Rainbow Revolutionaries

Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History

One of Time Out's “LGBTQ+ books for kids to read during Pride Month,” this groundbreaking, pop-culture-infused
LGBTQ+ biography collection takes readers on an eye-opening journey
through the lives of fifty influential queer figures who have made a mark on
every century of human existence.

Rainbow
Revolutionaries brings to life
the vibrant histories of fifty pioneering LGBTQ+ people from around the world.
Through Sarah Prager’s (Queer, There, and Everywhere) short, engaging
bios, readers can delve into the lives
of Wen of Han, a Chinese emperor who loved his boyfriend as much as his people,
Martine Rothblatt, a trans woman who’s helping engineer the robots of tomorrow,
and so many more!

This book is a
celebration of the many ways these heroes have made a difference and will
inspire young readers to make a difference, too. Featuring an introduction, timeline, and glossary, this must-have biography collection is the perfect
read during Pride month and all year round.

Biographies
include:

Adam Rippon, Alan
L. Hart, Alan Turing, Albert Cashier, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Alexander the
Great, Al-Hakam II, Alvin Ailey, Bayard Rustin, Benjamin Banneker, Billie Jean
King, Chevalier d'Éon, Christina of Sweden, Christine Jorgensen, Cleve Jones,
Ellen DeGeneres, Francisco Manicongo, Frida Kahlo, Frieda Belinfante, Georgina
Beyer, Gilbert Baker, Glenn Burke, Greta Garbo, Harvey Milk, James Baldwin,
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, José Sarria, Josephine Baker, Juana Inés de la Cruz,
Julie d'Aubigny, Lili Elbe, Ma Rainey, Magnus Hirschfeld, Manvendra Singh
Gohil, Marsha P. Johnson, Martine Rothblatt, Maryam Khatoon Molkara, Natalie
Clifford Barney, Navtej Johar, Nzinga, Pauli Murray, Renée Richards, Rudolf
Nureyev, Sally Ride, Simon Nkoli, Stormé DeLarverie, Sylvia Rivera, Tshepo
Ricki Kgositau, Wen of Han, We’Wha

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

*A Junior Library Guild Selection*

100% recommend this book

I love this book! It did not disappoint. And can we talk about the amazing narrator? She has the best voice and read this wonderfully. Amazing!

A wonderful resource!

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.