Drive across the United States with Rae Garringer as they explore small town life and the queer communities and people that prove we are truly everywhere (chuckle).

I’m always confessing to this one deed over and over again, but this time it wasn’t the cover that sold me but the title. I actually thought this book was about queer country singers (chuckle). There is a music station and social media group that promotes only rainbow country and I thought they had compiled a coffee table book of musicians.

Instead I got a nuanced and revealing page after page of raw story telling. People from across the United States share their intimate moments with Garringer to include the good and the bad. What I love the most about the biographies is the diversity. This is really what makes America so great (in my opinion). The different cultures, religions, and identities are explored here. The author doesn’t preach, they just let the voices ring clear. I do love how the Native American lands are listed and then the name most would recognize them as today is listed. (raising my hands high - woohoo!!!!)

I can’t pick a favorite because everyone’s story is important to hear. My recommendation is to do what I did. Read a story at a time. Pick one randomly. I think this would make a great addition to a high school reading list. Diversity matters and Rae Garringer just brought a great conversation starter to the table.

This one is for the Orville Peck/Chappel Roan fans.

This book successfully dismantles the myth that queer life thrives only in urban spaces, offering a much-needed counter-narrative about those who find love, community, and identity in the quiet, isolated, but fiercely resilient corners of the country.
A testament to the endurance of queer people in rural spaces and an invitation to consider a broader, more inclusive understanding of queer life in America. Highly recommend for readers interested in queer studies.

As a Cuntry Queer myself I was really excited to read this and hear stories like mine. Unfortunately, the introduction was the best part. I felt like the author didn't dig deep enough into each person's story and what I was left with was merely anecdotal. I did love the snappy writing and it does demonstrate the whole " We have always been here" attitude I was looking for, but I was left wanting more.

Picked this up because I cannot resist a book that claims to be a love letter to queerness, and I'm happy to say that this <i>Country Queers</i> lived up to my expectations. This book is exactly what it promises to be. I loved the variety of people whose stories were featured and getting to hear what each of them had to say. The book was also put together very well with pictures and interludes that made for a coherent narrative despite the isolated interviews. Definitely makes me want to check out the Country Queers podcast!

As a rural (but not quite country) queer, I was very intrigued by this book and I'm so glad it didn't disappoint! Storytelling and knowledge sharing is incredibly important in marginalized communities and Country Queers did an amazing job of providing a platform for so many unheard voices. I love how Rae Garringer considers the ethics of capturing these stories, and also makes a pointed effort to learn from others and include a diverse range of people in terms of gender, sexuality, age, and race.

This book was emotionally heavy at times, touching on homophobia, violence, the AIDS crisis, and more. Near the start of the book, Garringer points out that someone encouraged them to capture not only the sad parts of being queer but also to celebrate the joys. I believe Garringer did an incredible job of following through with this and making sure not to fall into the sad, tragic queers stereotypes mainstream media loves to pump out. The interviews in this book were insightful and inspiring, and I could tell a lot of care was put into choosing which excerpts to include from each person.

I also love the scrapbook vibes of Country Queers! It was so beautiful to see all the photos of everyone who was included in the book, especially just to show how diverse being queer is. There's no one way to look when you're queer.

Thank you to Netgalley and Haymarket Books for the eARC!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.

More books need to be like this. Rural queers need more representation.

‘Country Queers’ by Rae Garringer is a unique and heartfelt blend of photo book, memoir, and oral history project that seeks to capture the lived experiences of queer and trans individuals in rural areas and small towns across the United States. Through personal narratives and powerful imagery, the book provides a window into the challenges and triumphs faced by LGBTQ+ communities in environments often overlooked in broader discussions about queer life.

Accuracy: ★★★★☆
The book does a commendable job of accurately depicting the diverse realities of queer and trans individuals in rural America. The stories shared are raw, authentic, and deeply personal, offering a truthful representation of life outside urban centres. However, the book could have benefited from additional context or commentary from experts in queer studies or rural sociology to further ground these narratives in a broader understanding of the systemic issues at play.

