"

Image: ariana grande/twitter

In all fairness, the side eye comes as Grande is looking for the camera after closing her eyes. An instant later she smiles, so it appears that Grande isn't actually visually roasting someone.

But still, the people have spoken and...

mood

— vic (@biebsrumor) June 25, 2018

Mood

— Bradley Braafhart (@bradje) June 25, 2018

Grande's side eye is officially...

mood

— juan (@arianaindie) June 25, 2018

okay but mooood

— mona (@arianashijabi) June 25, 2018

A MOOD™

everyday mood

— ems (@buteracloudy) June 25, 2018

A MOOD

— emy 💡 (@godssawoman) June 25, 2018

Listen. It's her birthday, maybe she won't cry if she wants to (after all, she has no more tears left) but if she wants to side eye us to hell and back, so be it.

Happy Birthday, Ariana.

WATCH: The internet is very confused by Ariana Grande's album cover

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'Florida' is a haunting look at the 'pestilence and dread' hiding in the sunshine state

Lauren Groff knows what you think of when you think of Florida: Disney, Miami, Florida Man.

But in her new book Florida, the writer describes a different tenor to the sunshine state.

"My Florida is different. My Florida is full of pestilence and dread," Groff told MashReads.

SEE ALSO: 7 essays that every David Sedaris fan should read

Florida is a collection of short stories set in, well, Florida, as a a series of narrators navigate their lives and the landscape in the southern state.

"This book is about Florida. But it’s not just the state, it’s about the state of dread and premonition, and the desire to push outside the realm of domesticity, and how to raise little boys and make them into good people, and it’s about snakes, and it’s basically everything that you can come up with."

To that end, the stories that make up the collection find their protagonists in a series of disparate situations. In one story, two girls are abandoned on an island and must survive without any adults. In another, a woman decides to stay in her home while a hurricane hits. And still another tracks a woman on her nightly walks because she is too angry to stay at home with her husband and kids.

But though each tale is different than the other, connecting all of these stories is a palpable sense of anger, discontentment, isolation and more.

"I don't want to write books that aren't engaged politically, and I also don't want to write books that aren't engaged with the things that are really, really weighing on me, and my anger is one of those things that are weighing," says Groff.

That's not to say that the book is to disparage the state. Just the opposite.

"I hope that Floridians will come to this book with joy because a lot of time in popular culture, we see Florida as a stereotype. And I would hope that the people that I love find complication in the book. But, the book is a work of utter love and of joy, as well as darkness, too."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we talk to Groff about Florida. Join us in the episode below as we talk about we talk about writing, what we miss when we talk about the sunshine state, and more.

Interview highlights

(Edited lightly for length and clarity)

What inspired Florida?

The state of Florida is the massive inspiration behind the book. I moved there twelve years ago and it’s a place that I never wanted to live. I think it's because I come from the north and we have a lot of bias and a lot of scorn for Florida. And some of it is absolutely earned  — it’s the state of Disney. It’s the state that’s dangling off the side of America like an apendage, it’s a very ugly state in some ways. We have the meme Florida Man.

Because of that reputation, as I was reading, I realized that you have this deceptively hard challenge of conveying the ethos of Florida in your book because everyone has this idea of Florida already in their head. How do you tackle that?

I tackle it by trying to disregard that reputation. There is not a lot of Disney in this book. There is no Miami in this book, which is the other thing that people think of when they think of Florida. And I love Miami, I love it deeply. It’s what I thought I was getting into when I, at last, reluctantly, decided that it would be okay to live in Florida, but [my experience] has not at all been like that. My Florida is different. My Florida is full of pestilence and dread. I go for a run out in the prairie all the time and I see alligators and snakes. I ran over a coral snake the other day, which, had it sunk its fangs into my ankle, I would have died immediately.

You’ve mentioned pestilence and dread several times. Can you say a little bit more about that?

So Florida for me, the name of it, sort of is indicative of a larger emotional issue. I have children, and we are living in the most ecologically vulnerable state — Florida, within 20 years, is not going to be the Florida we know now in any way. And it breaks my heart on a daily basis to imagine what's going to happen to it if we don't check climate change, and it looks like we're not because we're reacting to it in geological time, as slowly as we possible can, and it's going to be bad. So I walk around with this feeling of both terror for the future and overwhelming love of the present and knowledge of the past. So it's almost as if Florida, for me, symbolizes a much larger emotional state of where a lot of people are right now, were we're just trying to cling to what we have at the moment and not think too much about the future because it's too terrifying. 

That's such a big thing to have to contend with: the loss of the landscape, and the desolation of a state. How do you take that idea and distill that into a story collection, and specifically these stories which are are so deeply human?

I learned a long time ago, that if you're going to write politically, you cannot write polemically because polemical fiction is terrible. I had to find a way to write politically without writing politically, to sort of sidle up to the problems that are really weighing on my heart and all I could come up with is really investing myself in these characters who are also deeply invested in these ideas. The stories come out of the characters, I hope, and they come out of the landscape, and the way the characters interact with the landscape. And the rest of the political stuff upwells from that.

So you would consider this a political book?

I think this book is deeply political. I spent a very long time writing another novel that I finished and I looked at, I thought it was kinda cool, I liked it. But it was a different direction. I finished it right after the 2016 elections and I reread it and I thought, "Oh my god. This thing is ingrown." That novel wasn't something that I wanted to put into the world anymore because the world has changed. It felt solipsistic in a way. So I threw out that novel. And in building Florida out of stories that I previously published and writing a couple of new ones, I wanted to think about writing a very political book... I don't think I can write a book that's only about books anymore.

Switching gears, one thing that I really loved of yours that I read recently is your New York Times "By The Book" interview, which I felt was such a quiet rebellion. One of the things in that interview is that you only mention women writers. Can you walk us through that interview?

Bless the New York Times Book Review because I have been a really vocal critic of a lot of their "By The Book" interviews. Not the "By The Book" itself, which I actually love, I think it's a brilliant thing that they're doing, showing us the inside of the minds of the people who are interesting in the book world. But week after week, for a long time, almost since the inception of it, these men would come in, and either they would mention two female writers, both of whom are dead, in their list of influences, or they'd mention none. Usually the younger writers and the more aware writers would make it equal. But it was so frustrating, and I kept calling out the New York Times on Twitter. And it's to their credit that they even let me do a "By The Book," even as a vocal critic.

But I wanted to show, particularly to people who would start to read it and not know what I was doing, how weird it is to see a list of only women. And I think that actually happened to a lot of people—they thought, "why does this feel strange," and they it slowly dawned on them "oh my god, she's only listing female writers."

And it doesn't seem strange when men do it and only list male writers.

And my point is, when people in authority mention writers, they confer upon those writers a leg up into the canon, and the same people get mentioned over and over again and become canon. If we're not reading outside the bounds of what we're told to read, if we're not reading outside the bounds of white male supremacy as it has been for the last millennia, then we're doing a profound disservice to the writers of the present and of the past who have been overlooked.

So my entire goal — it was a very political statement what I was doing with this — was to make it clear that this is not going to stand anymore and I wanted to bring in as many women of color, and women in translation, and women from other countries, because we are really insulated in America. We only read a certain quantity of the same people over and over again, and it's to our detriment.

Image: Riverhead BOoks

Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations.

Lauren recommends Rachel Cusk's book Kudos. "I just finished Kudos by Rachel Cusk on the train, and I am still cogitating over it because it ends with this incredible... wait, maybe I shouldn't say what it ends with, I don't want to do a spoiler! Someday if you see me and you've read this book, let's talk about the ending because I don't know what to think about."

MJ recommends Motherhood by Sheila Heti. "It's astounding. Sheila Heti is such a phenomenal writer."

And you can read Lauren Groff's "By The Book" interview here.

And as always, if you're looking for more book news, be sure to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter if you want to keep up with even more book news this year. 

WATCH: Big readers will love this multicolored mood lamp

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'An American Marriage' is a beautiful love story that's as heartbreaking as it is complex

Much has been said about love in literature. True love's first kiss will cure all. The greatest gift we have is love. Love is the most powerful magic. 

But Tayari Jones knows the truth: "How you feel love and understand love are two different things." Or so she writes in her 2017 novel, An American Marriage.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Most Adventurous Proposals

An American Marriage follows the love story of Celestial and Roy, a recently married couple living in the South. The two seem to have their whole lives ahead of them — Roy is an entrepreneur and Celestial is an artist who is getting more and more attention for the beautiful dolls she designs. But when Roy is falsely accused of rape and convicted to 12 years in prison, the life they thought they'd built for themselves is shattered. While Roy is in prison fighting for his freedom, Celeste has another battle to face as she tries to figure out how to support Roy, all the while living her life and pursuing her dreams.

When Roy is released 7 years early, after serving only 5 years in prison, their world is once again thrown into chaos. Roy wants to pick up where he left off with Celeste. But Celeste has been put in an impossible spot: Is it possible to pick up a love you once had when your life has moved on, and does she even want to?

“A marriage is more than your heart, it's your life," Tayari writes. 

Raw, painful, and filled with wisdom, An American Marriage is a beautiful love story that is as heartbreaking as it is complex.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we are joined by Whitney Hu, director of public programs at the National Book Foundation, to chat about An American Marriage. Listen in the episode above as we talk about unforgettable portraits of love, the effects of incarceration on families, and what sets An American Marriage apart from other stories about love triangles.

Image: Algonquin Books

Then, inspired by An American Marriage, we talk about our favorite books about love, including Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera, and more.

And as always, we close the show with recommendations:

Martha recommends the song "Bubblin" by Anderson .Paak, which she nominates for song of the summer. "It's just such a vibe. I don't know how to explain it. You just have to listen to it, it'll make you feel happy."

Whitney recommends five songs that she thinks would be on Celestial's music playlist in An American Marriage: "Love Me Right" by Amber Mark, "Holy" by Jamila Woods, "Distance" by Emily King, "Focus" by H.E.R., and "Tender Love" by Meshell Ndegeocello. "I think all of those songs, when you listen to them, have this women empowerment/ also 'love is really complicated and I have feelings for you, why do you have to treat me so wrong' vibe."

MJ recommends two Twitter videos that'll make you laugh. The first is an interview where Mariah Carey apparently learns that people have to pay bills, and is completely baffled by the fact. The second is a video of the very polite rage expressed by a woman named Kim when a customer Ginger won't say whether or not she wants to buy a cheesecake.

And as always, if you're looking for more book news, be sure to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter if you want to keep up with even more book news this year.

WATCH: Here's one way to propose to the love of your life—in VR

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18 very gay and very good books you should read this Pride Month

Pride Month is officially here and that can only mean one thing: time to load up your reading list with stellar queer stories.

Of course, you should be mixing gay books into your to-be-read pile no matter what time of year, but this month, as you celebrate Pride, queer books can be the perfect way to explore the breadth and diversity of the LGBTQ community.

SEE ALSO: 9 meaningful ways to become part of Pride this year

Fortunately for anybody looking for a great gay read, the book world is filled with a bevy of queer stories of all genres.

Whether you're looking for a meditative poetry collection about queer identity and mental health, a deep dive into the New York City's ballroom culture in the '80s and '90s, a comic about a group scouts who find themselves plagued by supernatural creatures at camp, or a coming-of-age story about a shapeshifter who is navigating life and dating, there is a queer book out there for you.

Here are 18 very gay and very good books you should read this Pride Month.

Image: Rescue Press

Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl

Andrea Lawlor

You've never read a coming-of-age story like this. Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl details the adventures of Paul Polydoris, a student in Iowa City who studies queer theory. Oh, and did we mention that Paul is a shapeshifter who can change from Paul to Polly at will. On the surface, it's an absurd sci-fi premise, but Lawlor uses it to deftly explore gender, identity, and the way we form relationships with other people as well as with ourselves. 

