Books › October mourning › Books like it
If you loved
Books like October mourning
A haunting, deeply felt cycle of verse that gives voice to the silent witnesses of a tragic hate crime. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with October mourning.
- somber
- reflective
- tragic
- poignant
- 01
The Laramie Project
Moisés Kaufman and Tectonic Theater Project · 2001
A haunting, polyphonic mosaic of real voices grappling with the devastating fallout of a hate crime in a small American town.
- 02
Heather has two mommies
Lesléa Newman · 1989
A warm, affirming embrace of a picture book that celebrates the simple truth that love is what makes a family.
- 03
The 57 Bus
Dashka Slater
A compassionate, multi-perspective deep dive into a single tragic moment and the complex web of justice, identity, and forgiveness it leaves behind.
- 04
We are okay
Nina LaCour
A hushed, wintry meditation on the profound loneliness of grief and the quiet courage it takes to let someone back in.
- 05
The five stages of Andrew Brawley
Shaun David Hutchinson
A raw, surreal exploration of survivor's guilt that feels like wandering through a liminal space before finally finding the courage to step back into the light.
- 06
Two Boys Kissing
David Levithan
A tender, generation-spanning embrace that connects the ghosts of the past to the defiant joy of the present.
- 07
Shine
Lauren Myracle
A gritty, atmospheric exploration of small-town secrets and the fierce, protective love of friendship in the face of bigotry.
- 08
Mysterious skin
Scott Heim · 1995
A haunting, hallucinatory descent into the fractured memories of two boys bound by a shared, unspeakable trauma.
- 09
Shout
Laurie Halse Anderson
A blistering, poetic roar of survival that shatters silence and demands to be heard.
- 10
Dance on my grave
Aidan Chambers · 1982
A fragmented, fiercely emotional dive into the dizzying heights of first queer love and the chaotic aftermath of sudden loss.
- 11
Hold Still
Nina LaCour
A tender, aching exploration of the quiet spaces left behind by loss, and the slow, messy art of learning to breathe again.
- 12
Who I Was with Her
Nita Tyndall
A raw, quiet exploration of what it means to mourn a love the world didn't know you had.
