Dorothy Allison Reading Order
5 series · 27 books · Born 1949-04-11
Dorothy Allison is a prolific American author known for her powerful narratives that explore themes of class, identity, and resilience, particularly within LGBTQ+ contexts. With a career spanning from 1983 to 2025, she has published 27 works across five series, including notable titles like her celebrated novel "Bastard Out of Carolina." Her diverse collection includes standalone novels, anthologies, and non-fiction, solidifying her place as a significant voice in contemporary literature.
Anthologies Series
Complete15 books (1990–2019)
Start with Women on Women, the first of 15 books in the Anthologies series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Women on Women 1990Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  High Risk 1991Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  Leatherfolk 1991Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  Growing Up Gay/Growing Up Lesbian: A Literary Anthology 1993Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Writing Women's Lives 1994Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  Downhome 1995Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  Swords of the Rainbow 1996Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  The Best American Short Stories 2003 2003Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 | Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 | Rhetorical Women: Roles and Representations 2005Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 |  The Writer's Notebook 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 | My Favorite Lesbian Stories from Best American Erotica 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 | Gay City: Volume 5 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 |  Walk Till the Dogs Get Mean:Meditations on the Forbidden from Contemporary Appalachia 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 | LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
Collections Series
Complete2 books (1983–1988)
Start with The Women Who Hate Me and read in order.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  The Women Who Hate Me 1983Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Trash 1988Buy 🇺🇸 |
Live Girls Series
Ongoing5 books (1998–2025)
Start with C*nt: A Declaration of Independence(By: Inga Muscio), the first of 5 books in the Live Girls series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | C*nt: A Declaration of Independence(By: Inga Muscio) 1998Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism(By: Bushra Rehman,Daisy Hernández) 2002Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 | Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 | Unruly Appetites: Erotica(By: Hanne Blank) 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 | Valencia(By: Michelle Tea) 2025Buy 🇺🇸 |
Non-Fiction Series
Complete3 books (1994–2012)
Start with Skin and read in order.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Skin 1994Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Two or Three Things I Know for Sure 1995Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  Conversations with Dorothy Allison 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
Standalone Novels Series
Complete2 books (1992–1998)
Start with Bastard Out of Carolina and read in order.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Bastard Out of Carolina 1992Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Cavedweller 1998Buy 🇺🇸 |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Dorothy Allison written?
- Dorothy Allison has written 27 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.