Image: Harper Collins

The House of Impossible Beauties

Joseph Cassara

Joseph Cassara's The House of Impossible Beauties takes a deep dive into New York City's ballroom culture in the '80s and '90s by following a group of characters, each who enter the scene for a different reason. But what stands out about the book isn't just the novel's vivid portrait of the past, but also Cassara's breathtaking and unforgettable characters who are all trying to find their way.

Image: Lee Boudreaux Book

Less

Andrew Greer

Andrew Greer's 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Less starts off with a character in crisis: our protagonist Arthur is a struggling novelist, feeling existential as he approaches his 50th birthday, and, to make matters worse, he's just received an invitation to his ex-boyfriend's wedding. Instead of despairing, Arthur says "NOPE" and instead embarks on a haphazard literary world tour. But what sells the book is Greer's resounding heart and humor, making this tale of romantic misadventures as funny as it is earnest.

Image: Harper Collins

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

Jaye Robin Brown

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit follows Joanna "Jo" Gordon, an out teen who is suddenly pushed back into the closet when her evangelical father remarries, moves their family from Atlanta to Rome, Georgia, and asks Jo to hide her queer identity for her senior year. The only problem is Mary Carlson, the sister of Jo's new friend in Rome, who Jo is falling for. The result is a heartfelt novel about coming out and discovering young love. Also, shout out to the infinitely charming title of this book!

Image: Picador

Call Me By Your Name

André Aciman

You've probably seen Call Me By Your Name, the movie, but if you haven't read the book that it's based on, you're missing out. The novel tracks the love story of Oliver and Elio, but where the movie offers a third person look at both characters as they navigate their burgeoning romance, the novel places you solely in Elio's mind as his feelings develop from from mild crush to complete obsession. The details of the book are incredibly specific — it's a brief romance over one summer in Italy — and yet, and it's a testament to Aciman's beautiful prose that the love that Call Me By Your Name explores feels universal and extremely relatable.

Image: Mariner Books

Under the Udala Trees

Chinelo Okparanta

Under the Udala Trees is a book about star-crossed love. The novel follows the life of Ijeoma, a young girl who, at the start of the book, is sent away from her family in order to stay safe during the Nigerian civil war. While away, Ijeoma meets Amina, another girl also separated from her family. The two begin a brief relationship... only to find out that their love is forbidden. What follows is a beautiful novel about love and hardship as Ijeoma is sent home, forced into an unhappy marriage with a man, all the while grappling with her attraction to women.

Image: Penguin Books

madness

sam sax

Don't forget to add a bit of poetry to your reading list this Pride Month! If you're looking for a collection to start with, check out sam sax's collection madness. The poems in this collection cover everything from sexuality to mental health to culture and heritage, but what shines through and connects each of these threads is sax's incredibly thoughtful and evocative prose.

Image: Harper Collins

Release

Patrick Ness

If there is a hidden gem of queer lit, it's Release by Patrick Ness. The book is basically the gay YA version of Mrs. Dalloway (it even starts with "Adam would have to get the flowers himself," invoking Virginia Woolf's iconic opening line). In it we follow Adam Thorn, a 17-year-old student who finds himself having one of the most challenging days of his life. His boss at work is sexually harassing him, the ex he thought he was over suddenly makes a reappearance, and a big blowout is building between himself and his preacher father. (There's also a subplot about a ghost that's haunting the town.) But despite the impossible hurdles Adam faces, Release somehow feels nostalgic and charming as Patrick Ness outlines one teen's struggle to define himself.

Image: Square Fish

Last Seen Leaving

Caleb Roehrig

If the Babadook has taught us anything, it's that Pride is not complete without a little noir. To that end, if you are looking for a darker read this month, make sure you check out Caleb Roehrig's Last Seen Leaving. The book is a coming out story masked as a mystery thriller about Flynn, the primary suspect in an investigation when his girlfriend January disappears. Flynn's answers about his life with January don't quite add up... but maybe that has less to do about January and more about the secret that Flynn is keeping.

Image: Topside Press

Nevada

Imogen Binnie

Nevada follows Maria, a young trans woman living in New York City, trying to navigate the punk scene while also working in retail. When Maria's girlfriend breaks up with her by revealing that she's been cheating, Maria's world is turned upside down. On a quest to escape it all, Melanie embarks on a cross country road trip where she meets James, a stoner living in Nevada who is just as lost as Maria. As the book jumps between both James and Maria's perspectives, Nevada offers a thoughtful look at identity and the trans experience.

Image: BOOM! Box

Lumberjanes

Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen

If you're looking for some comics to check out this Pride month, be sure to check out Lumberjanes. The series documents the adventures of a group of scouts — Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley— as they spend a summer together. The only thing is, their camp is plagued by supernatural creatures including yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons. In addition to featuring stunning art, the book is also incredibly inclusive as the story delves into each diverse character, making Lumberjanes the perfect Pride Month read. 

Image: Mariner Books

Fun Home

Alison Bechdel

Fun Home is a graphic memoir about coming out and finding love, centered around two people. The book documents Alison Bechdel (who also came up with the Bechdel test), her experience exploring her attraction to women, and the way that her father resisted her identity. But, after Alison's father is hit by a car and killed, she reflects on his past and realizes that he may have had his own struggles with his sexual identity.

Image: Mariner Books

How To Write An Autobiographical Novel

Alexander Chee

To read Alexander Chee's essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel is to stand in a hall of mirrors, watching as a single person, and all of the identites that compose them, is reflected from all angles. The essay collection is a deep dive into Chee's past as he documents his expereinces as a gay rights and HIV/AIDS activist, a rose gardener, a writer, and more. But at the core, the book explores how we use writing to shape who we are and how who we are shapes our writing.

Image: Harper Collins

They Both Die At The End

Adam Silvera

As the title probably suggests, They Both Die At The End is not what we could a "happy" book. The novel follows a day in the life of two boys, Mateo and Rufus, who get early morning calls from Death-Cast telling them that today is the day that they're going to die. Though initially strangers, Mateo and Rufus are soon brought together through the Last Friend app, a social network that connects people on their last day alive. But as Mateo and Rufus embark on a quest to check items off their bucket list while they still have time, their friendship grows into something more, ultimately exploring what happens when we fall in love with someone we know we only will have a very limited time with.

Image: St. Martin's Press

You Know Me Well

David Levithan and Nina LaCour

Sometimes all you need is a good friend. And that's where You Know Me Well comes in. The book is about Mark and Kate, two students who have remained total strangers even though they've sat next to each other in class for an entire year. When the they run into each other unexpectedly at a bar in San Francisco, each dealing with a small crisis (Kate has just run away from love while Mark is dealing with the fact that the boy he loves is interested in someone else), they become fast friends. Documenting Mark and Kate's adventures with love, relationships, and growing up, You Know Me Well reveals how our friends can become our greatest lifeline.

Image: graywolf press

The Argonauts

Maggie Nelson

The Argonauts defies categorization in the best way. The book is a poetic memoir about Maggie Nelson's relationship with Harry, a gender-fluid artist with whom Nelson falls in love and begins a family. But in addition to the incredible story, The Argonauts radiates with stunning observations about being queer and in love, making the memoir feel less like a book and more like the perfect rendering of a person's heart on a page.

Image: graywolf

Don't Call Us Dead

Danez Smith

Fair warning up front: Don't Call Us Dead is a devastating poetry collection. But this book is as beautiful as it is painfully raw. Throughout the collection, Smith writes about race, queer identity, and AIDS, with an electrifying amount of passion and care, making this book a must-read for Pride Month.

Image: Harper Collins

Leah on the Offbeat

Becky Albertalli

You may know Becky Albertalli for her novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda (which was turned into a fantastic movie Love, Simon). But now Albertalli is back with a new book: Leah on the Offbeat. Where Sapiens outlines Simon's adventures in coming out, Leah on the Offbeat reveals that Leah is struggling with her identity too: she's bisexual and working to muster the courage to come out to her friends. But as Leah navigates her senior year of high school, she realizes that she may love one her friends more than anyone else might expect.

WATCH: The history of Pride

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

18 very gay and very good books you should read this Pride Month

Pride Month is officially here and that can only mean one thing: time to load up your reading list with stellar queer stories.

Of course, you should be mixing gay books into your to-be-read pile no matter what time of year, but this month, as you celebrate Pride, queer books can be the perfect way to explore the breadth and diversity of the LGBTQ community.

SEE ALSO: 9 meaningful ways to become part of Pride this year

Fortunately for anybody looking for a great gay read, the book world is filled with a bevy of queer stories of all genres.

Whether you're looking for a meditative poetry collection about queer identity and mental health, a deep dive into the New York City's ballroom culture in the '80s and '90s, a comic about a group scouts who find themselves plagued by supernatural creatures at camp, or a coming-of-age story about a shapeshifter who is navigating life and dating, there is a queer book out there for you.

Here are 18 very gay and very good books you should read this Pride Month.

Image: Rescue Press

Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl

Andrea Lawlor

You've never read a coming-of-age story like this. Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl details the adventures of Paul Polydoris, a student in Iowa City who studies queer theory. Oh, and did we mention that Paul is a shapeshifter who can change from Paul to Polly at will. On the surface, it's an absurd sci-fi premise, but Lawlor uses it to deftly explore gender, identity, and the way we form relationships with other people as well as with ourselves. 

Image: Harper Collins

The House of Impossible Beauties

Joseph Cassara

Joseph Cassara's The House of Impossible Beauties takes a deep dive into New York City's ballroom culture in the '80s and '90s by following a group of characters, each who enter the scene for a different reason. But what stands out about the book isn't just the novel's vivid portrait of the past, but also Cassara's breathtaking and unforgettable characters who are all trying to find their way.

Image: Lee Boudreaux Book

Less

Andrew Greer

Andrew Greer's 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Less starts off with a character in crisis: our protagonist Arthur is a struggling novelist, feeling existential as he approaches his 50th birthday, and, to make matters worse, he's just received an invitation to his ex-boyfriend's wedding. Instead of despairing, Arthur says "NOPE" and instead embarks on a haphazard literary world tour. But what sells the book is Greer's resounding heart and humor, making this tale of romantic misadventures as funny as it is earnest.

Image: Harper Collins

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

Jaye Robin Brown

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit follows Joanna "Jo" Gordon, an out teen who is suddenly pushed back into the closet when her evangelical father remarries, moves their family from Atlanta to Rome, Georgia, and asks Jo to hide her queer identity for her senior year. The only problem is Mary Carlson, the sister of Jo's new friend in Rome, who Jo is falling for. The result is a heartfelt novel about coming out and discovering young love. Also, shout out to the infinitely charming title of this book!

Image: Picador

Call Me By Your Name

André Aciman

You've probably seen Call Me By Your Name, the movie, but if you haven't read the book that it's based on, you're missing out. The novel tracks the love story of Oliver and Elio, but where the movie offers a third person look at both characters as they navigate their burgeoning romance, the novel places you solely in Elio's mind as his feelings develop from from mild crush to complete obsession. The details of the book are incredibly specific — it's a brief romance over one summer in Italy — and yet, and it's a testament to Aciman's beautiful prose that the love that Call Me By Your Name explores feels universal and extremely relatable.

Image: Mariner Books

Under the Udala Trees

Chinelo Okparanta

Under the Udala Trees is a book about star-crossed love. The novel follows the life of Ijeoma, a young girl who, at the start of the book, is sent away from her family in order to stay safe during the Nigerian civil war. While away, Ijeoma meets Amina, another girl also separated from her family. The two begin a brief relationship... only to find out that their love is forbidden. What follows is a beautiful novel about love and hardship as Ijeoma is sent home, forced into an unhappy marriage with a man, all the while grappling with her attraction to women.

