Scan barcode
A review by sydneys_shelf
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell
3.0
I had high hopes for this one that were not met. I went into All Out hoping for a fun collection of short stories representing a wide variety of queer identities and a wide range of history, and on that front, I was sorely disappointed.
The majority of these short stories are enjoyable and I love to see a collection that is focusing specifically on queer teens in history. I particularly enjoyed Walking After Midnight by Kody Keplinger and Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake (based almost entirely on the fact that it is a Robin Hood retelling). But, as a collection, far too many of the stories take place after 1940 and/or take place in the US - I want more variety! I would have liked to see a story set in ancient history and far more set outside the western world.
There is also a surprising lack of queer diversity? I loved reading all these m/m and f/f stories but there wasn't a single story with an obviously bisexual character? It's great to see two stories with ace rep (and one more with an aroace side character) and two with trans men rep but I would have liked to see even more rep for some other queer identities! I also think it would have been beneficial to have an author's note after every short story explaining the inspiration behind it and the choice of that particular point in history. For the two stories that did have authors' notes, I think it really added to the reading experience to know a little more about the real people and events that inspired them.
Overall, not a bad collection but I really had higher hopes for a book that says 'Stories of queer teens throughout the ages' right on the cover.
The majority of these short stories are enjoyable and I love to see a collection that is focusing specifically on queer teens in history. I particularly enjoyed Walking After Midnight by Kody Keplinger and Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake (based almost entirely on the fact that it is a Robin Hood retelling). But, as a collection, far too many of the stories take place after 1940 and/or take place in the US - I want more variety! I would have liked to see a story set in ancient history and far more set outside the western world.
There is also a surprising lack of queer diversity? I loved reading all these m/m and f/f stories but there wasn't a single story with an obviously bisexual character? It's great to see two stories with ace rep (and one more with an aroace side character) and two with trans men rep but I would have liked to see even more rep for some other queer identities! I also think it would have been beneficial to have an author's note after every short story explaining the inspiration behind it and the choice of that particular point in history. For the two stories that did have authors' notes, I think it really added to the reading experience to know a little more about the real people and events that inspired them.
Overall, not a bad collection but I really had higher hopes for a book that says 'Stories of queer teens throughout the ages' right on the cover.