For as long as they can remember, Aaron and Oliver have only ever had each other. In a small town with few queer teenagers, let alone young trans men, they’ve shared milestones like coming out as trans, buying the right binders–and falling for each other.
But just as their relationship has started to blossom, Aaron moves away. Feeling adrift, separated from the one person who understands them, they seek solace in digging deep into the annals of America’s past. When they discover the story of two Revolutionary War soldiers who they believe to have been trans man in love, they’re inspired to pay tribute to these soldiers by adopting their names–Aaron and Oliver. As they learn, they delve further into unwritten queer stories, and they discover the transformative power of reclaiming one’s place in history.
My Review
I was delighted to discover that A MILLION QUIET REVOLUTIONS is a novel in verse! Somehow I missed that when I agreed to review it, and as soon as I started reading the lines of poetry, I was immediately carried away by the story of these two boys.
I loved the connection between their present day lives and the things they read about Revolutionary War soldiers who may have been transgender. The story mentions reports of some women who dressed as men to fight and then continued to live as men after the war. There wasn’t language for those soldiers to describe themselves as transgender, and the author is clear to point out that we don’t know for sure what their intentions or reasons were. It made an interesting thing to think about and kind of pointed up the fact that being transgender, while the term may be relatively new, the identity isn’t.
The story flips back and forth between Aaron and Oliver’s points of view, relating things they experience and think about in sparse, emotive verse. Oliver’s parents are supportive of his identity, but Aaron’s parents are not. The journey through the experiences of both definitely communicated moments of pain and validation for each of them. I thought the relationships between characters, especially the boys and their families, felt real and layered.
On the whole, I very much enjoyed reading this book. I read the whole thing in one sitting because I really wanted to keep going all the way until the end of the story. I think readers who enjoyed JESS, CHUNK AND THE ROAD TRIP TO INFINITY or MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD should check this one out, too.
Content Notes for A Million Quiet Revolutions
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Representation Oliver is Jewish and Aaron is Puerto Rican. Both are transgender boys.
Profanity/Crude Language Content Extreme profanity used somewhat infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content– Trigger Warning for mentions of sexual assault. Kissing between boys. One scene references sexual touching and another shows some graphic sex.
Oliver and Aaron learn about another character who has been sexually assaulted and reports it to the police.
Spiritual Content References to Jewish celebrations and attending services. References to Catholic services and ceremonies.
Violent Content Some transphobic and homophobic comments.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of A MILLION QUIET REVOLUTIONS in exchange for my honest review.
15 Books I’ve Reviewed on the Krause Banned Books List
What happened: Recently a Texas congressman compiled a list of hundreds of books he feels could cause students distress based on their race or sex and has asked school libraries to alert him about how many titles they have on their shelves. The governor has been conducting similar inquiries, and it looks like at least one district has pulled over 400 books from their shelves in response to pressure from politicians and some parents.
It seems really weird to me that politicians in a state which values personal freedom over protecting the community from a potentially deadly virus through mask wearing, think they should decide what people read. Asking people to wear masks is government overreach, but restricting access to certain kinds of books is okay? Just seems weird to me is all I’m saying.
Content Notes and My Reviews
If you’ve followed my blog, you know that I write content notes on all my reviews so that readers can find books they want to read and hopefully it’s easier to find books that represent them, too. Not every kid is ready for or interested in every book. Not every book is appropriate for every kid at a certain age or experience.
Parents have the right to decide what their kids can and should read. That’s part of our job. It’s why I advocate for reading with your kids and looking up reviews online that describe whatever content young readers might encounter within a book. What parents don’t get to do, though, is decide what other people’s kids are allowed to read.
Representation matters, too. You’ll notice from this list that 14 of the 15 books I’ve reviewed here feature LGBTQ+ characters in them. (The 15th is a nonfiction book about combating racism.) Which makes this list really seem like it’s targeting LGBTQ+ readers. In fact, most of the books on the massive list include LGBTQ+ representation. There are a lot of history books and biology books on there, too. It’s a weird list, honestly.
I keep trying to make it make sense. Like okay, is this about graphic sexual content? No, it can’t be, because there are some really popular YA books that have very explicit sexual content released in the years referenced on the sheet that are not listed. Some of the fiction books listed have very little sexual content (kissing maybe?). Anyway, it’s odd.
And not that it making sense would make it okay. It wouldn’t. It would just be nice to be like ah, okay, I see where they’re coming from. The closest I can get to that is that it appears to me that some people believe that the existence of gay people is something we must hide from ALL high school children? Also the existence of racism. And history. And sex.
Discomfort and Literature
I think the idea that discomfort is something we can’t let our kids experience is, frankly, ridiculous. Life is uncomfortable. Relationships are packed with discomfort. Sometimes we make mistakes in front of other people. Or we’re wrong. Or we hurt people and have to humble ourselves and apologize. There is no life safe from discomfort.
Also, literature is supposed to make us uncomfortable. It’s supposed to challenge the boundaries of our empathy, to make us think about experiences outside our own. To put us in someone else’s shoes for a moment. To make us imagine what a moment, real or imagined, is really like.