Image: Penguin Books

madness

sam sax

Don't forget to add a bit of poetry to your reading list this Pride Month! If you're looking for a collection to start with, check out sam sax's collection madness. The poems in this collection cover everything from sexuality to mental health to culture and heritage, but what shines through and connects each of these threads is sax's incredibly thoughtful and evocative prose.

Image: Harper Collins

Release

Patrick Ness

If there is a hidden gem of queer lit, it's Release by Patrick Ness. The book is basically the gay YA version of Mrs. Dalloway (it even starts with "Adam would have to get the flowers himself," invoking Virginia Woolf's iconic opening line). In it we follow Adam Thorn, a 17-year-old student who finds himself having one of the most challenging days of his life. His boss at work is sexually harassing him, the ex he thought he was over suddenly makes a reappearance, and a big blowout is building between himself and his preacher father. (There's also a subplot about a ghost that's haunting the town.) But despite the impossible hurdles Adam faces, Release somehow feels nostalgic and charming as Patrick Ness outlines one teen's struggle to define himself.

Image: Square Fish

Last Seen Leaving

Caleb Roehrig

If the Babadook has taught us anything, it's that Pride is not complete without a little noir. To that end, if you are looking for a darker read this month, make sure you check out Caleb Roehrig's Last Seen Leaving. The book is a coming out story masked as a mystery thriller about Flynn, the primary suspect in an investigation when his girlfriend January disappears. Flynn's answers about his life with January don't quite add up... but maybe that has less to do about January and more about the secret that Flynn is keeping.

Image: Topside Press

Nevada

Imogen Binnie

Nevada follows Maria, a young trans woman living in New York City, trying to navigate the punk scene while also working in retail. When Maria's girlfriend breaks up with her by revealing that she's been cheating, Maria's world is turned upside down. On a quest to escape it all, Melanie embarks on a cross country road trip where she meets James, a stoner living in Nevada who is just as lost as Maria. As the book jumps between both James and Maria's perspectives, Nevada offers a thoughtful look at identity and the trans experience.

Image: BOOM! Box

Lumberjanes

Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen

If you're looking for some comics to check out this Pride month, be sure to check out Lumberjanes. The series documents the adventures of a group of scouts — Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley— as they spend a summer together. The only thing is, their camp is plagued by supernatural creatures including yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons. In addition to featuring stunning art, the book is also incredibly inclusive as the story delves into each diverse character, making Lumberjanes the perfect Pride Month read. 

Image: Mariner Books

Fun Home

Alison Bechdel

Fun Home is a graphic memoir about coming out and finding love, centered around two people. The book documents Alison Bechdel (who also came up with the Bechdel test), her experience exploring her attraction to women, and the way that her father resisted her identity. But, after Alison's father is hit by a car and killed, she reflects on his past and realizes that he may have had his own struggles with his sexual identity.

Image: Mariner Books

How To Write An Autobiographical Novel

Alexander Chee

To read Alexander Chee's essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel is to stand in a hall of mirrors, watching as a single person, and all of the identites that compose them, is reflected from all angles. The essay collection is a deep dive into Chee's past as he documents his expereinces as a gay rights and HIV/AIDS activist, a rose gardener, a writer, and more. But at the core, the book explores how we use writing to shape who we are and how who we are shapes our writing.

Image: Harper Collins

They Both Die At The End

Adam Silvera

As the title probably suggests, They Both Die At The End is not what we could a "happy" book. The novel follows a day in the life of two boys, Mateo and Rufus, who get early morning calls from Death-Cast telling them that today is the day that they're going to die. Though initially strangers, Mateo and Rufus are soon brought together through the Last Friend app, a social network that connects people on their last day alive. But as Mateo and Rufus embark on a quest to check items off their bucket list while they still have time, their friendship grows into something more, ultimately exploring what happens when we fall in love with someone we know we only will have a very limited time with.

Image: St. Martin's Press

You Know Me Well

David Levithan and Nina LaCour

Sometimes all you need is a good friend. And that's where You Know Me Well comes in. The book is about Mark and Kate, two students who have remained total strangers even though they've sat next to each other in class for an entire year. When the they run into each other unexpectedly at a bar in San Francisco, each dealing with a small crisis (Kate has just run away from love while Mark is dealing with the fact that the boy he loves is interested in someone else), they become fast friends. Documenting Mark and Kate's adventures with love, relationships, and growing up, You Know Me Well reveals how our friends can become our greatest lifeline.

Image: graywolf press

The Argonauts

Maggie Nelson

The Argonauts defies categorization in the best way. The book is a poetic memoir about Maggie Nelson's relationship with Harry, a gender-fluid artist with whom Nelson falls in love and begins a family. But in addition to the incredible story, The Argonauts radiates with stunning observations about being queer and in love, making the memoir feel less like a book and more like the perfect rendering of a person's heart on a page.

Image: graywolf

Don't Call Us Dead

Danez Smith

Fair warning up front: Don't Call Us Dead is a devastating poetry collection. But this book is as beautiful as it is painfully raw. Throughout the collection, Smith writes about race, queer identity, and AIDS, with an electrifying amount of passion and care, making this book a must-read for Pride Month.

Image: Harper Collins

Leah on the Offbeat

Becky Albertalli

You may know Becky Albertalli for her novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda (which was turned into a fantastic movie Love, Simon). But now Albertalli is back with a new book: Leah on the Offbeat. Where Sapiens outlines Simon's adventures in coming out, Leah on the Offbeat reveals that Leah is struggling with her identity too: she's bisexual and working to muster the courage to come out to her friends. But as Leah navigates her senior year of high school, she realizes that she may love one her friends more than anyone else might expect.

WATCH: The history of Pride

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

18 very gay and very good books you should read this Pride Month

Pride Month is officially here and that can only mean one thing: time to load up your reading list with stellar queer stories.

Of course, you should be mixing gay books into your to-be-read pile no matter what time of year, but this month, as you celebrate Pride, queer books can be the perfect way to explore the breadth and diversity of the LGBTQ community.

SEE ALSO: 9 meaningful ways to become part of Pride this year

Fortunately for anybody looking for a great gay read, the book world is filled with a bevy of queer stories of all genres.

Whether you're looking for a meditative poetry collection about queer identity and mental health, a deep dive into the New York City's ballroom culture in the '80s and '90s, a comic about a group scouts who find themselves plagued by supernatural creatures at camp, or a coming-of-age story about a shapeshifter who is navigating life and dating, there is a queer book out there for you.

Here are 18 very gay and very good books you should read this Pride Month.

Image: Rescue Press

Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl

Andrea Lawlor

You've never read a coming-of-age story like this. Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl details the adventures of Paul Polydoris, a student in Iowa City who studies queer theory. Oh, and did we mention that Paul is a shapeshifter who can change from Paul to Polly at will. On the surface, it's an absurd sci-fi premise, but Lawlor uses it to deftly explore gender, identity, and the way we form relationships with other people as well as with ourselves. 

Image: Harper Collins

The House of Impossible Beauties

Joseph Cassara

Joseph Cassara's The House of Impossible Beauties takes a deep dive into New York City's ballroom culture in the '80s and '90s by following a group of characters, each who enter the scene for a different reason. But what stands out about the book isn't just the novel's vivid portrait of the past, but also Cassara's breathtaking and unforgettable characters who are all trying to find their way.

Image: Lee Boudreaux Book

Less

Andrew Greer

Andrew Greer's 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Less starts off with a character in crisis: our protagonist Arthur is a struggling novelist, feeling existential as he approaches his 50th birthday, and, to make matters worse, he's just received an invitation to his ex-boyfriend's wedding. Instead of despairing, Arthur says "NOPE" and instead embarks on a haphazard literary world tour. But what sells the book is Greer's resounding heart and humor, making this tale of romantic misadventures as funny as it is earnest.

Image: Harper Collins

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

Jaye Robin Brown

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit follows Joanna "Jo" Gordon, an out teen who is suddenly pushed back into the closet when her evangelical father remarries, moves their family from Atlanta to Rome, Georgia, and asks Jo to hide her queer identity for her senior year. The only problem is Mary Carlson, the sister of Jo's new friend in Rome, who Jo is falling for. The result is a heartfelt novel about coming out and discovering young love. Also, shout out to the infinitely charming title of this book!

Image: Picador

Call Me By Your Name

André Aciman

You've probably seen Call Me By Your Name, the movie, but if you haven't read the book that it's based on, you're missing out. The novel tracks the love story of Oliver and Elio, but where the movie offers a third person look at both characters as they navigate their burgeoning romance, the novel places you solely in Elio's mind as his feelings develop from from mild crush to complete obsession. The details of the book are incredibly specific — it's a brief romance over one summer in Italy — and yet, and it's a testament to Aciman's beautiful prose that the love that Call Me By Your Name explores feels universal and extremely relatable.

Image: Mariner Books

Under the Udala Trees

Chinelo Okparanta

Under the Udala Trees is a book about star-crossed love. The novel follows the life of Ijeoma, a young girl who, at the start of the book, is sent away from her family in order to stay safe during the Nigerian civil war. While away, Ijeoma meets Amina, another girl also separated from her family. The two begin a brief relationship... only to find out that their love is forbidden. What follows is a beautiful novel about love and hardship as Ijeoma is sent home, forced into an unhappy marriage with a man, all the while grappling with her attraction to women.

Image: Penguin Books

madness

sam sax

Don't forget to add a bit of poetry to your reading list this Pride Month! If you're looking for a collection to start with, check out sam sax's collection madness. The poems in this collection cover everything from sexuality to mental health to culture and heritage, but what shines through and connects each of these threads is sax's incredibly thoughtful and evocative prose.

Image: Harper Collins

Release

Patrick Ness

If there is a hidden gem of queer lit, it's Release by Patrick Ness. The book is basically the gay YA version of Mrs. Dalloway (it even starts with "Adam would have to get the flowers himself," invoking Virginia Woolf's iconic opening line). In it we follow Adam Thorn, a 17-year-old student who finds himself having one of the most challenging days of his life. His boss at work is sexually harassing him, the ex he thought he was over suddenly makes a reappearance, and a big blowout is building between himself and his preacher father. (There's also a subplot about a ghost that's haunting the town.) But despite the impossible hurdles Adam faces, Release somehow feels nostalgic and charming as Patrick Ness outlines one teen's struggle to define himself.

Image: Square Fish

Last Seen Leaving

Caleb Roehrig

If the Babadook has taught us anything, it's that Pride is not complete without a little noir. To that end, if you are looking for a darker read this month, make sure you check out Caleb Roehrig's Last Seen Leaving. The book is a coming out story masked as a mystery thriller about Flynn, the primary suspect in an investigation when his girlfriend January disappears. Flynn's answers about his life with January don't quite add up... but maybe that has less to do about January and more about the secret that Flynn is keeping.

Image: Topside Press

Nevada

Imogen Binnie

Nevada follows Maria, a young trans woman living in New York City, trying to navigate the punk scene while also working in retail. When Maria's girlfriend breaks up with her by revealing that she's been cheating, Maria's world is turned upside down. On a quest to escape it all, Melanie embarks on a cross country road trip where she meets James, a stoner living in Nevada who is just as lost as Maria. As the book jumps between both James and Maria's perspectives, Nevada offers a thoughtful look at identity and the trans experience.

Image: BOOM! Box

Lumberjanes

Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen

If you're looking for some comics to check out this Pride month, be sure to check out Lumberjanes. The series documents the adventures of a group of scouts — Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley— as they spend a summer together. The only thing is, their camp is plagued by supernatural creatures including yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons. In addition to featuring stunning art, the book is also incredibly inclusive as the story delves into each diverse character, making Lumberjanes the perfect Pride Month read. 

