Tag Archives: Queer

Review: Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle by Robin Stevenson

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Pride by Robin Stevenson

Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle
Robin Stevenson
Orca Book Publishers
Published March 24, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle

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.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.

Review: Queer: the Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teenagers by Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke

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Queer: the Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teenagers (2nd Edition)
Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke
Zest Books
Published October 1, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Queer: the Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teenagers (2nd Edition)

Teen life is hard enough with all of the pressures kids face, but for teens who are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender), it’s even harder. When do you decide to come out? To whom? Will your friends accept you? And how on earth do you meet people to date?

Updated in 2018, Queer is a humorous, engaging, and honest guide that helps LGBT teens come out to friends and family, navigate their new LGBT social life, figure out if a crush is also queer, and rise up against bigotry and homophobia.

Queer also includes personal stories from the authors and sidebars on queer history. This updated and revised edition is a must-read for any teen who thinks they might be queer – or knows someone who is.

My Review

QUEER has a lot of personal stories from the authors about experiences they had that they learned from– either because they went well or badly. The authors are frank, funny, and warm. The overall message is that if you’re a person looking to better understand yourself, you’re not alone. Being comfortable in your own skin and learning to have healthy relationships part of a lifelong journey, and there are lots of great tips in the book on those things.

The book offers suggestions on topics like how to come out to your family, how to approach a crush and find out if they might be interested in you. I thought those tips in particular were great. The advice is practical and simple.

There were a couple of things that I wish QUEER had gone into more depth about. The great majority of the text refers to gay and lesbian issues– perhaps because those are the authors’ experiences? There are some moments where bisexual or transgender issues get a focus, but they don’t get the same focus or depth. Asexuality is mentioned only briefly as well, and again, I wish there had been more information about the spectrum of asexuality.

I would have especially liked to see tips and suggestions for how to come out to family members as nonbinary, asexual, or transgender. (There’s a mention of coming out as transgender in the chapter on coming out, but I wish there had been more, because it’s not the same as coming out as gay or lesbian.)

QUEER focuses on support and validation, so it’s a very permissive book. There’s no judgment toward non-monogamous relationships or one night stands. It leaves readers (and encourages them) to decide on moral values and relationship rules for themselves and with their partners.

One of the really great assets of this book is the resource section, which lists support websites for LGBT teens and sites that will help you connect to supportive groups and organizations in your area, including how to find religious organizations that are friendly to members of the LGBT community. I love that section and am anxious to explore more of those resources.

Overall, I think QUEER is warm and engaging, and a great resource particularly for lesbian and gay teens and support communities.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Written by and intended for members of the LGBT community.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief personal stories about romance (with hints at sex but not graphic descriptions). Some references to sexual acts.

Spiritual Content
The resources section lists ways to find religious groups that are friendly to the LGBT community.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of QUEER: THE ULTIMATE LGBTQ GUIDE FOR TEENAGERS (2nd Edition) in exchange for my honest review.