Representation is good for people. People who aren't cisgender should find fiction and nonfiction that speaks to their feelings and real-life experiences. It's important, uplifting, and reassuring to do this.

If you're a non-binary person who likes reading and writing non-binary books, it can change your life, too.

Essential Non-Binary Books to Read

Two lists are here: one is for non-binary fiction, and the other lists all kinds of non-binary books: one for fiction, one for non-fiction.

The non-binary fiction comes in a variety of formats and genres. It has books written by non-binary people and books that have non-binary characters in them (which may have been written by non-binary, trans, or cisgender authors).

The non-binary nonfiction mostly consists of memoirs and inspirational non-binary books that are meant to help both cis and non-cis people.

Every book on these lists has an important role to play. Please let me know if you have any ideas.

Non-Binary Fiction

As I said, the non-binary books on this list range from novels with non-binary characters to books with characters of all genders written by non-binary people.

She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Who Became She It is a genderqueer version of the story about Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of China's Ming Dynasty, and how he came to be.

She Who Became The Sun is set in the 14th century and tells the story of Zhu Yuanzhang, a peasant who became a monk, then a rebel leader, and finally an emperor. It turns this story into a beautiful fantasy-themed genderqueer epic that is set in China.

First, She Who Became The Sun shows us a peasant family on the brink of starvation. This is what the book is about. It doesn't matter that a fortune teller said that his son would be great. The father and son are soon killed, and only the daughter is left:

Takes the name Zhu Chongba, which is her brother's name, disguises herself as a man, seeks refuge at a monastery, and rises through the ranks of a rebel army as they fight the mongols who now rule China. This is the story of this daughter.

To write non-binary fiction, She Who Became The Sun looks at the life of someone who is both and neither a man and women. At first, they are both and neither. Zhu Chongba, a non-binary character, is truly a source of inspiration.

Loveless by Alice Oseman

People who write about cisagenders like Alice Oseman are called queer. Her books and comics have inspired and comforted a lot of people, young and old. In her book, Loveless, which was based on her own experiences, she made a non-binary character that was very interesting.

A young woman who is figuring out how to be asexual is the main character of the book Loveless. Sunil, a non-binary character who is the new president of Durham University's queer society, is an important secondary character.

Author: Sunil is written with sensitivity and a lot of energy. Sunil is an intelligent and thoughtful non-binary character who had a big impact on this writer when he was first figuring out how to be non-binary himself.

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

Phoenix Extravagant is one of the coolest non-binary books you'll ever read, and it's not even close. It's a fantasy book about dragons, art, politics, and more.

American author Yoon Ha Lee is a transgender man who lives in Texas. In Phoenix Extravagant, he has written one of the most exciting books about non-binary people ever written.

They call Gyen Jebi, a non-binary artist, because they need someone to paint the magical symbols that make the occupying army's robots come to life. In a world that looks like Japanese-occupied Korea, this is a cleverly political fantasy book.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

If Akwaeke Emezi is writing, you can't call him anything else. He is a visionary author. Their first book, Freshwater, made a lot of people look, won awards, and put them on the map as an author to keep an eye on.

They have been writing books of all kinds and styles in a short time, and Pet was their first book for young adults.

P.E.T. is an action-packed book that deals with a lot of important issues. It shows how young people rise up and older people shrug off their words with instinct and excitement.

In Pet, we follow Jam, a young girl who has been told that there are no monsters. But she has met Pet, a creature born from one of her mom's paintings.

She is a non-binary writer who writes some of the smartest non-binary books (and all kinds of books, for that matter) that we've ever read.

The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang

Neon Yang, who used to be called JY Yang, is a non-binary writer from Singapore. The Black Tides of Heaven and The Red Threads of Fortune came out at the same time. They tell the story of twins Mokoya and Akeha, who were sold to the Grand Monastery as children.

They each have powerful prophetic abilities. Mokoya sees what will happen, and Akeha can see what is possible. It turns out that Akeha's mother, the Protector, will make some very big political moves soon. When he sees this, he leaves to join the growing rebellion. Because of this, the split between the twins grows even bigger.

This is a pair of fantasy novellas by one of the most exciting non-binary authors writing today. They are beautiful.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Author Rivers Solomon lives in the United Kingdom. There is an author who is not a man or a woman. They use the fae/faer pronouns. An Unkindness of Ghosts is Faer's first science fiction book. It talks about systemic and structural racism in a sci-fi setting.

Taking place on a generation ship, An Unkindness of Ghosts looks at how racial divides work through the structure of the ship Matilda.

Among non-binary writers, Rivers Solomon is one of the most exciting. This makes An Unkindness of Ghosts one of the most exciting and relevant non-binary books, especially when it comes to the way it shows racism through science fiction.

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

Several people have put Mason Deaver's book I Wish You All the Best at the top of their lists of non-binary books. It tells the story of Ben, a senior in high school who tells their parents that they aren't a boy or a girl. They are then kicked out of the school right away.

With their older sister and her husband, Ben moves in with them. They come out to them, and he goes back to school. Things get even more complicated when they become friends with a boy named Nathan, who is the yin to Ben's yang when it comes to personality. This makes things even more complicated.

When Ben and Nathan have a relationship, it grows, changes, and gets more complicated as time goes on. I Wish You All the Best is one of the cutest and most heartfelt YA books about non-binary people that I've seen in a long time. It can touch a lot of people in a lot of different ways.

Outlawed by Anna North

Outlawed is a great piece of American history fiction written by journalist Anna North, who was born in California and now lives in New York.

Outlawed is a story about Ada, a young woman who can't get pregnant. It's based on real people and events. Hole in the Wall is a gang of outlaws who break out of their community's rules. She escapes and joins them.

People call him "The Kid." The Kid leads a group of outlaws who are all women. The Kid is never gendered or given any pronouns, so he doesn't have a name. They are only known as The Kid. Especially in a piece of historical fiction like this one, this is a truly inspiring character who isn't a person.

Through her journalism, Anna North is interested in gender issues and has written one of the coolest non-binary books because of her creation of The Kid. She is a cisgender woman.

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

On a Sunbeam is the most beautiful and ambitious graphic novel written and drawn by Tillie Walden.

It's in between a school in the middle of the universe and a ship that takes its crew on trips to visit and fix space ruins so that the past can be rebuilt. This is how it works: A Sunbeam is following Mia, the new member of the Aktis' crew, as she goes about her work.

It's because Elliot, a non-binary character and silent member of the Aktis ship, is part of the crew. This makes this book one of the coolest non-binary books out there.

I like how the story frames the existence of a non-binary character as normal so that it doesn't stand out. This shows how acceptance changes into normalcy as time goes on.

On a Sunbeam is also a topical, interesting, and beautiful graphic novel. Treat for the eyes.

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