Image: Mariner Books

Fun Home

Alison Bechdel

Fun Home is a graphic memoir about coming out and finding love, centered around two people. The book documents Alison Bechdel (who also came up with the Bechdel test), her experience exploring her attraction to women, and the way that her father resisted her identity. But, after Alison's father is hit by a car and killed, she reflects on his past and realizes that he may have had his own struggles with his sexual identity.

Image: Mariner Books

How To Write An Autobiographical Novel

Alexander Chee

To read Alexander Chee's essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel is to stand in a hall of mirrors, watching as a single person, and all of the identites that compose them, is reflected from all angles. The essay collection is a deep dive into Chee's past as he documents his expereinces as a gay rights and HIV/AIDS activist, a rose gardener, a writer, and more. But at the core, the book explores how we use writing to shape who we are and how who we are shapes our writing.

Image: Harper Collins

They Both Die At The End

Adam Silvera

As the title probably suggests, They Both Die At The End is not what we could a "happy" book. The novel follows a day in the life of two boys, Mateo and Rufus, who get early morning calls from Death-Cast telling them that today is the day that they're going to die. Though initially strangers, Mateo and Rufus are soon brought together through the Last Friend app, a social network that connects people on their last day alive. But as Mateo and Rufus embark on a quest to check items off their bucket list while they still have time, their friendship grows into something more, ultimately exploring what happens when we fall in love with someone we know we only will have a very limited time with.

Image: St. Martin's Press

You Know Me Well

David Levithan and Nina LaCour

Sometimes all you need is a good friend. And that's where You Know Me Well comes in. The book is about Mark and Kate, two students who have remained total strangers even though they've sat next to each other in class for an entire year. When the they run into each other unexpectedly at a bar in San Francisco, each dealing with a small crisis (Kate has just run away from love while Mark is dealing with the fact that the boy he loves is interested in someone else), they become fast friends. Documenting Mark and Kate's adventures with love, relationships, and growing up, You Know Me Well reveals how our friends can become our greatest lifeline.

Image: graywolf press

The Argonauts

Maggie Nelson

The Argonauts defies categorization in the best way. The book is a poetic memoir about Maggie Nelson's relationship with Harry, a gender-fluid artist with whom Nelson falls in love and begins a family. But in addition to the incredible story, The Argonauts radiates with stunning observations about being queer and in love, making the memoir feel less like a book and more like the perfect rendering of a person's heart on a page.

Image: graywolf

Don't Call Us Dead

Danez Smith

Fair warning up front: Don't Call Us Dead is a devastating poetry collection. But this book is as beautiful as it is painfully raw. Throughout the collection, Smith writes about race, queer identity, and AIDS, with an electrifying amount of passion and care, making this book a must-read for Pride Month.

Image: Harper Collins

Leah on the Offbeat

Becky Albertalli

You may know Becky Albertalli for her novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda (which was turned into a fantastic movie Love, Simon). But now Albertalli is back with a new book: Leah on the Offbeat. Where Sapiens outlines Simon's adventures in coming out, Leah on the Offbeat reveals that Leah is struggling with her identity too: she's bisexual and working to muster the courage to come out to her friends. But as Leah navigates her senior year of high school, she realizes that she may love one her friends more than anyone else might expect.

WATCH: The history of Pride

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

18 very gay and very good books you should read this Pride Month

Pride Month is officially here and that can only mean one thing: time to load up your reading list with stellar queer stories.

Of course, you should be mixing gay books into your to-be-read pile no matter what time of year, but this month, as you celebrate Pride, queer books can be the perfect way to explore the breadth and diversity of the LGBTQ community.

SEE ALSO: 9 meaningful ways to become part of Pride this year

Fortunately for anybody looking for a great gay read, the book world is filled with a bevy of queer stories of all genres.

Whether you're looking for a meditative poetry collection about queer identity and mental health, a deep dive into the New York City's ballroom culture in the '80s and '90s, a comic about a group scouts who find themselves plagued by supernatural creatures at camp, or a coming-of-age story about a shapeshifter who is navigating life and dating, there is a queer book out there for you.

Here are 18 very gay and very good books you should read this Pride Month.

Image: Rescue Press

Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl

Andrea Lawlor

You've never read a coming-of-age story like this. Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl details the adventures of Paul Polydoris, a student in Iowa City who studies queer theory. Oh, and did we mention that Paul is a shapeshifter who can change from Paul to Polly at will. On the surface, it's an absurd sci-fi premise, but Lawlor uses it to deftly explore gender, identity, and the way we form relationships with other people as well as with ourselves. 

Image: Harper Collins

The House of Impossible Beauties

Joseph Cassara

Joseph Cassara's The House of Impossible Beauties takes a deep dive into New York City's ballroom culture in the '80s and '90s by following a group of characters, each who enter the scene for a different reason. But what stands out about the book isn't just the novel's vivid portrait of the past, but also Cassara's breathtaking and unforgettable characters who are all trying to find their way.

Image: Lee Boudreaux Book

Less

Andrew Greer

Andrew Greer's 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Less starts off with a character in crisis: our protagonist Arthur is a struggling novelist, feeling existential as he approaches his 50th birthday, and, to make matters worse, he's just received an invitation to his ex-boyfriend's wedding. Instead of despairing, Arthur says "NOPE" and instead embarks on a haphazard literary world tour. But what sells the book is Greer's resounding heart and humor, making this tale of romantic misadventures as funny as it is earnest.

Image: Harper Collins

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

Jaye Robin Brown

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit follows Joanna "Jo" Gordon, an out teen who is suddenly pushed back into the closet when her evangelical father remarries, moves their family from Atlanta to Rome, Georgia, and asks Jo to hide her queer identity for her senior year. The only problem is Mary Carlson, the sister of Jo's new friend in Rome, who Jo is falling for. The result is a heartfelt novel about coming out and discovering young love. Also, shout out to the infinitely charming title of this book!

Image: Picador

Call Me By Your Name

André Aciman

You've probably seen Call Me By Your Name, the movie, but if you haven't read the book that it's based on, you're missing out. The novel tracks the love story of Oliver and Elio, but where the movie offers a third person look at both characters as they navigate their burgeoning romance, the novel places you solely in Elio's mind as his feelings develop from from mild crush to complete obsession. The details of the book are incredibly specific — it's a brief romance over one summer in Italy — and yet, and it's a testament to Aciman's beautiful prose that the love that Call Me By Your Name explores feels universal and extremely relatable.

Image: Mariner Books

Under the Udala Trees

Chinelo Okparanta

Under the Udala Trees is a book about star-crossed love. The novel follows the life of Ijeoma, a young girl who, at the start of the book, is sent away from her family in order to stay safe during the Nigerian civil war. While away, Ijeoma meets Amina, another girl also separated from her family. The two begin a brief relationship... only to find out that their love is forbidden. What follows is a beautiful novel about love and hardship as Ijeoma is sent home, forced into an unhappy marriage with a man, all the while grappling with her attraction to women.

Image: Penguin Books

madness

sam sax

Don't forget to add a bit of poetry to your reading list this Pride Month! If you're looking for a collection to start with, check out sam sax's collection madness. The poems in this collection cover everything from sexuality to mental health to culture and heritage, but what shines through and connects each of these threads is sax's incredibly thoughtful and evocative prose.

Image: Harper Collins

Release

Patrick Ness

If there is a hidden gem of queer lit, it's Release by Patrick Ness. The book is basically the gay YA version of Mrs. Dalloway (it even starts with "Adam would have to get the flowers himself," invoking Virginia Woolf's iconic opening line). In it we follow Adam Thorn, a 17-year-old student who finds himself having one of the most challenging days of his life. His boss at work is sexually harassing him, the ex he thought he was over suddenly makes a reappearance, and a big blowout is building between himself and his preacher father. (There's also a subplot about a ghost that's haunting the town.) But despite the impossible hurdles Adam faces, Release somehow feels nostalgic and charming as Patrick Ness outlines one teen's struggle to define himself.

Image: Square Fish

Last Seen Leaving

Caleb Roehrig

If the Babadook has taught us anything, it's that Pride is not complete without a little noir. To that end, if you are looking for a darker read this month, make sure you check out Caleb Roehrig's Last Seen Leaving. The book is a coming out story masked as a mystery thriller about Flynn, the primary suspect in an investigation when his girlfriend January disappears. Flynn's answers about his life with January don't quite add up... but maybe that has less to do about January and more about the secret that Flynn is keeping.

Image: Topside Press

Nevada

Imogen Binnie

Nevada follows Maria, a young trans woman living in New York City, trying to navigate the punk scene while also working in retail. When Maria's girlfriend breaks up with her by revealing that she's been cheating, Maria's world is turned upside down. On a quest to escape it all, Melanie embarks on a cross country road trip where she meets James, a stoner living in Nevada who is just as lost as Maria. As the book jumps between both James and Maria's perspectives, Nevada offers a thoughtful look at identity and the trans experience.

Image: BOOM! Box

Lumberjanes

Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen

If you're looking for some comics to check out this Pride month, be sure to check out Lumberjanes. The series documents the adventures of a group of scouts — Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley— as they spend a summer together. The only thing is, their camp is plagued by supernatural creatures including yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons. In addition to featuring stunning art, the book is also incredibly inclusive as the story delves into each diverse character, making Lumberjanes the perfect Pride Month read. 

Image: Mariner Books

Fun Home

Alison Bechdel

Fun Home is a graphic memoir about coming out and finding love, centered around two people. The book documents Alison Bechdel (who also came up with the Bechdel test), her experience exploring her attraction to women, and the way that her father resisted her identity. But, after Alison's father is hit by a car and killed, she reflects on his past and realizes that he may have had his own struggles with his sexual identity.

Image: Mariner Books

How To Write An Autobiographical Novel

Alexander Chee

To read Alexander Chee's essay collection How To Write An Autobiographical Novel is to stand in a hall of mirrors, watching as a single person, and all of the identites that compose them, is reflected from all angles. The essay collection is a deep dive into Chee's past as he documents his expereinces as a gay rights and HIV/AIDS activist, a rose gardener, a writer, and more. But at the core, the book explores how we use writing to shape who we are and how who we are shapes our writing.

Image: Harper Collins

They Both Die At The End

Adam Silvera

As the title probably suggests, They Both Die At The End is not what we could a "happy" book. The novel follows a day in the life of two boys, Mateo and Rufus, who get early morning calls from Death-Cast telling them that today is the day that they're going to die. Though initially strangers, Mateo and Rufus are soon brought together through the Last Friend app, a social network that connects people on their last day alive. But as Mateo and Rufus embark on a quest to check items off their bucket list while they still have time, their friendship grows into something more, ultimately exploring what happens when we fall in love with someone we know we only will have a very limited time with.

Image: St. Martin's Press

You Know Me Well

David Levithan and Nina LaCour

Sometimes all you need is a good friend. And that's where You Know Me Well comes in. The book is about Mark and Kate, two students who have remained total strangers even though they've sat next to each other in class for an entire year. When the they run into each other unexpectedly at a bar in San Francisco, each dealing with a small crisis (Kate has just run away from love while Mark is dealing with the fact that the boy he loves is interested in someone else), they become fast friends. Documenting Mark and Kate's adventures with love, relationships, and growing up, You Know Me Well reveals how our friends can become our greatest lifeline.

Image: graywolf press

The Argonauts

Maggie Nelson

The Argonauts defies categorization in the best way. The book is a poetic memoir about Maggie Nelson's relationship with Harry, a gender-fluid artist with whom Nelson falls in love and begins a family. But in addition to the incredible story, The Argonauts radiates with stunning observations about being queer and in love, making the memoir feel less like a book and more like the perfect rendering of a person's heart on a page.

