Book Bingo NW 2025: Found Family

While stories of romantic love and family drama are easy to find, many of us, especially queer folks who might be estranged or abandoned by their families of origin, find community, solace, and meaning through a network of friends who become family – also known as “found family” or “chosen family,” which is one of this year’s Book Bingo categories. Check out these books for examples of how non-biological family can support one another in the most meaningful ways!

Though the list mostly contains fiction, Mia Birdsong’s How We Show Up is an essential read for anyone interested in building more community. As an activist and community organizer, Birdsong shares stories from the ground on how poor and marginalized folks have historically and continue to create support systems and pathways for connection outside of mainstream institutions. She uses both organizational examples and practices from her own life that have built community that becomes family, like open community dinners and networks of non-biological “aunties.” A great primer for anyone wanting to build their own found family!

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki manages to combine a ton of different elements (music prodigies, an alien donut shop, making deals with the actual devil, commentary on anti-trans violence) into one successful story of found family. When violin teacher Shizuka Satomi makes a contract with hell to deliver the souls of seven perfect violinists, she thinks she’s found her final victim in Katrina Nguyen, a runaway trans girl who plays video game music on the violin. But Satomi doesn’t expect to develop real warmth for Katrina, or to start a very slow-burning romance with Lan Tran, a donut maker who happens to be an extraterrestrial refugee from another war-torn planet. Though the depictions of abuse and trauma can be very intense, at its core, this is the story of the power of individuals to define themselves and the ability to save one another in the process.

For a very literal depiction of found family, check out Torrey Peters’ Detransition, Baby. Reese, a trans woman in the midst of a drawn-out affair with a married man, is unexpectedly reunited with her ex, Ames, who has detransitioned since they broke up and is now dating his boss, a cis woman named Katrina. Katrina’s surprise pregnancy throws all three of them for a loop, as they each reckon with their ideas of gender, femininity, motherhood, and family. Reese has always wanted a child, Ames is ambivalent about what this all means for his self-identity, and Katrina plans to get an abortion if not for Ames, so why don’t they all raise the child together as one unconventional family?

Found family often forms out of necessity and shared identity, as in Gretchen Felker-Martin’s Cuckoo. Set in 1995 Utah, this horror novel stars a group of teens who have been kidnapped and forcibly sent to a conversion camp where they face brutal abuse. As they peel back the layers of trauma visited upon the queer teens at the camp, they must rely on one another to stay alive. Years later, those still alive realize the entity that tortured them is back, and they must band together once again to finally defeat this enemy. Though not for the faint of heart, those who love horror will be rewarded with this story of camaraderie under the worst circumstances.

For more suggestions, check out the Book Bingo NW 2025: Found Family  booklist!

~posted by Jane S.  

For more ideas for books to meet your Summer Book Bingo challenge, follow our Shelf Talk BookBingoNW2025 series or check the hashtag #BookBingoNW2025 on social media. Book Bingo is presented in partnership with Seattle Arts & Lectures and the King County Library System.

  While stories of romantic love and family drama are easy to find, many of us, especially queer folks who might be estranged or abandoned by their families of origin, find community, solace, and meaning through a network of friends who become family – also known as “found family” or “chosen family,” which is one of … Continue reading “Book Bingo NW 2025: Found Family” 

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