Reading Order List — Book Series Reading Order Guide
Dorothy Allison

Dorothy Allison Reading Order

5 series · 28 books · Born 1949-04-11

Non-Fiction

Dorothy Allison was an American author whose unflinching narratives explored the intersections of poverty, trauma, and identity within working-class communities. Her body of work grapples with difficult subjects including sexual violence, child abuse, and queer desire, centered through a feminist and lesbian perspective that made her a significant voice in contemporary literature. A multiple Lambda Literary Award winner, Allison's fiction and essays challenged readers to confront systems of oppression while affirming the resilience of marginalized lives.

Anthologies Series

Complete

16 books (1990–2022)

Start with Women on Women, the first of 15 books in the Anthologies series.

Start this series with Women on Women

Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
#Title
1
Cover of Women on Women
Women on Women
1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2
Cover of High Risk
3
Cover of Leatherfolk
4
Cover of Growing Up Gay/Growing Up Lesbian: A Literary Anthology
Growing Up Gay/Growing Up Lesbian: A Literary Anthology
1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5
Cover of Writing Women's Lives
Writing Women's Lives
1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6
Cover of Downhome
7
Cover of Swords of the Rainbow
Swords of the Rainbow
1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8
Cover of The Best American Short Stories 2003
The Best American Short Stories 2003
2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9
Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class
2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10
Rhetorical Women: Roles and Representations
2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11
Cover of The Writer's Notebook
The Writer's Notebook
2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12
My Favorite Lesbian Stories from Best American Erotica
2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13
Gay City: Volume 5
2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14
Cover of Walk Till the Dogs Get Mean:Meditations on the Forbidden from Contemporary Appalachia
Walk Till the Dogs Get Mean:Meditations on the Forbidden from Contemporary Appalachia
2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15
LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia
2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16

Collections Series

Complete

2 books (1983–1988)

Start with The Women Who Hate Me and read in order.

Start this series with The Women Who Hate Me

Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
#Title
1
Cover of The Women Who Hate Me
The Women Who Hate Me
1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2
Cover of Trash

Live Girls Series

Ongoing

5 books (1998–2025)

Start with C*nt: A Declaration of Independence(By: Inga Muscio), the first of 5 books in the Live Girls series.

Start this series with C*nt: A Declaration of Independence(By: Inga Muscio)

Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
#Title
1
C*nt: A Declaration of Independence(By: Inga Muscio)
1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2
Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism(By: Bushra Rehman,Daisy Hernández)
2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3
Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class
2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4
Unruly Appetites: Erotica(By: Hanne Blank)
2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5
Valencia(By: Michelle Tea)
2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

Non-Fiction Series

Complete

3 books (1994–2012)

Start with Skin and read in order.

Start this series with Skin

Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
#Title
1
Cover of Skin
2
Cover of Two or Three Things I Know for Sure
Two or Three Things I Know for Sure
1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3
Cover of Conversations with Dorothy Allison
Conversations with Dorothy Allison
2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

Standalone Novels Series

Complete

2 books (1992–1998)

Start with Bastard Out of Carolina and read in order.

Start this series with Bastard Out of Carolina

Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
#Title
1
Cover of Bastard Out of Carolina
Bastard Out of Carolina
1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2
Cover of Cavedweller

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Dorothy Allison written?
Dorothy Allison has written 28 books across 5 series. Their published works span from 1983 to 2025.
What is the first book in each Dorothy Allison series?
Here are the first books in Dorothy Allison's series: Anthologies: Women on Women; Collections: The Women Who Hate Me; Live Girls: C*nt: A Declaration of Independence(By: Inga Muscio); Non-Fiction: Skin.
What order should I read Dorothy Allison's books?
We recommend reading Dorothy Allison's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
Is Dorothy Allison still writing new books?
Yes, Dorothy Allison has 1 ongoing series: Live Girls.

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