Image: graywolf

Don't Call Us Dead

Danez Smith

Fair warning up front: Don't Call Us Dead is a devastating poetry collection. But this book is as beautiful as it is painfully raw. Throughout the collection, Smith writes about race, queer identity, and AIDS, with an electrifying amount of passion and care, making this book a must-read for Pride Month.

Image: Harper Collins

Leah on the Offbeat

Becky Albertalli

You may know Becky Albertalli for her novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda (which was turned into a fantastic movie Love, Simon). But now Albertalli is back with a new book: Leah on the Offbeat. Where Sapiens outlines Simon's adventures in coming out, Leah on the Offbeat reveals that Leah is struggling with her identity too: she's bisexual and working to muster the courage to come out to her friends. But as Leah navigates her senior year of high school, she realizes that she may love one her friends more than anyone else might expect.

WATCH: The history of Pride

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Stephen King really, really hates Twitter, apparently

Well this is awkward. Stephen King — a notable tweeter — really, really hates Twitter, apparently.

On Tuesday night, the horror author appeared at the 2018 PEN Literary Awards, where he was receiving the PEN Literary Service Award. Each year the accolade is given to a critically acclaimed author of free speech, and King graced the stage to both accept the speech and advocate for the power of books.

SEE ALSO: 38 times Stephen King absolutely slammed Donald Trump on Twitter

In his speech, Stephen King thanked everyone from his editors at Simon & Schuster ("I'm surrounded by good women at Simon & Schuster ... they've all helped make me a better person") to the student activists and shooting survivors from Parkland, Florida, who were also being honored in the ceremony, "for their fierce advocacy and hard work in the wake of yet another school shooting."

And that's when he dropped it, a brief lil' roast of everyone's favorite microblogging site Twitter. Or as Stephen King called it "the intellectual dead zone known as Twitter where clear thinking and kindness is too often replaced by schoolyard taunts. And not to mention, bad spelling and bad grammar."

Ouch.

The roast came as King delivered basically an extended IRL subtweet to Donald Trump.

"The percentage of readers is relatively small compared to the population as a whole," he said. "Just think for a minute of all the people you see on these streets every day staring at their phones or with earbuds in their ears. Then think of how few of them are staring at a printed page instead." (Okay, that's a little "old man yells at cloud" but to each their own.)

Then King moved on to talk about the power of books.

"Reading is powerful. From my earliest days working as a high school teacher, I've been telling kids: those who can read can learn to write, and those who can do both will eventually succeed in the world. Readers learn to be fair and writers learn to think."

"They are the crucial counter weight to those who are close minded and mean spirited. Toop many of those are currently in positions of power," King said. And the best place for those people to express their "poverty of thought," King says, is Twitter. 

Of course, it's not a far jump to conclude that one of those people in power King alluded to is the President of the United States. After all, the author frequently roasts Trump on Twitter. Also, everyone from Morgan Freeman, who presented King the award to Margaret Atwood to PEN CEO Suzanne Nossel also mentioned Trump in their speeches at the gala.

Still King's brief roast of Twitter is a little awkward considering PEN's history with the platform. In 2014, then-CEO of Twitter Dick Costolo actually won the 2014 PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Digital Freedom Award for his work with Twitter. At the time, literary foundation praised the platform's ability to amplify voices and free expression around the world.

Further complicating King's Twitter snark was the literary organization's simultaneous celebration of the Parkland student activists Cameron Kasky and Sam Fuentes, and D.C. gun control student activist Zion Kelly who have used Twitter not as an intellectual dead zone but as community building tool for advocacy.

Fortunately for digitally savvy Stephen King fans, the jab at Twitter doesn't mean that King is leaving the platform — the morning after the gala, King memorialized the event with, you guessed it, a tweet.

Great PEN America event last night at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. I was proud to be there in support of imprisoned writers and free expression and TRUE NEWS.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 23, 2018

WATCH: The striking differences between Stephen King 'It' and the 1990’s mini series

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Here are the 5 books you need to read this summer, according to Bill Gates

With summer fast approaching, it's time to start compiling your vacation reading list. And fortunately, Bill Gates is here to help.

On Monday, the philanthropist and Microsoft cofounder revealed his summer reading list, and they're all books that'll keep you company on any adventure you embark on this summer, as well as teach you something new throughout the hot months.

SEE ALSO: Here's what happened when Trump asked Bill Gates to be his science advisor

"When I pulled together this list of five that you might enjoy this summer, I realized that several of my choices wrestle with big questions," Gates wrote in a blog post. "What makes a genius tick? Why do bad things happen to good people? Where does humanity come from, and where are we headed?"

These are huge existential musings but they're all in keeping with Gates' typical brand of summer reading recommendations. In 2017, for instance, Gates recommended Yuval Noah Harari's Homo Deus which is about how society in the 21st century might influence the future of humanity. And in 2016, Gates recommended The Vital Question by Nick Lane, which is about cellular biology. 

But don't worry, Gates promises that even the most intense books in his recommendation list still make for great summer reads.

"Despite the heavy subject matter, all these books were fun to read, and most of them are pretty short. Even the longest (Leonardo) goes quickly."

Here is what Bill Gates recommends you read this summer.

Image: Simon & Schuster

Leonardo da Vinci

Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson is known for his authoritative biographies on the world's greatest minds, having covered everyone from Steve Jobs to Benjamin Franklin. But now, the biographer is back with a new subject: Leonardo da Vinci. In his new book, the eponymously named Leonardo da Vinci, Isaacson explores both da Vinci's personal life and also the creativity that drove the Renaissance man's most famous works.

Bill says: "Isaacson does the best job I’ve seen of pulling together the different strands of Leonardo’s life and explaining what made him so exceptional. A worthy follow-up to Isaacson’s great biographies of Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs." (Full review here.)

Image: Random House

Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I've Loved

Kate Bowler

Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler is a memoir about what happens when our lives get turned upside down. The memoir traces Bowler's life after she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. A professor at Duke Divinity School studying the idea that fortune and misfortune are signs from god, Bowler's memoir looks at life, death, and the ways we make sense of uncertainty.

Bill says: "A heartbreaking, surprisingly funny memoir about faith and coming to grips with your own mortality."  (Full review here.)

Image: Random House

Lincoln in the Bardo

George Saunders

Lincoln in the Bardo is famed short story writer George Saunders' first novel and it's stunning from the start. Mixing historical accounts with fiction, the book follows Lincoln and his son Willie after Willie dies. The book then juggles Lincoln's own grief with an unforgettable story about what happens in the Bardo, a purgatory of sorts that comes after death, as a collection of ghosts struggle to save their own souls as well as Willie's.

Bill says: "I got new insight into the way Lincoln must have been crushed by the weight of both grief and responsibility. This is one of those fascinating, ambiguous books you’ll want to discuss with a friend when you’re done."  (Full review here.)

Image: Little, Brown and Company

Origin Story: A Big history of Everything

David Christian

If you've ever looked up at the stars and been simultaneously overwhelmed and inspired by the hugeness of it all, Origin Story is for you. The book seeks to answer that age old question "where do we come from?" as Christian explores everything from the big bang to nuclear war.

Bill says: "If you haven’t taken 'Big History' yet, Origin Story is a great introduction. If you have, it’s a great refresher. Either way, the book will leave you with a greater appreciation of humanity’s place in the universe."  (Full review here.)

Image: Flatiron Book

Factfulness

Hans Rosling, with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund

In an age where we hear phrases like "fake news" and "alternative facts," Hans Rosling's book Factfullness is a breath of fresh air. The book looks at what influences distort our perspective as we try to understand the world.

Bill says: "Hans, the brilliant global-health lecturer who died last year, gives you a breakthrough way of understanding basic truths about the world—how life is getting better, and where the world still needs to improve."  (Full review here.)

WATCH: I copied the daily habits of the world's most successful people

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Turns out one of Deadpool's comic artists has been drawing his own death for years

Over the weekend, Marvel's wise-cracking mercenary Deadpool made his return to theaters in his new movie Deadpool 2. 

But while he was making the transition from page to big screen, one of the artists who illustrates the anti-hero was working on another project: drawing his own death.

SEE ALSO: There's a 'Deadpool 2' Taylor Swift Easter egg you definitely missed in the trailer

For years, Scott Koblish, an artist who has worked on both Marvel and DC comics including Deadpool and The Amazing Spider-Man, has been drawing four-panel comics that depict bizarre, cheeky, and increasingly ridiculous ways that he might perish. Now those comic strips are collected in a new book The Many Deaths of Scott Koblish, out now from Chronicle Books.

Image: Chronicle Books

In a lot of ways the book seems to share the same goofy humor that makes Deadpool such a lovable character. But Koblish says it wasn't humor that inspired the project, it was fear.

"The origin of the book was just in my own clumsy attempts to come to grips with my own mortality," Koblish told Mashable. "I’ve had fearful thoughts about death and dying for years and there was a point where I was getting overwhelmed by them, so I started to ask — how can I get a hold of this? I draw all the time, mostly on comics for Marvel, and I thought I could try to use my talents to address my worries."

In the book, death does not come simply. In one comic, a meteor strikes earth and lands directly on the artist. In another, fairies grant Koblish the ability to fly... only for Koblish to get hit by an airplane once he's airborne.

"The best ideas usually wound up with me doing something incredibly stupid or petty, or scenarios where I received a wonderful gift but paid a terrible price for it, like in 'The Magic of Flight' or 'Change Comes From Within,'" Koblish explained. "There were so many times I started out with one idea and wound up with an unexpected twist or a turn, and those were the ones where the ones I had the most fun with."

And fortunately for Koblish, the comics have helped assuage his anxiety.

"It helped out to be able to laugh about it. Humor is always the best solution to terror," said Koblish. 

The Many Deaths of Scott Koblish is out now from Chronicle Books. Check out a preview below.

Image: Chronicle Books

Image: CHRONICLE BOOKS

Image: CHRONICLE BOOKS

Image: CHRONICLE BOOKS

WATCH: 'Deadpool 2' is a love story at its core according to actress Morena Baccarin

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Why 'Fahrenheit 451' does not age well at all

Ray Bradbury's classic Fahrenheit 451 opens with one of the most iconic opening lines to grace modern literature: "It was a pleasure to burn."

The novel, fiery from the start, explores a dystopian society where books are illegal. When a book is discovered, it's burned, its owner is arrested, and the house the shelters both book and owner is burned down. The people responsible for policing those books are called "firemen," who are responsible for starting fires rather than putting them out.

SEE ALSO: Michael B. Jordan is straight fire in the trailer for HBO's 'Fahrenheit 451'

Fahrenheit 451 follows Guy Montag, a fireman who finds himself more and more curious about the literature he is destroying and the system that demands books be burned.

Since it debuted in 1953, Fahrenheit 451 has become a classic, taught in schools all over the country. But does Ray Bradbury's dystopian tale withstand the test of time?

Inspired by HBO's Michael B. Jordan-led remake of the Ray Bradbury classic, we decided to reread Fahrenheit 451 for the MashReads Podcast. 

Wow, that book does NOT age well.

The book's anxiety of tech — the novel particularly admonishes the increasing prevalence of television — comes across as curmudgeonly and simplistic. Modern readers who have grown up with tech, surprise, have not been reduced to TV-obsessed zombies. (Though many, many of the same fears of television have been leveraged against smartphones and social media.) 

"In its simplistic nature of telling how important books are, [the book] also simplifies television and entertainment in this type of didactic way," says Mashable Culture Editor Peter Allen Clark.

Furthermore, the book's treatment of women is completely abhorrent. Montag's neighbor Clarisse is a manic pixie dream girl at best and the narrative is exceedingly unkind to Montag's wife Mildred, who is written as a two-dimensional stand-in for everything that's wrong in Bradbury's vision of the future.

