A Child's Introduction to Pride

April 15, 2023
Prager offers young readers a deep dive into LGBTQIA+ history. The author starts by explaining gender and sexual identities, defining terms such as lesbian, gay, and asexual, before exploring LGBTQIA+ history from the ancient world to the present. Prager includes racially and culturally diverse figures from around the world, among them poet Sappho, painter Frida Kahlo, and civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, though the book is weighted a bit more toward the United States. She also addresses the impact of colonialism on LGBTQIA+ identities in a way that young people will easily understand. Prager asks readers to consider whose stories get told (we're far more likely to know stories of LGBTQIA+ royalty than of servants and peasants, for example) and how interpretations of history affect our understanding of the past. For the most part, the author effectively walks the line between presenting information accessibly and oversimplifying, though several times she uses pronouns for historical figures that aren't entirely supported by historical records. Though the assumptions are reasonable efforts to respect those individuals' identities, these figures may not have identified in ways that modern readers would easily recognize. Ultimately, however, the author is thoughtful in her analysis of historical evidence, and readers will love combing through and learning about LGBTQIA+ people throughout history. O'Dwyer's graceful illustrations enhance the text. A strong survey of queer culture and history. (places of interest, resources, glossary, further reading) (Nonfiction. 8-13)

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May 1, 2023
Grades 5-8 Prager (Kind like Marsha, 2022) has done a heroic job of crafting this crowded survey/ history of LGBTQIA+ culture and community. After the useful introduction, Prager segues into a historic survey that begins with "The Precolonial World," quickly establishing her structural strategy; i.e., addressing a highly selective group of issues in a paragraph or two. Finishing an overview of LGBTQIA+ history in this fashion, she turns her attention to a section called "LGBTQIA+ Contributions to the World," highlighting areas in music, dance, literature, the arts, and the sciences. These contributions are brief and somewhat eccentric; for example, four are selected to epitomize--in a single paragraph each--LGBTQIA+ additions to music (Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, West Side Story, "America the Beautiful," and Switched-On Bach). More history in additional sections follows, along with glances at famous LGBTQIA+ people. The book is greatly enhanced by the many full-color illustrations by O'Dwyer. They help make this an agreeable introduction to a valuable subject.

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