On Thursday, February 19, 2026 – Another Story Bookshop hosts their second meeting of the Toronto edition of the Violet Hour Book Club (VHBC), a reading and discussion group dedicated to exploring classic and contemporary 2S/LGBTQ+ literature. February’s book selection is Saeed Jones’ searing memoir How We Fight for Our Lives.
A young Black gay man from the South fights for a place for himself
Haunted and haunting, How We Fight for Our Lives (Simon & Schuster, 2020) is a stunning coming-of-age memoir about a young Black gay man from the American South as he fights to carve out a place for himself, within his family, within his country, within his own hopes, desires and fears. Through a series of vignettes that chart a course across the American landscape, Jones draws readers into his boyhood and adolescence – into tumultuous relationships with his family, into passing flings with lovers, friends and strangers. Each piece builds into a larger examination of race and queerness, power and vulnerability, love and grief: a portrait of what we all do for one another – and to one another – as we fight to become ourselves.
An award-winning coming-of-age memoir
An award-winning poet, Saeed Jones has developed a style that’s as beautiful as it is powerful – a voice that’s by turns a river, a blues song and a nightscape set ablaze. How We Fight for Our Lives is a one-of-a-kind memoir and a book that cements Jones as an essential writer for our time.
How We Fight for Our Lives – Winner of the Kirkus Prize and the Stonewall Book Award – is a “moving, bracingly honest memoir” (The New York Times Book Review) written at the crossroads of sex, race and power. One of the best books of the year as selected by The New York Times; The Washington Post; NPR; Time; The New Yorker; O, The Oprah Magazine; Harper’s Bazaar; Elle; BuzzFeed; Goodreads; and many more.
About Saeed Jones
American writer and poet Saeed Jones is the author of the poetry collection Prelude to Bruise, winner of the 2015 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry and the 2015 Stonewall Book Award/Barbara Gittings Literature Award. The poetry collection was also a finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as awards from Lambda Literary and the Publishing Triangle in 2015. Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up in Lewisville, Texas. He earned a BA at Western Kentucky University and an MFA at Rutgers University-Newark. He lives in Columbus, Ohio and is on Bluesky @TheFerocity.
“People don’t just happen. We sacrifice former versions of ourselves. We sacrifice the people who dared to raise us. The ‘I’ it seems doesn’t exist until we are able to say, ‘I am no longer yours.’”
– Saheed Jones, author
About Violet Hour Book Club (VHBC) – Toronto edition
Founded in Montreal in 2018 by author Christopher DiRaddo, VHBC has become an important gathering space for queer book lovers in the city, fostering meaningful connections through a shared appreciation of foundational classics and bold, contemporary voices. The club provides an inclusive environment for lively, thought-provoking conversations on books, literary culture and the craft of storytelling – cultivating dialogue that is both intellectually stimulating and deeply personal. The Toronto Edition was launched at Another Story Bookshop in November 2025. Everyone is welcome.
Copies of How We Fight for Our Lives will be available for guests at Another Story Bookshop at a 10% discount with the promo code VHBC. Please order online here.
About Another Story Bookshop
Founded by the late social justice activist Sheila Koffman, Another Story Bookshop is an independent bookstore located in Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood. The shop specializes in books about social justice by and about culturally diverse and marginalized communities – including 2SLGBTQ+ and Indigenous people – in particular for young readers.
(Photo credits: Another Story Bookshop / Simon & Schuster.)
Event details
Hosted by: Another Story Bookshop
Type of event: book club event
Featured book: How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir, by Saeed Jones
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Start time: 7:00 PM ET
Duration: 90 minutes
Cost: Free – registration required (see booking link below)
Location: Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto, ON, M6R 2M6
Booking link: Book your spot here.
Contact details: Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto, ON, M6R 2M6, Canada; (416) 462-1104, books@anotherstory.ca, anotherstory.ca
Accessibility: They have a ramp over a small lip at their front door (StopGap) and an E-Door that can be activated with a button. These buttons are located on the right side of the front door when outside, and the left side of our front door when inside. The shop is laid out so that (most) wheelchairs can do a full circuit. Please don’t hesitate to let any of their staff know if you need any help. More info here.