How it compares: With stories directly from actual players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball league, this book gives A League of Their Own fans a look into the reality of the league the show is based on, as well as the history of the league itself. It’s a must-read for anyone who watched for the historical fiction plots, as well as anyone interested in women’s sports history. Get it from Bookshop or your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. How it compares: Although set in a much more progressive time than A League of Their Own, Julian Winters’ debut novel is sure to evoke many of the same feelings from readers. The book features a diverse and largely queer team that supports one another on and off the field, and two teammates who (at first) secretly fall for one another, learning more about themselves and their sexuality along the way. Get it from Bookshop or your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. How it compares: Those who watched the show for the team dynamic, strong female friendships, and badass women are bound to love this coming-of-age story about self-discovery and healing, set in the female-dominated world of roller derby. Get it from Bookshop or your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. How it compares: A riveting story that promises to be appealing to sports fans and non-sports fans alike. With a cutthroat and determined protagonist who is guaranteed to remind readers of so many of the women in the show, Carrie Soto Is Back is a heartwarming story of determination and defining success for oneself. Taylor Jenkins Reid has written another standout novel! Get it from Bookshop or your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. How it compares: Like many of the women in the show, Icebreaker’s protagonist is faced with the question of whether to hide his sexuality and be a star in his chosen sport, or leave the sport to live his life more comfortably. This is reminiscent of many of the players who must hide themselves in an unaccepting world in order to live their dream. Get it from Bookshop or your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. How it compares: Though this takes place two years prior to A League of Their Own, Diz and Frannie face almost identical obstacles to Carson and Greta. Both are lesbian couples brought together by a revolutionary females-only sports team, and both must hide who they are to succeed. This is probably the most similar book to the show on this list, and it’s a beautiful and quick read that should be added to your TBR, like, yesterday! Get it from Bookshop or your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. How it compares: This feel-good rom-com has a bit of a different vibe than the show, but contains the disaster gay trope we all know and love. Alex and Eli both face obstacles aside from their queer identities: Eli is physically disabled, and Alex deals with mental illness, and these are things that are dealt with well. The dynamic of Carson and Greta comes to mind with this book as well, with Eli being an out-and-proud queer man, reminiscent of the more experienced Greta, and Alex being newer to exploring his identity, much like Carson. It’s a different time, but things are still difficult for queer folks, and this book reminds us both of how far we’ve come, and how far we have left to go. Get it from Bookshop or your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. How it compares: Looking for something both funny and sapphic to fill the void in your heart after finishing the show? Look no further! This book features women in sports and is chock-full of complicated relationship dynamics that is bound to fill the void the show left in your gay little hearts! Get it from Bookshop or your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. How it compares: Cheer Up! is a fun graphic novel about the power of strong female friendship featuring the friends-to-lovers trope among teammates. Need I say more? Get it from Bookshop or your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here. How it compares: While the women in A League of Our Own deal with the pushback that comes from being in the first professional women’s baseball league, the women in this book deal with similar discrimination when they choose to play on their school’s previously all-male football team. Though it takes place over 70 years later, the obstacles faced by the girls in Like Other Girls prove that the need for feminism is as dire as ever, as is the need for female solidarity. Get it from Bookshop or your local indie bookstore via Indiebound here.