Where the book DOES succeed is in its world building, setting up a particularly unsettling atmosphere of this dystopian future. The novel's hunting robot the Hound, for instance, continues to inspire fear, due in large part to Bradbury's terrifying description of the beast:

"The Mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the firehouse... It was like a great bee come home from the field where the honey is full of poison wildness, of insanity and nightmare, its body crammed with that over-rich nectar and now it was sleeping the evil out of itself."

It's these types of descriptions and this type of world building that has seared Fahrenheit 451 into our collective memory. But here's to hoping that HBO's new adaptation can update the critiques that the famously modernity-phobic Bradbury ("I don't describe the future. I try to prevent it," Bradbury often said, reports the Peoria Journal Star) tried to explore when he constructed a world that burns books.

This week on the MashReads Podcast discuss Fahrenheit 451. Join us in the episode above as we talk about the experience of rereading the book as adults.

Image: Simon & Schuster

Then, inspired by the novel, we talk about our other favorite books about books including Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, and How To Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee.

And as always, we close the show with recommendations:

Martha recommends Spotify music podcast Dissect. Each season of the podcast focuses in on one music album, devoting each episode in the season to dissecting one song. The show just launched their third season which focuses on Frank Ocean's album Blonde. "It's really, really fascinating. the host takes on each song and breaks down, track by track, the lyrics, the production. It's pretty fantastic."

Peter also recommends a podcast: The Next Picture Show. The show is a movie discussion podcast that takes a new movie and discusses it in relation to an older movie that it echoes. "They speak about movies with a level of depth and knowledge that I really hope to possess one day. I really love these voices and these people and I think they're some of the best film reviewers in the world and I am glad I get to listen to them every two weeks."

MJ recommends two books. First he recommends The Power by Naomi Alderman, a novel that envisions a world where women suddenly have the power to shoot electricity from their hands. The book then explores what happens when women are given this power that men do not have. "Once I started I could not put it down. What I love about the book is that premise is so simple, but I think the idea is so fully realized." He also recommends Tin Man by Sarah Winman, which follows two characters and looks at love, grief, friendships, and more over the course of their lives. "The book is so emotionally rich. It's beautiful, the entire book feels like poetry."

And as always, if you're looking for more book news, be sure to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter if you want to keep up with even more book news this year. 

WATCH: Four MIT graduates opened a restaurant with a fully functional robotic kitchen

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Read an exclusive excerpt from Markus Zusak's new book 'Bridge of Clay'

13 years. That's how long Markus Zusak, author of the The Book Thief, has been on hiatus. But for readers eager to dive into a new novel from the acclaimed author, the wait is finally over — Zusak is finally making his return to bookshelves with the publication of his latest effort Bridge of Clay.

The book follows Clay, one of the five young Dunbar brothers who are raising themselves after their mother dies and their father disappears. When the Dunbars' father suddenly returns, asking for help building a bridge into the wilderness, Clay is the only brother who decides to help.

SEE ALSO: It's been 10 years since 'The Book Thief' was published. Does it still hold up?

"At its heart, the book is obviously about Clay – the fourth Dunbar boy – who feels the weight of his family’s history, and his own part in its tragedies," Zusak told Mashable. "He builds a bridge to make something perfect – to be better than human, for just a moment. He builds it for his brothers, I think, but also for himself – for a miracle and nothing less."

It's a premise that is very different than Zusak's breakout hit The Book Thief, which is narrated by Death and finds its protagonist Leisel in Nazi occupied Germany. But Zusak says the reason for his long hiatus wasn't because he was competing with the success of The Book Thief — it was because he was competing with the very idea of Bridge of Clay itself.

"People talk about the pressure associated with writing a book that does better than expected, as The Book Thief did for me, but I feel like Bridge of Clay was always going to take a while," he says.

"From the moment I started, it felt like the last piece of my writing career so far – almost the amalgamation of everything I’ve done up to this point, whist also trying to reach further. In the end, I think the books take longer because the more experience we gather, the more we find fault with what we’re doing … That said, I’m hoping the next book doesn’t take another decade."

While he says that his books aren't competing, Zukas does clarify that he hopes Bridge of Clay is better than The Book Thief.

"People would say, 'It doesn't have to be better than The Book Thief – it just has to be different.' That's helpful advice, but I still disagreed with it. I'd say, 'But I've always tried to write a better book than the last one … That feels like the whole point.'"

Bridge of Clay doesn't come out until October 2018, but Mashable has a sneak peek at the book. Meet our protagonist Clay Dunbar in the exclusive excerpt below.

Image: Alfred A. Knopf

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

growing up the dunbar way 

So there they were, way up in the far-flung future:

A cantankerous bird.

An acrobatic goldfish.

Two bloody boys.

And look here at Clay, in the backstory.

What can we say about him?

How did life begin, as a boy and a son and a Dunbar?

It was pretty simple, really, with a multitude lying within:

Once, in the tide of Dunbar past, there were five brothers, but the fourth of us was the best of us, and a boy of many traits.

How did Clay become Clay, anyway?

In the beginning there was all of us—each our own small part to tell the whole—and our father had helped at each birth; he was first to be handed to hold us. As Penelope liked to tell it, he’d be standing there, acutely aware, and he’d cried at the bedside, beaming. He never flinched at the slop or the burnt-looking bits, as the room began to spin. For Penelope, that was everything.

When it was over, she’d succumb to dizziness.

Her heartbeat leapt in her lips.

It was funny, they liked to tell us, how when we were born, we all had something they loved:

Me, it was my feet. The newborn crinkly feet.

Rory, it was his punched-up nose when he first came out, and the noises he made in his sleep; something like a world title fight, but at least they knew he was alive.

Henry had ears like paper.

Tommy was always sneezing.

And of course, there was Clay, between us:

The boy who came out smiling.

As the story went, when Penny was in labor with Clay, they left Henry, Rory, and me with Mrs. Chilman. On the drive to the hospital they nearly pulled over; Clay was coming quickly. As Penny would later tell him: the world had wanted him badly, but what she didn’t do was ask why.

Was it to hurt, to humiliate?

Or to love and make great?

Even now it’s hard to decide.

It was morning, summer and humid, and when they made it to the maternity ward, Penny was shouting, still walking, and his head was starting to crown. He was very nearly torn rather than born, as if the air had reefed him out.

In the delivery room, there was a lot of blood.

It was splayed on the floor like murder.

As for the boy, he lay in the muggy atmosphere, and was strangely, quietly, smiling; his bloodcurdled face dead silent. When an unsuspecting nurse came in, she stood openmouthed and blaspheming. She stopped and said, “Jesus Christ.”

It was our mother, all dizzy, who replied.

“I hope not,” she said, and our father still grinned. “We know what we did to Him.”

As a boy, as I said, he was the best of us.

To our parents, in particular, he was the special one, I’m sure of it, for he rarely fought, hardly cried, and loved everything they spoke of and told him. Night for night, while the rest of us made excuses, Clay would help with the dishes, as a trade for one more story. To Penny he’d say, “Can you tell me about Vienna again, and all those bunk beds? Or what about this one?” His face was in the dinner plates, the suds across his thumbs. “Can you tell me about the statue of Stalin? And who was Stalin anyway?”

To Michael, he’d say, “Can you tell me all about Moon, Dad, and the snake?”

He was always in the kitchen, while the rest of us watched TV, or fought in the lounge or the hallway.

Of course, as things go, though, our parents were also editors:

The stories were almost-everythings.

Penny didn’t tell him yet how long they spent on a garage floor, to beat, to blow and burn themselves, to exorcise past lives. Michael didn’t talk of Abbey Hanley, who became Abbey Dunbar, then Abbey Someone-Else. He didn’t tell him about burying the old TW, or of The Quarryman, or how once he’d loved to paint. He’d said nothing yet about heartbreak, or how lucky heartbreak could be.

No, for now, most-of-truths were enough.

It was enough for Michael to say he was on the porch one day and met a woman out front with a piano. “If it wasn’t for that,” he’d tell the boy, “I wouldn’t have you or your brothers—”

“Or Penelope.”

Michael smiled and said, “Damn right.”

What neither of them could know was that Clay would hear the stories in their entireties, not long before it was too late.

Her smile would be hoisted up by then.

Her face would be in decay.

As you might imagine, his first memories were only vague, of two particular things:

Our parents, his brothers.

The shapes of us, our voices.

He remembered our mother’s piano hands as they sailed across the keys. They had a magical sense of direction—hitting the M, hitting the E, and every other part of PLEASE MARRY ME.

To the boy her hair was sunny.

Her body was warm and slim.

He would remember himself as a four-year-old, being frightened of that upright brown thing. While each of us had our own dealings with it, Clay saw it as something not-his.

When she played he put his head there.

The stick-thin thighs belonged to him.

As for Michael Dunbar, our father, Clay recalled the sound of his car—the engine on winter mornings. The return in the half dark. He smelt like strain, long days, and brickwork.

In what would later go down as the Shirtless Eating Days (as you’ll soon see), he remembered the sight of his muscles; for apart from all the construction labor, he would sometimes—and this was how he put it—go out to the torture chamber, which was push-ups and sit-ups in the garage. Sometimes it was a barbell as well, but not even heavily weighted. It was the number of lifts, overhead.

Sometimes we went out with him:

A man and five boys doing push-ups.

The five of us falling away.

And yes—in those years of growing up in that place, our dad was a sight to see. He was average height, slight in weight, but fit and tight-looking, lean. His arms weren’t big or bulging; they were athletic and charged with meaning. You could see each move, each twitch.

And all those Goddamn sit-ups.

Our dad had a concrete stomach.

In those days, too, I remind myself, our parents were something else.

Sure, they fought sometimes, they argued.

There was the odd suburban thunderbolt, but they were mostly those people who’d found each other; they were golden and bright-lit and funny. Often they seemed in cahoots somehow, like jailbirds who wouldn’t leave; they loved us, they liked us, and that was a pretty good trick. After all, take five boys, put them in one small house, and see what it looks and sounds like: it’s a porridge of mess and fighting.

I remember things like mealtimes, and how sometimes it got too much: the forks dropping, the knives pointing, and all those boys’ mouths eating. There’d be arguing, elbowing, food all over the floor, food all over our clothes, and “How did that piece of cereal end up—there—on the wall?” until a night came when Rory sealed it; he spilled half his soup down his shirt.

Our mother, Penny Dunbar, didn’t panic.

She stood, cleaned up, and he would eat the rest of it shirtless—and our father got the idea. We were all still celebrating when he said it:

“You lot, too.”

Henry and I nearly choked. “Sorry?”

“You didn’t hear me?”

“Ohhh, shit,” said Henry.

“Should I make you take your pants off, too?”

For a whole summer, we ate like that, our T-shirts heaped near the toaster. To be fair, though, and to Michael Dunbar’s credit, from the second time onwards, he took his own shirt off with us. Tommy, who was still in that beautiful phase when kids speak totally unfiltered, shouted, “Hey! Hey, Dad! What are you doing here in just your nipples?”

The rest of us roared with laughter, especially Penny Dunbar, but Michael was up to the task. A triceps was slightly flickering.

“And what about your mum, you blokes? Should she go shirtless, too?”

She never needed rescuing, but it was Clay who’d often be willing.

“No,” he said, but she did it:

Her bra was old and broken-looking.

It was faded, strapped to each breast.

She ate and smiled regardless.

She said, “Now don’t go burning your chests.”

We knew what to get her for Christmas.

In that sense there was always a bulkiness to us.

A bursting at the seams.

Whatever we did, there was more:

More washing, more cleaning, more eating, more dishes, more arguing, more fighting and throwing and hitting and farting, and “Hey, Rory, I think you better go to the toilet!” and of course, a lot more denying. It wasn’t me should have been printed on all our T-shirts; we said it dozens of times each day.

