Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle

by Robin Stevenson

About this series: Jules (they/he) reads a lot of LGBTQ+ books in their spare time and is telling us about a few of their favorite ones for kids. October is LGBTQ+ History Month, and this month’s book is a great look at the history and evolution of Pride celebrations from pre-Stonewall movements to today. It’s a great nonfiction read - nice for kids who prefer that, or who want to mix up their genres a bit!

Age range: Middle Grade/Young Adult, or tweens/teens - the writing is accessible for tweens, and the content includes a lot that even older teens won’t already know 

Synopsis: This book covers so many different aspects of Pride: the history, Pride Marches and other celebrations today, celebrations around the world, and more! It gives a good historical context for various aspects of Pride celebrations (such as marches, drag shows, etc), and shows how these aspects are interpreted worldwide today.

What I love about this book: I love that this book covers celebrations across the globe! I also love that this book doesn’t shy away from presenting disagreements in the LGBTQ+ community, such as the issue of police presence at Pride, and it does so in a pretty balanced way. And the photography and design of the book are great - visually, it’s a very fun book!

What kids will love about this book: It’s so affirming for kids to see that their own communities have a history, and even in 2022, hardly any LGBTQ+ history is taught in schools. The book also really focuses on the actions and experiences of young people, which means kids will be able to easily see themselves in the book. 

Where to get the book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Minuteman Libraries