“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read,” James Baldwin famously said. It’s what makes picking up a book so powerful: the potential for finding solace and solidarity. Or of having your eyes opened to a completely new way of seeing things, possibilities you’ve never encountered before, or people you would never have met, but discover that you have more in common with than you thought. 

One of Baldwin’s books, Giovanni’s Room, is among the 33 titles that are a part of the Aesop Queer Library this year. Returning to London from July 3-5, for the sixth year in a row, the Queer Library sees the brand clear out products from its Soho store and fill it with books by LGBTQIA+ authors from around the world – which people are invited to take home completely free of charge. 

This year's theme, Body of Work, celebrates queer literary voices that use the body as a site of power, pleasure, resistance and renewal, and its featured title is The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened by Adam Zmith and Tash Walker. “This is a book that takes us back in time. The story of Switchboard is carefully resurfaced by Walker and Zmith, and it highlights just how far we’ve come as a society, from Section 28 in the 80s to Same-Sex Marriage in 2013,” says K Bailey Obazee, the founder of PRIM and OKHA, the queer and Black book club. “I believe that the work by volunteers made that journey possible and this book gives us a look into that journey.”

As part of the Aesop Queer Library in London, Obazee is hosting the Reading Room at Aesop Spitalfields including a special OKHA book club session in the space. Here she curates a special list of books by queer Black writers for Dazed.

REVOLUTIONARY ACTS: LOVE & BROTHERHOOD IN BLACK GAY BRITAIN, JASON OKUNDAYE

Jason Okundaye meets an elder generation of Black gay men and finds a spirited community full of courage, charisma and good humour, hungry to tell its past – of nightlife, resistance, political fights, loss, gossip, sex, romance and vulgarity. Tracing these men’s journeys and arrivals to South London through the seventies, eighties and nineties from the present day, Okundaye relays their stories with rare compassion, listening as they share intimate memories and reflect upon their lives. 

“I love this book by Jason because of its history. It’s a book that we really needed to be a sort of time capsule for queer life until now. The conversations within it are inspiring and educational. We rarely have works that show the London, South London and Black male perspective this honestly, so it’s worth a read.”

THE CATCH, YRSA DALEY-WARD

Twin sisters Clara and Dempsey have always struggled to relate, their familial bond severed after their mother vanished into the Thames. In adulthood, they are all but estranged, until Clara sees a woman who looks exactly like their mother on the streets of London. The catch: this version of Serene, aged not a day, has enjoyed a childless life. Clara believes Serene is their mother, while Dempsey believes she is a con woman. As they clash over this stranger, the sisters hurtle toward an altercation that threatens their very existence, forcing them to finally confront their pasts – together.

“This book is definitely one to leave you with more questions than answers, and I think that’s the point. It’s a psychological head spinner that tackles grief, motherhood, gender, mental illness and generational trauma, playing with the lines of reality throughout. Reading Yrsa can only help you improve as a person and so The Catch is a good place to start or continue engaging in her work!”

NECESSARY FICTION, ELOGHOSA OSUNDE

Across Lagos, a rolling cast of unforgettable characters seek out love in all its forms, daring to push all other relationships – with partners, family and friends – to the brink in the process. As they form and break unexpected connections, they reveal how they know each other, have loved each other and had their hearts broken in that pursuit. This is a shimmering, defiant cross-generational portrait of what it means to be queer in contemporary Nigeria.

“Nigeria is not an easy country, but it is a beautiful place. Rich in love, culture, joy and care for each other. This book shows that and also gives us a focus on queer life and how being queer impacts friends, parents and your relationship with them. A side of life that we can’t speak to enough is how love can change, from being enduring and lasting to being entirely conditional on you not being ‘openly’ queer.”

MINOR BLACK FIGURES, BRANDON TAYLOR

Wyeth is a newcomer to New York, a young Black painter who is trying to find his place in the contemporary Manhattan art scene. He meets Keating, a white former priest struggling with his faith. The two men seemingly have nothing in common, and yet Keating shows Wyeth how to see the world anew. But as the men grow closer, the differences between them become more stark, until Wyeth and Keating must decide what they are willing to risk – for art and for love.

“This work delves into the legacy of Black artists. This book has an erotic energy I love, the meticulous descriptions and conversations between characters – definitely one you’ll finish feeling fulfilled.”

GIOVANNI’S ROOM, JAMES BALDWIN

David, a young American in 1950s Paris, is waiting for his fiancée to return from vacation in Spain. But when he meets Giovanni, a handsome Italian barman, the two men are drawn into an intense affair. After three months David's fiancée returns and, denying his sexuality, he rejects Giovanni for a 'safe' future as a married man – a decision that will bring tragedy, longing and regret.

“It’s been many years since I read Giovanni’s Room but so much of this story sticks with me, the character building is incredible and you often feel like you are in the room. It’s a classic queer tale that honestly depicts what living as a queer person can be like.”

The Aesop Foundation will be donating to both Switchboard and the nationwide trans+ charity, Not a Phase. The Aesop Queer Library, Soho, is open from 3 July to 5 July.