It didn’t matter how much in control or on-top-of-things things were, there was chaos a heartbeat away. We could be skinny and constantly agile, but there was never quite room for all of it—so everything was done at once.

One part I remember clearly is how they used to cut our hair; a barber would have cost too much. It was set up in the kitchen—an assembly line, and two chairs—and we’d sit, first Rory and me, then Henry and Clay. Then, when it came to Tommy’s turn, Michael would cut Tommy’s, to give Penny a small reprieve, and then she’d resume and cut his.

“Hold still!” said our father to Tommy.

“Hold still,” said Penny to Michael.

Our hair, in lumps, in the kitchen.

Sometimes, and this one comes so happily it hurts, I remember when we all got into one car, the entire lot of us, piled in. In so many ways I can’t help but love the idea of it—how Penny and Michael, they were both completely law-abiding, but then they did things like this. It’s one of those perfect things, really, a car with too many people. Whenever you see a group squashed in like that—an accident waiting to happen—they’re always shouting and laughing.

In our case, in the front, through the gaps, you could see their handheld hands.

It was Penelope’s fragile, piano-playing hand.

Our father’s powdery work hand.

And a scrum of boys around them, of elbows, arms, and legs.

In the ashtray there were lollies, usually Anticols, sometimes Tic Tacs. The windshield was never clean in that car, but the air was always fresh; it was boys all sucking on cough drops, or a festival of mint.

Some of Clay’s fondest memories of our dad, though, were the nights, just before bed, when Michael wouldn’t believe him. He’d crouch and speak to him quietly: “Do you need to go to the toilet, kid?” and Clay would shake his head. Even as the boy was nodding, he’d be led to the small bathroom, and cracked tiling, and proceed to piss like a racehorse.

“Hey, Penny!” Michael would call. “We’ve got bloody Phar Lap here!” And he’d wash the boy’s hands and crouch again, not saying another thing. And Clay knew what it meant. Every night, for a long, long time, he was piggybacked into bed:

“Can you tell me about old Moon again, Dad?”

Then to us, his brothers, we were bruises, we were beatings, in the house at 18 Archer Street. As older siblings do, we marauded all that was his. We’d pick him up by his T-shirt, right in the middle of his back, and deposit him somewhere else. When Tommy arrived, three years later, we did the same to him. Even by the time Tommy was four, we craned him behind the TV, or dropped him out the back. If he cried he was dragged to the bathroom, a headlock at the ready; Rory would have his neck.

“Boys?” would come the call. “Boys, have you seen Tommy?”

Henry did the whispering, by the long blond hairs in the sink.

“Not one word, y’ little prick.”

Nodding. Fast nodding.

That was the way to live.

At five years old, like all of us, Clay began the piano.

We hated it but did it.

The MARRY ME keys and Penny.

When we were very young, she’d spoken her old language to us, but only as we went to sleep. Now and then she’d stop and explain something of it, but it left us year by year. Music, on the other hand, was nonnegotiable, and there’d been varying degrees of success:

I was close to competent.

Rory was downright violent.

Henry might have been brilliant, if only he could have cared.

Later, Tommy had only done a few years when Penny fell sick, and maybe she was already broken by then, mostly, I think, by Rory.

“All right!” she’d call from next to him, through the barrage of broken music. “Time’s up!”

“What?” He was desecrating that marriage proposal, which was fading by then, and fast, but would never fade completely. “What was that?”

“I said time’s up!”

Often she wondered what Waldek Lesciuszko would have made of him, or more to the point, of her. Where was her patience? Where was the branch of a spruce tree? Or in this place, a bottlebrush or eucalypt? She knew there was a big difference between five boyish boys and a father’s studious girl, but there was still a disappointment as she watched him swagger away.

For Clay, sitting in the corner of the lounge room was a duty, but one he was willing to take; he tried at least to try. When he was finished, he’d trail her to the kitchen, and ask his two-word question:

“Hey, Mum?”

Penny would stop at the sink. She’d hand him a checkered tea towel. “I think,” she’d say, “I’ll tell you about the houses today, and how I thought they were made of paper. . . .”

“And the cockroaches?”

She couldn’t help herself. “So big!”

But sometimes I think they wondered, our parents, about why they’d chosen to live like this. Most often they would snap over minor things, as the mess and frustration mounted. 

I remember how once it rained a whole fortnight, in summer, and we came home deep-fried in mud. Penny had duly lost it with us, and resorted to the wooden spoon. She gave it to us on the arms, on the legs, everywhere she could (and the dirt, like crossfire, like shrapnel), till finally she’d broken two of them, and threw a boot down the hall instead. As it tumbled, end over end, it somehow gathered momentum, and altitude, and hit Henry, a thud in the face. His mouth was bleeding, and he’d swallowed a loose tooth, and Penny sat down near the bathroom. When a few of us went to console her, she sprang up and said, “Go to hell!”

It was hours till finally she checked on him, and Henry was still deciding. Was he ridden with guilt, or furious? After all, losing teeth was good for business. He said, “I won’t even get paid by the Tooth Fairy!” and showed her the gap within.

“The Tooth Fairy,” she said, “will know.”

“Do you think you get more if you swallow it?”

“Not when you’re covered in mud.”

For me, the most memorable arguments our parents had were due mostly to Hyperno High. The mountains of marking. Abusive parents. Or injuries from breaking up fights.

“Jesus, why don’t you just let ’em kill each other?” our dad said once. “How could you be so—” and Penny was starting to seethe.

“So—what?”

“I don’t know—naïve, and just, stupid—to think you can make a difference.” He was tired, and sore, from building work, and putting up with the rest of us. He waved a hand back out through the house. “You spend all that extra time marking, and trying to help them, and look here—look at this place.” He was right; there was Lego everywhere, and a scattergun of clothes and dust. Our toilet recalled those public ones, in the time of her spoils of freedom, not one of us aware of the brush.

“And what? So I should stay home and do the cleaning?”

“Well, no, that’s not what I—”

“Should I get the bloody vacuum?”

“Oh, shit, that’s not what I meant.”

“WELL, WHAT DID YOU MEAN?” she roared. “HUH?”

It was the sound that makes a boy look up, when anger spills over to rage. This time they really mean it.

And still it wasn’t quite over.

“YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE, MICHAEL!”

“I am!” he said. “. . . I am.”

And the quieted voice, even worse. “Then how about actually showing it.”

Then after-storm, and silence.

As I said, though, such moments were isolated, and they would soon reconvene at the piano:

Our symbol of boyhood misery.

But their island of calm in the maelstrom.

Once, he’d stood behind her, as she recovered by playing some Mozart; then he placed his hands on the instrument, in the sun on the lid by the window.

“I’d write the words I’m sorry,” he’d said, “but I’ve forgotten where all the paint is—” and Penelope stopped, she turned to him. An inkling of smile at the memory.

“Well, that and there’s really no room,” she said, and played on, on the handwritten keys.

Yes, she played on, that one-woman band, and while sometimes the chaos spilled over, there was also what we’d call normal arguments—normal fighting—which were mostly between us boys.

In that regard, at six years old, Clay had started football, both the organized kind and the one we played at home, front to back, around the house. As time went by it was our father, Tommy, and Rory versus Henry, Clay, and me. On the last tackle, you could kick the ball over the roof, but only if Penny wasn’t reading on a lawn chair, or marking that flow of assignments.

“Hey, Rory,” Henry would say, “run at me so I can smash you,” and Rory would do it, and run straight over the top of him, or be driven back into the ground. Every game, without fail, they would need to be prized apart—

“Right.”

Our father looked at both of them, back and forth:

Henry all blond and bloody.

Rory the color of a cyclone.

“Right what?”

“You know what.” He’d be breathing hoarse and heavily, with scratch marks on his arms. “Shake hands. Now.”

And they would.

They’d shake hands, say sorry, and then, “Yeah, sorry I had to shake your hand, dickhead!” and it was on again, and this time they’d be dragged out back where Penelope sat, the assignments littered around her.

“Now what have you two been up to this time?” she’d ask, in a dress, and barefoot in the sun. “Rory?”

“Yeah?”

She gave him a look.

“I mean, yes?” 

“Take my chair.” She started walking inside. “Henry?”

“I know, I know.”

He was already on hands and knees, collating the fallen sheets.

She lengthened a look at Michael, and a collegial, cahootsful wink.

“Goddamn bloody boys.”

No wonder I got a taste for blasphemy.

And what else?

What else was there, as we skip the years like stones?

Did I mention how sometimes we’d sit on the back fence, for end-of-morning trackwork? Did I say how we’d watched as it all got packed up, to be another forgotten field?

Did I mention the Connect Four war when Clay was seven?

Or the game of Trouble that lasted four hours, maybe more?

Did I mention how it was Penny and Tommy who won that battle at long last, with our dad and Clay second, me third, and Henry and Rory (who were forced to play together) last? Did I mention that they both blamed each other for being crap at hitting the bubble?

As for what happened with Connect Four, let’s just say we were still finding the pieces months later.

“Hey, look!” we’d call, from the hallway or kitchen. “There’s even one in here!”

“Go pick it up, Rory.”

“You go pick it up.”

“I’m not pickin’ it up—that’s one of yours.”

And on. And on.

And on.

He remembered summer, and Tommy asking who Rosy was, when Penny read from The Iliad. We were up late, in the lounge room, and Tommy’s head was in her lap, his feet across my legs, and Clay was down on the floor.

Penny tilted and stroked Tommy’s hair.

I told him, “It’s not a person, stupid, it’s the sky.”

“What do you mean?”

This time it was Clay, and Penelope explained.

“It’s because,” she said, “you know how at sunrise and sunset the sky goes orange and yellow, and sometimes red?”

He nodded from under the window.

“Well, when it’s red, it’s rosy, and that’s all he meant. It’s great, isn’t it?” and Clay smiled then, and so did Penny.

Tommy, again, was concentrating. “Is Hector a word for the sky, too?”

That was it; I got up. “Did there really need to be five of us?”

Penny Dunbar only laughed.

The next winter there was all the organized football again, and the winning and training and losing. Clay didn’t especially love the game, but did it because the rest of us did, and I guess that’s what younger siblings do for a time—they photocopy their elders. In that respect, I should also say that although he was set apart from us, he could be just the same. Sometimes, mid-household-football-game, when a player was secretly punched or elbowed, Henry and Rory would go at it—“It wasn’t me!” and “Oh, bullshit!”—but me, I’d seen it was Clay. Already then his elbows were ferocious, and deliverable in many ways; it was hard to see them coming.

A few times he’d admit it.

He’d say, “Hey, Rory, it was me.”

You don’t know what I’m capable of.

But Rory wouldn’t have it; it was easier fighting with Henry.

To that end (and this one), it was fitting, really, that Henry was publicly infamous back then, when it came to sport and leisure—sent off for pushing the ref. Then ostracized by his teammates, for the greatest of footballing sins; at halftime the manager asked them:

“Hey, where’s the oranges?”

“What oranges?”

“Don’t get smart—you know, the quarters.”

But then someone noticed.

“Look, there’s a big pile a peels there! It was Henry, it was bloody Henry!”

Boys, men, and women, they all glared.

It was great suburban chagrin.

“Is that true?”

There was no point denying it; his hands spoke clearly for themselves. “I got hungry.”

The ground was six or seven kilometers away, and we’d caught the train, and Henry was made to go home on foot, and the rest of us as well. When one of us did something like that, we all seemed to suffer, and we walked the Princes Highway.

“Why’d you push the ref, anyway?” I asked.

“He kept treading on my foot—he was wearing steel studs.”

Now Rory: “Why’d you have to eat all the oranges, then?”

“Because I knew you’d have to walk home, too, shithead.”