Perspective: ★★★☆☆
While ‘Country Queers’ offers a valuable perspective on the intersection of queerness and rural life, the focus is somewhat narrow, centring primarily on individual stories without delving deeply into the broader social, economic, and political factors that shape these experiences. The personal nature of the narratives is powerful, but the lack of a more analytical approach may leave readers with unanswered questions about the larger forces at work.

Relevance: ★★★☆☆
The relevance of this book is somewhat niche, as it specifically addresses the experiences of queer and trans individuals in rural and small-town settings. While this is an important and often underrepresented topic, the book may not resonate as strongly with readers who do not share these specific experiences or interests. Additionally, the relevance might be limited by the book’s focus on the United States, potentially excluding readers from other rural contexts around the world.

Engagement: ★★☆☆☆
The book’s engagement level is somewhat lacking. While the stories and images are compelling, the pacing and structure of the book can feel disjointed at times, making it difficult to maintain a consistent level of interest. The combination of different formats—photos, memoirs, oral histories—while innovative, may also contribute to a sense of fragmentation, reducing the overall impact of the narrative.

Readability: ★★★☆☆
‘Country Queers’ is moderately readable, with accessible language and straightforward storytelling. However, the varying formats and shifts between personal stories and visual elements can make the reading experience feel uneven. Some readers might struggle with the lack of a clear narrative thread, which could have been improved with a more cohesive structure.

Enjoyment: ★★☆☆☆
While the book is a valuable and important contribution to the documentation of queer rural life, it may not be the most enjoyable read for everyone. The emotional weight of the stories, combined with the somewhat fragmented presentation, can make it a challenging book to fully immerse oneself in. Readers looking for a more cohesive and uplifting narrative may find this book difficult to fully enjoy.


‘Country Queers’ by Rae Garringer is a poignant and necessary exploration of queer and trans life in rural America, offering a rare glimpse into the experiences of those living outside of urban LGBTQ+ communities. While the book excels in capturing the authenticity of these stories, its narrow focus, fragmented structure, and emotionally heavy content may limit its appeal to a broader audience. Nonetheless, it remains an important work for those interested in the intersection of queerness and rural life, even if it may not be the most engaging or enjoyable read for all.

This was very good. I loved the different perspectives and stories. It was neatly put together and I loved the collages. Thanks NetGallery

Thoroughly enjoyed this little collection of interviews and photographs. Garringer weaves a wonderful, enrapturing web of rural queer life. My favorite interview was the one of the men talking about their experience with the AIDs epidemic. Very moving. I do wish the interviews were a little longer though.

As someone who grew up in North Carolina and identifies as queer, I found myself intantly drawn to this book. I'm very glad i picked it up because it was such a wonderful book filled with beautiful stories. I'm going to give the podcast a listen as well, to hear more.

!!!!!!!!! This was fantastic. I loved all the photos and stories/interviews from people all over the country and from all walks of life talking about their experiences being queer. And I really liked seeing the way this project evolved over the ~10 years since Garringer started working on it. The way they learned more about how to conduct interviews, what to talk about, how they specifically made a point to reach out to a more diverse pool of people after the initial road trip in 2013, etc.

Not to drag a similar book I read last month, but this is EXACTLY what I wanted Real Queer America to be, and now I want to drop my rating of that one even lower lol. They have similar premises, but I like that despite the fact that I also learned a decent amount about the author in this, they put the focus on the people they were interviewing, and didn’t do a bunch of navelgazing about why cities suck and why all queer people who live in cities are miserable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Haymarket Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unlike the other reviews, I didn’t have any issues with my NetGalley file, so don’t be discouraged from reading it for that reason, they seem to have worked out the issues.

I quite enjoyed this collection of interviews and collocation of oral histories. What an incredible way of combining photographs, acknowledging indigenous land, and showing solidarity across the midwest and south.

