Books like Fire in the belly by C. Carr

An inside look into the life of Andy Warhol through his own diary entries, offering rare insights into his artistic world, personal relationships and the cultural scene of his era.

The fact of a Body chronicles Alexandria Marzano‑Lesnevich’s unsettling discovery of a convicted murderer’s confession while she works as a paralegal for a Louisiana law firm, forcing her to reexamine her anti‑death penalty convictions amid the shadows of her family’s legal legacy.

Abraham Verghese, an Indian physician, serves in Johnson City, Tennessee, as the town’s first AIDS specialist, documenting the emotional, medical, and communal challenges of confronting HIV/AIDS in a rural American setting.

A tender and lyrical memoir of a gay man's love story, winner of the Lambda Literary Award and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Henrietta Bennett, a Southern heiress, thrives as a jazz‑era socialite and publishing heir before her fierce lesbian romances provoke scandal and a life of addiction. Her story blends glamour, alcoholism, and LGBTQ history.

"Henry Darger was utterly unknown during his lifetime, keeping a quiet, secluded existence as a janitor on Chicago's North Side. When he died his landlord discovered a treasure trove of more than three hundred canvases and more than 30,000 manuscript pages depicting a rich, shocking fantasy world-many showing hermaphroditic children being eviscerated, crucified and strangled. While some art historians tend to dismiss Darger as an unhinged psychopath, in Henry Darger, Throw-Away Boy, Jim Elledge cuts through the cloud of controversy and rediscovers Darger as a damaged, fearful, gay man, raised in a world unaware of the consequences of child abuse or gay shame. This thoughtful, sympathetic biography tells the true story of a tragically misunderstood artist. Drawn from fascinating histories of the vice-ridden districts of 1900s Chicago, tens of thousands of pages of primary source material, and Elledge's own work in queer history, the book also features a full-color reproduction of a never-before-seen canvas from a private gallery in New York, as well as a previously undiscovered photograph of Darger with his life-partner Whillie. Engaging and arresting, Henry Darger, Throw-Away Boy brings alive a complex, brave, and compelling man whose outsider art is both challenging and a triumph over trauma"--

Imani Perry’s biography unearths Lorraine Hansberry’s vibrant life, from her groundbreaking work on civil rights and politics to her candid identity as a lesbian, offering a comprehensive view beyond her famous play.

A biography that reveals the hidden life of Samuel M. Steward—novelist, poet, professor, and post‑Stonewall tattoo artist—through unpublished diaries and research correspondence, illustrating early homosexual existence in America.

A powerful memoir of Charles M. Blow’s rise from a childhood marked by violence and racism in segregated Louisiana to becoming a leading journalist and public intellectual.

Edmund White delivers a meticulous biography of Jean Genet, tracing the French writer’s criminal past, gay life, political engagement, and artistic output, while analyzing his plays, novels, and essays.

Newton Arvin, a Smith College professor known for groundbreaking literary studies, struggled with McCarthyism and betrayed his friends after a raid on his apartment.

A memoir by journalist Kevin Sessums that reflects on his life growing up in Mississippi and his career in American journalism.

At UNC, gay college boy Ronny navigates dorm life and secrets while developing a charged, emotionally complex relationship with Ben, a football star, amid family upheavals and the clash of love and grief.

A candid memoir of Cleve Jones, activist, and AIDS advocate, tracing his rise in 1970s San Francisco, his partnership with Harvey Milk, and his battles against the AIDS crisis, culminating in founding the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

John Lahr’s biography offers an intimate, thoroughly researched portrait of Tennessee Williams, exploring his family, creativity, sexuality, and legacy as a transformative American playwright.