An Unkindness of Ghosts

An Unkindness of Ghosts opens with the dedication, “To my mother and her mother all the way back to Eve.” While the other four books on this list emphasize the queer and genderqueer people we might choose to recognize as ancestors, this book focuses on Aster’s relationship with her mother, revealing the way that biological family can, in certain instances, support and affirm genderqueer identity.

This is an astonishing read, set on a generation ship ferrying the last of humanity through space to a mythical Promised Land. In a society organised like the antebellum South, the story follows our remarkable heroine, Aster. She is flawed, self-effacing, astonishingly courageous, with a huge heart and fierce hope despite what seems like hopeless odds. It’s a story of survival against the brutal reality of slavery, a journey of hope, and an enormous lesson in working with what you’ve got, never giving up, and appreciating that there are always choices to be found. Resourceful Aster never stops fighting, while… show more.