Prager, Sarah. Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World. Zoe More O’Ferrall, Illus. Biography. HarperCollins, 05/2017. 259pp. $17.99. 978-0-06-247431-5. HIGH ADDITIONAL. GRADES 7-10.
Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World is perhaps the first collective biography of LGBTQIA people written for a young audience and is fabulous in many ways: plain truths about the labor, love, suffering, and achievements of these exemplary individuals are clearly stated. The astonishing bravery and tenacity of the featured individuals, and those who lived and struggled beside them, are highlighted. However, it is not without flaws. While Prager briefly addresses the presence of what would today in the U.S. be described as LGBTQIA people throughout history and the world, all 23 of the world-changers chosen for profiles are either North American or European. That said, Prager represents a fair range of the diversity of LGBTQIA people in the U.S. and touches lightly on a few points in history before 1900. Prager manages a semiformal tone offering clear, accurate information laced effectively with the occasional joke or innuendo. At times, however, she peppers her prose with turns of phrase that seem intended to ‘speak to young people on their own terms’ but instead may jar readers out of the narrative flow. Educators, parents, and young readers looking for mirrors and windows on LGBTQIA history and achievement will be happy to check out Queer, There, and Everywhere. This book includes California-specific content.
Janine deManda, Oakland Public Library