Michael: “Oi!”

“Oh, yeah—sorry.”

But this time there was no retraction of the sorry, and I think we were all somehow happy that day, though we were soon to start coming undone; even Henry throwing up in the gutter. Penny was kneeling next to him, our father’s voice beside her:

“I guess these are the spoils of freedom.”

And how could we ever know?

We were just a bunch of Dunbars, oblivious of all to come.

Excerpt from Bridge of Clay copyright © 2018 by Markus Zusak.  Published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

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9 podcasts to help you understand *everything happening in the news*

As movies like The Post and TV shows like The Newsroom will tell you, it is the civic duty of every citizen to stay informed.

But with so much happening all at once in our news cycle, it can be tough to keep up with what's going on in current events, let alone make sense of it all.

That's where podcasts come in.

SEE ALSO: Nerd out about books with the new MashReads podcast

In recent years, a number of podcasts have cropped up to help us keep track of what's happening in the world. Some are daily briefs outlining the big stories we need to know; others offer smart analyses about the important news of the week. No matter what, if you want to understand *gestures broadly at everything happening in the news,* there IS a podcast for you. 

Here are 9 that make us feel significantly less overwhelmed.

1. The Daily

Published at roughly 6 a.m ET Monday through Friday, the New York Times' daily podcast breaks down the biggest news of the day. Each episode features journalists and experts from the Times, explaining what you need to know about the story, how it was reported, and more. It's made all the better by host Michael Barbaro, who is equal parts calming narrator, thoughtful interviewer, and empathetic listener.

Episode to start with: The Climate Change Battle Through One Coal Miner's Eyes

2. Call Your Girlfriend

Sometimes the best way to keep up with current events is by talking to your news-wonky friends. And that's where Call Your Girlfriend comes in. Created in 2014 as a way for friends Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman to stay in touch, it bills itself as "a podcast for long-distance besties everywhere." But more than anything, it's discussion about current events delivered as if you were sitting at the bar chatting with your friends. "We’re highbrow and lowbrow, fiercely opinionated, and not afraid to real-talk each other about everything from menstrual cycles and body shaming to the Cheeto in Chief and workplace drama with devastating wit," the hosts explain. (Cheeto in Chief is what they call Donald Trump, btw.) In addition, the show is incredibly feminist, highlighting the voices of women who shape the news.

Episode to start with: The Best of Call Your Girlfriend 2017

3. Still Processing

Still Processing is another podcast from the New York Times that'll help you keep up with what's happening in the world. Tech writer Jenna Wortham and culture writer Wesley Morris are the hosts; they talk about everything from how technology drives anxiety to what shows like Roseanne and movies like A Quiet Place tell us about race in America. Not only do Wortham and Morris break down what's happening in the world and in pop culture, but they connect it to history and other social conversations, and they do it with charm and wit to boot.

Episode to start with: We Talk BeyChella.

4. Slate's Political Gabfest

Slate's Political Gabfest is a roundtable discussion that covers news and politics. The show is hosted by Atlas Obscura's David Plotz, New York Times Magazine's Emily Bazelon, and CBS This Morning 's John Dickerson. They each have a different political perspective, which results in robust and well-rounded conversations. Bonus, each episode ends with "cocktail chatter" — you know, those interesting nuggets of information you bring up at a party — so in addition to staying informed about politics, you'll also hear interesting factoids and trivia about anything and everything, too.

Episode to start with: The "Very Stable Genius" Edition

5. Trumpcast

Regardless of everything else happening in the world, keeping up with what President Donald Trump is up to daily is a task of its own. That's where the Trumpcast comes in. Produced by Slate and hosted by Jacob Weisberg, Virginia Heffernan, and Jamelle Bouie, it's a "quasi-daily" podcast about what's happening with the current administration and president. Top political authors and reporters all pop by to help listeners make sense of it all.

Episode to start with: A Measured View of the Cohen Probe

6. Reveal

Reveal is a news podcast that brings investigative journalism about the things happening in the world directly to your ears. Created in partnership with The Center for Investigative Journalism and PRX, it bills itself as a show that "takes you deep inside stories that impact your world, revealing injustice and holding the powerful accountable." Episode topics range from hate speech to worker safety and diversity in Silicon Valley. If you want a comprehensive deep-dive into big global stories, Reveal is for you.

Episode to start with: Tesla and beyond: Hidden problems of Silicon Valley

7. Pod Save America

For politics deconstructed by the people who know it best, look no further than Pod Save America. The show is hosted by four former Obama staffers, which means that in addition to breaking down the news, they also provide incredible insight into why each story matters, and how each news item fits within the larger framework of Washington. On top of that, the show is just fun. The discussions are passionate and the hosts are charismatic, which means you'll be as entertained as you are informed.

Episode to start with: Zombie Correspondents' Dinner

8. Counter Stories

Counter Stories is a podcast about race and social justice, especially about how those topics intersect with the news. Episodes range from conversations about whether the arrest of two black men at Starbucks was an isolated event to how racism affects your health. The news doesn't happen in isolation, and Counter Stories is a good podcast if you want to hear about the real people the news is affecting and how.

Episode to start with: Is the arrest of two black men at Starbucks an isolated incident?

9. On the Media

Sometimes it's helpful to step back and look not just at the news but also at how we talk about the news. That's where WNYC's On the Media comes in. The show is hosted by journalists Bob Garfield and Brooke Gladstone, and each week, they discuss how the media covered the big news stories. It's part of effectively staying informed. On The Media promises to be "a weekly investigation of how the media shapes our worldview."

Episode to start with: TV News Anchors Speaking From the Heart — Uh, Teleprompter

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3 early Donald Glover music videos that will help you understand 'This Is America'

If there is one piece of pop culture that will define 2018, it's Donald Glover's music video for his song "This Is America."

The video, released as Glover's rapper alter ego Childish Gambino, debuted on Saturday when Donald Glover was doing double duty on SNL, hosting the show and performing as the show's musical guest. In less than a week since "This Is America" was released, the video has already garnered more than 63 million views and has been analyzed by everyone from Doreen St. Felix at The New Yorker to Dear White People creator Justin Simien on Twitter.

SEE ALSO: All the things you might have missed in Donald Glover's 'This Is America' video

The video has been lauded in part because of its densely packed criticism of racism and violence in America. Everything from the dance moves Glover uses to figures in the background all come together to form a resounding condemnation of how black people have been treated in the U.S.

But "This Is America" is not the first time Glover has used music videos to make salient critiques of pop culture and American culture.

Glover began making mixtapes as Childish Gambino in 2008 and his first studio album Camp debuted in 2011. Since then, the rapper has sporadically released music videos, many of which feature strange twists to them. For instance, in "Telegraph Ave," Glover depicts what seems to be a romantic vacation...until the rapper is hit by a car and remerges as a tentacled monster.

But even with those trippy scenarios, Glover's music videos have been filled with themes and ideas that the rapper is highlighting in "This Is America."

Here are three older Donald Glover music videos you should watch to help you understand "This Is America."

"Bonfire"

A big theme explored in "This Is America" is the question of who is seen and what pain is acknowledged. In that video, every time Glover shoots someone, the gun, which is delicately placed on a cloth, is treated with more care than the actual victims, who are dragged away.

But Glover actually broached idea that certain people and certain pain is invisible in 2011 in his music video for his song "Bonfire."

The video is directed like a horror movie. At the start Glover wakes up in a forest with a rope around his neck and he coughs up blood. In the distance he sees a bonfire with campers sitting around it, one person telling a story. As he runs toward the bonfire, he also notices another person in the woods walking towards the group holding a noose and a knife. Donald gets to the campers and tries to warn them but none of them are able to see Glover. The man with the knife then jumps out of the woods and it's revealed that it was all an elaborate ghost story.

At the end of the video, as the camper walks away, Glover falls to the ground, and once again wakes up with a noose around his neck, suggesting that the victim of the story was Glover himself.

At the time, the video seemed to be about Donald Glover's reputation — everybody is talking about him but nobody can see him. "It’s a bonfire, turn the lights out/ I’m burnin’ everything you muthafuckas talk about," Glover raps. But now the video carries new meaning when watched alongside "This Is America."

"Sweatpants"

One of Glover's breakout songs as Childish Gambino was his 2013 song "Sweatpants." On the surface, the song seems to just be Glover flexin' his wealth and success. "Still spitting that cash flow – DJ Khaled/ I got a penthouse on both coasts – pH balance," he raps. And he ends the song with the refrain "Don't be mad cause I'm doing me better than you doing you."

However, Glover's music video added a new element to the song. In the video, Glover is stuck in a loop: he enters a dinner through the front door, walks past people eating, sits with his friends, gets up to put music on the jukebox, and then walks out the back door where he sees someone puking in the bushes and two people kissing. Then he looks up...only to suddenly be transported to the front door where he enters the loop again.

It's a trippy concept by itself, but as Donald Glover goes through each loop, slowly people in the scene are replaced by versions of Donald Glover, which adds another layer to the video.

"[The video is about] the idea of you doing you so hard that you can't do anything else," Glover explained to Complex in 2014.  "I never wanted him to freak out when he saw himself. I wanted him to be like this is what I'm supposed to be but it's scary at the same time. Being you to the utmost is scary because you don't know what you're capable of. You may turn into a version of you might not like."

That idea of a multitude of versions of yourself comes back in the "This Is America." In that video we see scenes of Donald Glover dancing with kids in a carefree, nonchalant manner contrasted with scenes of the rapper perpetuating horrific violence. Details like his clothing, poses the rapper strikes, and more allude to Jim Crow in America. Put together, "This Is America," like "Sweatpants" seems to be highlighting a multitude of selves, but this time instead of showing differing versions of Donald Glover, in "This Is America" we see different versions of the black experience.

"3005"

Donald Glover's video "3005" toned down the level of weird Glover exhibited in past videos, but it still uses some strange elements to highlight an argument.

The video finds Glover at a fair, sitting on a ferris wheel next to a stuffed bear. Throughout the video, two things happen: first, the bear begins to move, blinking and interacting with Glover. Second, the camera rotates, revealing the what's happening in the rest of the fair.

As the ride goes round and round, both of those scenes, the stuffed bear and the fair, begin to fall into chaos — the bear gets increasingly ruined and the environment in the background of the fair burns in flames. However, neither Glover nor the other riders on the ferris wheel seem to notice. At the end of the video, after panning to reveal the blazing landscape, the camera returns to the ferris wheel which is now empty except for the bear, which is in tatters.

In 2015, Vice writer Trey Smith speculated that the video is about the loss of innocence.

"The change from '3005,' a light feel-good song, to the second section of 'Zealots of Stockholm,' a much more dark and menacing track, is representative of how his views of the world have changed. It is no longer the cheerful place he knew it was—now that he’s seen the violence it is capable of in more than one way, he can’t continue to believe any other version of it."

Of course, that's the same transition we see in "This Is America." That video opens with Glover dancing while a man strums the guitar. However, that peaceful scene is quickly shattered when Glover suddenly shoots the guitar player.

The loss of innocence is also echoed with the kids that accompany Glover. Throughout the video, even as Glover commits acts of violence, he is accompanied by children who are either unaware or unconcerned by what Glover has done. That is until he holds up an invisible gun in the middle of the group. Scared, they kids flee and join the scenes of chaos unfolding around them.

Ultimately, "This Is America" is making waves because it seems to be signaling a new era for Glover. "What 'This Is America' suggests is that the next—and apparently last—Childish Gambino record will be far more pointed and political and uncomfortable," writes Rob Harvilla for The Ringer. But look closely and you can see that Glover has quietly been infusing his videos with social commentary all along.

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The perfect graduation gift for every type of grad in your life

Cash. Not gift cards. Literally just cold, hard cash. That's all grads want.

End of list.