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Reviews
Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History by Sarah Prager, Sarah Papworth
tea_at_mole_end's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Outing, Terminal illness, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Racism, Murder, Colonisation, Hate crime, and Death
cazmcdo's review against another edition
4.0
"Oh, won't somebody think of the children?" Yes. Sarah Prager will.
An accessible whip through some of the big names, and some of the names you've never heard of too, of LGBTQ+ history, Prager brings her personal style of writing from Queer, There and Everywhere (although, less lurid details, obviously) to this book to teach queer history to children too. With an inclusive tone and some thought provoking questions such as "What would you do if the people who you thought were your allies turned their back on you?" (in the Sylvia Rivera chapter, but very relevant to sections of the modern gay rights and feminist movements too), it's a great book for all queer kids; and the nine queer ones too.
Some terms could have been defined better, but I also do understand the issues with explaining polyamory to children - I struggle sometimes to explain it to adults.
An accessible whip through some of the big names, and some of the names you've never heard of too, of LGBTQ+ history, Prager brings her personal style of writing from Queer, There and Everywhere (although, less lurid details, obviously) to this book to teach queer history to children too. With an inclusive tone and some thought provoking questions such as "What would you do if the people who you thought were your allies turned their back on you?" (in the Sylvia Rivera chapter, but very relevant to sections of the modern gay rights and feminist movements too), it's a great book for all queer kids; and the nine queer ones too.
Some terms could have been defined better, but I also do understand the issues with explaining polyamory to children - I struggle sometimes to explain it to adults.
lampje's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely children's book and a great (but sadly sometimes short) introduction to many queer people who made history but mostly aren't remembered for it, or have their queerness erased in history books. You can really notice the thought and care that was put into the language surrounding these people and therefore I had to give it 4 stars!
worldroamer's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
little_silver's review against another edition
4.0
Think LGBTQIA identities are a recent phenomenon? Need a starting place for further research into notable leaders from this community? Consider this a primer on real queer people throughout time and around the world.
briarrose1021's review against another edition
5.0
With the current state of society today, children are rarely, if ever, introduced to individuals who identify as LGBTQ+; for the few times that children might be introduced to one such individual in a history lesson, they definitely do not mention the person's sexuality.
This book tries to counter that dearth of knowledge by presenting vignettes of 50 individuals throughout history who identify as LGBTQ+. Each vignette discusses not only the individual's identity, if known, how that identity affected their lives, and how they responded to those difficulties. I was impressed with the wide representation throughout history and around the world.
Included with these vignettes is a very brief timeline of LGBTQ history, along with a fairly extensive glossary of terms, which I think is a wonderful addition for the age range of children who are the target audience.
For my own experience, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Ines del Castillo. The supplemental material of the book (historical timeline, glossary, and pictures of flags and other symbols) was included as a PDF that could be downloaded alongside the audiobook, which was nice and would definitely come in handy for parents and children who are listening to the book. The narrator did a pretty good job, though her voice sounded somewhat scratchy, like she needed to clear her throat or something. That said, after about the second or third vignette, I was no longer noticing that aspect, and it certainly didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of the book.
I definitely recommend this book for middle-grade readers, their parents, older siblings, friends, or even adults who have no children but just want to learn about LGBTQ+ individuals throughout history.
This book tries to counter that dearth of knowledge by presenting vignettes of 50 individuals throughout history who identify as LGBTQ+. Each vignette discusses not only the individual's identity, if known, how that identity affected their lives, and how they responded to those difficulties. I was impressed with the wide representation throughout history and around the world.
Included with these vignettes is a very brief timeline of LGBTQ history, along with a fairly extensive glossary of terms, which I think is a wonderful addition for the age range of children who are the target audience.
For my own experience, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Ines del Castillo. The supplemental material of the book (historical timeline, glossary, and pictures of flags and other symbols) was included as a PDF that could be downloaded alongside the audiobook, which was nice and would definitely come in handy for parents and children who are listening to the book. The narrator did a pretty good job, though her voice sounded somewhat scratchy, like she needed to clear her throat or something. That said, after about the second or third vignette, I was no longer noticing that aspect, and it certainly didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of the book.
I definitely recommend this book for middle-grade readers, their parents, older siblings, friends, or even adults who have no children but just want to learn about LGBTQ+ individuals throughout history.
abigailbat's review against another edition
This collective biography profiles 50 influential LGBTQ+ people from throughout history and from around the world. I really appreciated the diversity of the subjects, not only in the LGBTQ+ rainbow, but also in the different cultures and ethnicities represented. It's written in a very middle-grade appropriate way, using the terminology of loving people rather than anything sexual or attraction. I particularly love the language of "sex affirming" surgery where applicable when profiling transgender individuals.
Worth noting is some unclear wording in the profile of We'wha, a Pueblo of Zuni Native American, that appears to indicate that Native Americans don't currently exist. It's clarified a bit later in the same paragraph, but it was still a little red flag for me. That small error aside, this is a really nice collection of profiles that deserves a place on your library shelves.
Worth noting is some unclear wording in the profile of We'wha, a Pueblo of Zuni Native American, that appears to indicate that Native Americans don't currently exist. It's clarified a bit later in the same paragraph, but it was still a little red flag for me. That small error aside, this is a really nice collection of profiles that deserves a place on your library shelves.