The Book of Queer Prophets curated by Ruth Hunt

The Book of Queer Prophets curated by Ruth Hunt. Advance Reader Copy (eARC) from the publisher via Netgalley included. No affiliate links used. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Featuring essays from well known authors, Jeanette Winterson and Juno Dawson and the screenwriter and director Dustin Lance Black, The Book of Queer Prophets looks at the what it means to be religious and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. 

The Book of Queer Prophets is a thought-provoking read, but I found it a little uneven. This is often the case with anthologies, where I connect with some writers and essays more than others. While there are essays about Islam and Judaism, this is a predominately Christian focused collection. It is also western-centric. 

The afterword is an essay by Reverend Kate Bottley, familiar to many people as a result of appearing on Gogglebox, about how she became an LGBTQ+ ally. I understand why her experience was included, but I think the range of religious LGBTQ+ people we heard from could have been expanded before including allies. 

Overall, I would recommend The Book of Queer Prophets if you are looking to broaden your LGBTQ+ non-fiction reading. The standout essays for me were The Queer Prophet by Amrou Al-Kadhi, Mustangs and Mama Dragons by Dustin Lance Black and A Letter to My Nephew by Jarel Robinson-Brown.

The Book of Queer Prophets curated by Ruth Hunt is published by William Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins, and is available in hardback, ebook and audiobook format. The paperback edition is published on May 27th.