5 Queer Books for Fans of Chappell Roan

It’s impossible to talk about Chappell Roan without talking about drag: her on-stage persona is an homage to drag queens. Her infamous line, “I’m your favorite artist’s favorite artist. I’m your dream girl’s dream girl,” is a reference to RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Sasha Colby’s line, “I am your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen.” To better understand the campy glory that is Chappell Roan’s persona, performance, and costuming, pick up a book about drag. This illustrated primer is an accessible starting point.

Another crucial part of Chappell Roan’s story is being a Midwest Princess, as her album puts it. “Pink Pony Club” and “California” are songs in conversation that both reflect on the joy and grief of leaving a rural hometown to try to make it in California. In Real Queer America, Samantha Allen spotlights the often ignored stories of the queer people who stay in “flyover country,” changing these red states from the inside. Queer people are everywhere, and this book shows the work they’re doing to make historically conservative areas more accepting, from drag shows in the Bible Belt to a queer nightclub in Bloomington, Indiana.

While my first two recommendations are tied to specific aspects of Chappell Roan’s persona and background, the next ones are more vibes-based. Perfume & Pain is a literary fiction title that references the lesbian pulp fiction of the ’50s and ’60s. If you’re not familiar with the genre, lesbian pulp was campy and melodramatic, somewhere between erotica and soap opera, and it usually had an unhappy ending lest anyone get the idea that being queer is acceptable. This book is just as melodramatic, and it’s perfect if you want to read a sexy, satirical story about a lesbian writer making terrible decisions. The campy aspect matches Chappell Roan’s over-the-top stage persona.

One thing I love about Chappell Roan’s music is her unapologetic celebration of queer sexuality, so I had to include at least one title that does the same thing. This historical romance takes place in 1889 Paris. Manuela is determined to get one last summer of debauchery in before she marries a rich man out of convenience. Cora wants to buy a parcel of land off Manuela that is crucial to her business plan. Manuela agrees, but only if Cora introduces her to the lesbian side of the city. Don’t let the historical setting fool you: this is a very steamy romance.

The music video of “Casual” shows Chappell Roan falling for a man-eating mermaid, and “Red Wine Supernova” has a vampire reference (“put her canine teeth in the side of my neck”), so I had to include at least one monster…lover book on this list. This is a gothic horror graphic novel with a whole lot of eroticism. Don’t expect a happily-ever-after romance, but you’re sure to be unsettled and enthralled by this haunting lesbian vampire story. This was out of print for a while, but it’s available again now!