There Really Is a Giveaway at the End of This Post
Anyway. I searched the archives of my reviews and looked for books I’ve read that are on the list circulating the internet right now. Here are 15 books and the links to my reviews. At the bottom is a giveaway with a chance to win one of ten books. Details below.
Note: This list contains affiliate links which do not cost you anything to use but which generate a small amount of financial support for this blog.
15 Books I’ve Reviewed on the Krause Banned Books List
What you need to know: A genderqueer teen stands up to discrimination from their high school administration. Lots of love to Mariah Carey. Sweet family relationships.
What you need to know: A dystopian society reenacts Cinderella’s ball, but with a twist: each man gets to choose a bride, and she cannot say no. F/F romance. Loads of girl power.
What you need to know: An undocumented immigrant on the run learns she’s a Lobizona, a shapeshifter who can transform into a werewolf. The problem? She’s not supposed to exist.
What you need to know: A great beginner’s handbook for learning to recognize racism and how to speak up if you see something out of line. Welcoming and easy to read.
What you need to know: Two boys who are opposites, a food truck, a family in crisis, and a terrible secret. M/M romance. One character is an assault survivor.
What you need to know: A girl framed for murder, a boy who has no choice but to help her prove her innocence, and a killer who may not be finished. M/M romance. Total edge-of-your-seat read.
What you need to know: A girl just returned from boarding school tries to help her brother as his bipolar disorder drives a wedge between them. F/F romance. A powerful story about sibling relationships.
What you need to know: A boarding school for the high achieving students with the deadly Peter Pan Virus. A boy in the midst of figuring out who he is and who he loves. Aching and imaginative. M/M romance.
What you need to know: A boy is blackmailed to keep the fact that he’s gay from coming out and to protect the identity of his secret pen pal. M/M romance. A charming and slightly salty story of first love.
What you need to know: A once-in-a-lifetime friendship between two boys. M/M romance. Complex characters who are opposites. Lots of laughter and heartache to be had here.
You can find the whole list of 850 books here. I’ve read 15 from the list, and tons more have been on my To Be Read list and are already on my shelves. I feel more motivated than ever to read and review some of those books so that hopefully more readers who are interested in them can find and read them. It looks like someone has also added them to the lists on Goodreads, so you can add interesting-looking titles to your reading lists on there.
Let me know if you’ve read any of the books on this list or the full list.
Giveaway Time!
I’m giving away some books. Ten books, to be precise. I’ll order them from Bookshop, which supports indie booksellers, and choose ten people from the Rafflecopter below. Each winner can choose which book they want from the list of 850 books (must be in stock at Bookshop and $25 or less) and must have a US mailing address.
There’s a free entry, just for landing on the page and reading long enough to find the giveaway, and there are some other ways to boost your chances by talking about the giveaway and finding me on social media. So think about which book you would choose!
Like the original version, this new edition of Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle celebrates the LGBTQ+ community’s diversity and the incredible victories of the past 50 years–but it also has a larger focus on activism, the need to keep fighting for equality and freedom around the world and the important role that young people are playing.
The new edition has been updated and expanded to include many new Proud Moments and Queer Facts as well as a profile of LGBTQ+ refugees from Indonesia, a story about a Pride celebration in a refugee camp in Kenya and profiles of young activists, including teens from a Gender and Sexuality Alliance organizing Pride in Inuvik and a trans girl from Vancouver fighting for inclusion and support in schools. There is also a section on being an ally, a profile of a family with two gay dads (one of them trans) and much, much more!
Praise for the first edition, Pride: Celebrating Diversity & Community
“LGBTQ culture and rights are covered through the prism of Pride in this timely work…This attractive work will be welcomed by readers searching for guidance and hope.”–Kirkus Reviews
“Informative…Positively festive in its attitudes and outlook, this book more than lives up to the word celebrating in its subtitle.”–Booklist
“Upbeat and matter-of-fact…These stories, sad and happy, are where vulnerable preteen kids may see themselves.”–Quill & Quire
“An excellent and necessary addition for all collections.”–School Library Journal
My Review
I haven’t read any other books about the history of Pride, so I don’t have anything to compare this one to, but I really enjoyed reading the book. I love that it’s a book for kids, and I think it’s written in a really accessible, engaging way.
The opening of the book focuses on the history of Pride celebrations and protests, and I felt like it gave tribute to a lot of specific people who made big differences in the movement. The margins contain powerful and inspiring quotes. Sometimes a bar at the bottom of the page would show “Queer Facts” or important definitions.
One of the chapters that really sticks with me is the one about how Pride is celebrated around the world. Not only does the book teach about places where positive steps are being made for freedom and equality, but it also highlights places where Pride has been outlawed, or where identifying as LGBTQIA+ is dangerous or illegal.
I feel like I learned so much reading this book. It made me want to find the nearest Pride parade and join. It made me want to learn even more about the history of gay rights. Reading this book, I felt more connected to what’s happening right now not just in the US where I live but across the world. This is one of those books I want everyone to read. Not just those identifying as queer and allies, but everyone.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Representation The book focuses on some members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their contributions to Pride protests and celebrations.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content No explicit sexual content.
Spiritual Content Some pages talk about LGBTQIA+ people of different faiths, mainly Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
Violent Content References to police brutality or violence against members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Drug Content None.
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