Andrew Joseph White, a young horror author who really digs into character interactions and emotions in a style you don’t see often. With four books published and a New York Times Bestselling book; “Hell Followed With Us,” he is a great model in the queer community. Along with that he is a great author in the autism community with his accurate representations of autism throughout his characters.
White is an autistic, bisexual, transgender man writing about queer experiences in amazing ways. His books show the dark side of what people who are going through these struggles might experience with a twist of horror to exaggerate these elements and show how different people in different situations view the world. He graduated from George Mason University in 2022 with a MFA in Creative Writing. His books center around complex LGBT characters to show that not all people in one group feel or think the same. His desire to write these stories came about because of the many anti-transgender laws being passed all around the United States. He writes in the horror genre because he enjoys it, and in an interview in 2022 he stated that many transgender people feel a draw to the horror genre as a whole because it shows, “themes like social transgression, vulnerability, and alienation.”
White’s debut novel; “Hell Followed With Us,” became a New York Times Bestseller novel, ranking #10 on the list. It was a very highly anticipated novel for the queer community. Coming out in 2022 it was published with very positive reviews and eventually became a finalist for the Young Adult Library Services Association’s 2023 Morris Award. In 2024 Trustbridge Entertainment was able to gain film rights to “Hell Followed With Us,” and is said to be an anime inspired film being produced by Lilly Wachowski. If you are interested in Sci-Fi, a dark twist on religious themes, blood and guts; then this book is highly recommended.
White’s second novel; “The Spirit Bares its Teeth,” was published on September 5th, 2023. The Observer listed it as one of their best books in 2023 stating, “White brilliantly spins a novel that deftly explores gender roles and queerness in a strict, laced-up society. This book is set in London in the late 1800s and is about an autistic, transgender man trying to navigate that when everyone just thinks he is a mentally ill woman. If you like to see good autism representation, a take on horrifying Historical Fiction and healthy queer relationships, then this book is highly recommended.
White’s third novel and his most recent young adult novel; “Compound Fracture,” was published on September 3, 2024. This book received overwhelmingly positive reviews from Kirkus, Shelf Awareness, Booklist, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books and School Library Journal. He also received the 2025 Printz Honor Book award. Publishers Weekly described White’s book as, “…a stunning testament to the intertwining realities of politics a
nd queerness, as well as community focused ideologies and the impact of those ideals in the face of oppression.” If you like to see good modern set novels, a representation of non-common sexualities and gender identities along with family and more realistic setting; then this book is highly recommended.
With the publishing of his newest book on September 9, 2025, he has now made his break into adult horror and not just writing young adult books. He has a spotlight in the queer community and more specifically the trans community for his accurate portrayals of these topics while still making his own unique story each and every time. His works are definitely ones to check out especially if you like stand alone novels that wrap up a story in a great way. Just enough to leave you satisfied with the ending but still in the back of your mind wondering what might happen next to the characters. You can currently get his first two books in paperback while his most recent ones are only available in hardcover. Happy reading!