When I came across this book I knew I had to read it. As a country queer myself in always excited to see representation of queers in the country, especially since it’s not representation I see often.

This books is a passion project and you can tell how much love and care Rae Garringer put into creating this book. Collecting a series interviews from fellow country queers from people of different sexualities, genders, ages, and races. Collected all together like this it paints a beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking of the wide variety of experiences and this book does a fantastic job of representing all the different ways being a country queer can look like.

While no I did really enjoy this book, unfortunately a large portion of it is missing from the ebook copy of the ARC. The missing pages occurred at varying times of different interviews and that made it difficult to understand what was going on. Despite that I can see the bones of this book and tell how impactful it will be in a completed format. I’m looking forward to this book being published and being able to read the story in its totality.

Thanks for much to Net Galley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the chance to read this book!

I did not leave a public review because the download I received did not have all the pages and most interviews were cut short. It made it had to read and difficult to give a true review. BUT the gist I got was amazing and I am going to request a copy from my library and rate when I can read the whole thing. Thank you so much for the opportunity to review.

I really enjoyed this glimpse into the life of queer people living rurally. It shows such a great perspective for our youth to normalize people of all backgrounds and gender identities. It felt very welcoming to me, as I also live in the south. I also enjoyed the range of people who were interviewed.

A really interesting read. Basically multiple photos and interviews of rural living queer people. I love the idea but I don't really care for how to was done. I was expecting a lot more photography, mainly aesthetic photography on country queers but it was mostly filled with interviews. I also really enjoyed the native tribes that were originally found on the lands where the interviewees were living were listed.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Haymarket Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love the topic of this book. It is so important to recognize that lgbt+ people live everywhere and have different experiences, also the diversity in this book was awesome. My favorite part were the interviews.

This book was not especially compatible online. It was hard to clearly see some of the pages and many pages were missing.

As a fellow country queer, I was really excited to delve into this text. Unfortunately, the ARC I received was missing approximately 50% of its contents (according to the page count on NetGalley). Despite this, I found what was available deeply engaging and, although I was frustrated when the interview or introductory/contextual sections by Garringer were truncated, my overwhelming emotion was a desire to read the text in its entirety.

Country Queers began as an oral history project, which then became a podcast before evolving into this current form as a selection of interviews accompanied by Garringer’s commentary and parts of their own story. In the best tradition of politically conscious scholarship, Garringer does their best to avoid the damaging, extractive and unethical patterns that so often accompanies the gathering of accounts of marginalised peoples. By underpinning this project with an ethos of deep collaboration, and firmly locating themself and including explicit interrogations of the project as part of the text, Garringer encourages readers to both enjoy these stories of country queers who have survived and thrived as well as to think critically about how settler colonialism, racism and other forms of oppression have shaped their experiences and participation in the project. Critically this text does not seek to resolve the tensions it identifies and the complexities it acknowledges. Instead it is informed by an imperative and an ethic of situating the individual narratives contained in their broader historical and political contexts.

The result is a collection of moving, funny, sad, joyful, inspirational, and challenging insights into the lived experiences of the people interviewed. The selection of stories is diverse and at times makes for difficult reading, but the text also allows readers to gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which people’s rural existence can be similar and different across intersections. It also encourages its audience to ponder the ongoing barriers for country people – some specific to being queer, others more universal – and to think about how this might shape our daily lives and political activism. In the Preface, Garringer writes that rural queer have and will always radically claim “our queerness and country-ness at the same time”. While this is undoubtedly true, projects like this play such an important part in breaking down the isolation and loneliness that can accompany the sense of being the first or the only queer in the village. I look forward to engaging with the book as a whole come publication day.

Thank you NetGalley and Haymarket Books for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Fantastic book! I loved the pictures, I loved the interviews, I loved the concept. People forget that all queer people don't reside in California or New York! I definitely will buy a hard copy of this book when it comes out, I think it would be great to own and peruse at my leisure.

A wonderful examination of the queer experience in the rural south. It’s incredible to see your own experiences reflected.