Publisher Description

What do Frank Ocean, Sally Ride, George Takei, and Sharice Davids all have in common? They're all proud LGBTQ Americans! Featuring people from a variety of occupations and backgrounds, this collection of 25 short biographies demonstrates the diversity, accomplishments, and pride within the American LGBTQ community.

Review

This amuse-bouche introduction to LGBTQ+ individuals will tantalize readers. Some 25 racially diverse Americans' lives are documented in biographical morsels, arranged apparently arbitrarily and with text that's not substantial enough to do more than tease. Figures profiled include White humanitarian Jane Addams, African American civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, Puerto Rican performer Ricky Martin, and White filmmakers Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Each entry provides the subject's year of birth (and of death, when applicable), a photo (in a digitally rendered frame reminiscent of 1990s clip art), and a few scant facts about each subject. George Takei, the Japanese American actor and activist, and Dr. Sara Josephine Baker, a White public health innovator, are lucky enough to merit two whole paragraphs; everyone else receives only one. Absent from all profiles are many common facts typically found in traditional biographies: Exact date of birth, place of birth, date of death, place of death, cause of death, etc., are all missing. Also peculiar is the absence from several profiles of the specific aspect of LGBTQ+ identity that warrants their inclusion. The backmatter includes a listing of 14 additional figures, summarized in two to three sentences each; such audience-relevant figures as African American author Jacqueline Woodson and Black/biracial actor Amandla Stenberg are relegated to this roundup. There are also a timeline that stops at 2015 (well before Trump administration politics started cutting into trans rights), a glossary, source notes, and three URLs for support networks. (Editor's note: Since this review went to press, the book's timeline has been updated to include the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling to protect LGBTQ+ individuals from workplace discrimination.) Well-meaning but insubstantial. (Collective biography. 8-12)-- "Kirkus Reviews"
This self-proclaimed "rainbow of biographies" is just what young readers need. Whether children are looking for mirrors or windows, they are sure to be empowered by reading Clemesha's volume. Featuring 25 biographies with photographs, the text spotlights familiar and lesser-known Americans who are members of the LGBTQ community. Each person included in the collection provides a fascinating, unique journey. Readers learn about artists, musicians, scientists, and activists that overcame tremendous adversity as they identified and came out as LGBTQ. Celebrities like talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and comedian Wanda Sykes appear alongside social justice advocates such as Bayard Rustin, who was kept out of the public eye during the civil rights movement because he was gay. Stories like his will spark curiosity and meaningful conversation. The design uses bright colors, standard and colorful typeface, and vibrant borders to keep readers engaged. Readers will be inspired and find their passions validated and renewed after picking up this title. VERDICT Every -library needs this book, which can bring in a variety of readers who may or may not be on their own journey of self-discovery.--Kelly Finan Richards, Baltimore Cty. Public Sch "School Library Journal"
(3) 4-6 This collective biography includes brief profiles of influential LBGTQ figures from the arts (e.g., Andy Warhol), entertainment (George Takei), science (Neena Schwartz), politics (Sharice Davids), activism (Bayard Rustin), sports (Billie Jean King), and business (Tim Cook). Each two-page entry comprises a paragraph or two sketching out highlights of an individual's life, accomplishments, and legacy on the verso and a photograph on the recto. Clemesha shares his personal story in an introductory note. An annotated list of fourteen additional LGBTQ notables, timeline, glossary, source notes, and related websites are appended.--Kitty Flynn "Horn Book"
Chase Clemesha, himself a medical doctor, writes in the introduction to his People of Pride: 25 Great LGBTQ Americans (Capstone Editions), "It's important that young people have role models to look up to--especially people who are like them.... I want to show young people that they can decide who and what they're going to be. If you are part of the LGBTQ community, it is a beautiful part of who you are, but it is only one part. You get to be proud of who you are--your whole self." His book, aimed at middle-graders, offers a series of two-page spreads--a full-page photo and a page of text--about LGBTQ Americans who have excelled in their fields. There are civil right heroes, sports stars, artists and musicians, scientists, politicians, and lawmakers. Many of the figures are contemporary or nearly so, but Clemesha also weaves in earlier figures. It's a nice balance. In addition to the 25 people highlighted, an additional 14 are listed at the end with short one- to two-sentence blurbs about them. Clemesha conveys each person's impact simply and clearly, though some of the profiles feel just a little too flimsy. While I like this volume well enough, I still have a few observations. First, two wishes: I wish that at least one bisexual person had been identified as such. Not every figure in the book is labeled with their LGBTQ identity, which is understandable for the earlier figures who might not have thought in modern terms. We do find out the specific LGBTQ identities of some of the later ones, however--just none of them who are bi, making it unclear if there are even any bisexual people here. I also wish that in addition to teaching us about its subjects' external accomplishments, the book could also have given us a little information about their families and relationships. Author Maurice Sendak lived with his partner Eugene Glynn for 50 years before Glynn's death; several others were or are in relationships decades long; and several are parents--but we learn none of that here, beyond an in-passing comment that Wanda Sykes makes jokes about her family. A truly full vision of what LGBTQ people could be with their "whole selves" would show that LGBTQ people can make their mark in the world and have satisfying relationships and family lives, too--young people need to see that. . . . People of Pride is very similar to Sarah Prager's 2020 Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History, another middle grade book that compiles short biographies of notable LGBTQ people. Prager showcases figures within and outside the United States and looks much further back in history; Clemesha sticks with U.S. figures whose impact has been primarily in the 20th and 21st centuries. Readers should appreciate both approaches, depending on their interests and moods. Although both are targeted at middle grade readers, Clemesha's profiles are shorter, making them better for the younger end of that set; Prager dives a little deeper for readers wanting more. Prager's glossary is much better, however, and she does touch on many of her subject's relationships and family lives. While some of the figures in both books are the same, many are different, so readers may want to peruse both volumes. If I detailed some criticisms of People of Pride above, that's only because I feel young readers may still find inspiration here. I'd love to see some of the issues, especially with the back matter, addressed in a future edition of what will likely be a valuable book for many young people.-- "Mombian"

Feature

Celebrates 25 innovative, successful, and proud LGBTQ Americans from history and today, providing readers plenty of postive role models;

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