Nonfiction

Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History

Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History

  • Downloads：3277
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-04 09:51:49
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sarah Prager
  • ISBN：0063091062
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

This groundbreaking， pop-culture-infused LGBTQ+ illustrated 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， and Sarah Papworth’s bold， dynamic art， 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， map， 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， Chevalière 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

Download

Reviews

Beth ，

I am continuing in my quest to read bunches of banned books。 Our local library had a display of them and I picked this one up。 I think this one was amazing as it highlighted many heroes and regular people in the LGBTQ+ community who have fought for equality in big and small ways。 There is no reason for a book about people who fight for fair treatment and acceptance to be banned。 I learned a lot in this book。

Valentine ，

while this book had a few issues （outdated lesbian pride flag， lack of direct reference to aromantic people， use of outdated terms， some potentially innacurate information etc） I have to give a good review because it was genuinely so nice to see such a spectrum of fantastic representation - I was especially pleased to see reference to two aromantic asexual people， which was extremely exciting as an aroace myself。 I know for a fact this book has the potential to help kids discover themselves， whi while this book had a few issues （outdated lesbian pride flag， lack of direct reference to aromantic people， use of outdated terms， some potentially innacurate information etc） I have to give a good review because it was genuinely so nice to see such a spectrum of fantastic representation - I was especially pleased to see reference to two aromantic asexual people， which was extremely exciting as an aroace myself。 I know for a fact this book has the potential to help kids discover themselves， which is always great。 。。。more

Shilo Quetchenbach ，

This was a fantastic collection of stories of LGBTQ+ people throughout history who made history for one reason or another。 I read with kiddo （8） who really enjoyed listening to it。 I will definitely be getting it from the library again or purchasing our own copy as kiddo gets older， because I'm sure they will get more from it as they grow。It made a great jumping off point for discussions about different LGBTQ+ identities and did a good job interspersing uplifting stories with more tragic stories This was a fantastic collection of stories of LGBTQ+ people throughout history who made history for one reason or another。 I read with kiddo （8） who really enjoyed listening to it。 I will definitely be getting it from the library again or purchasing our own copy as kiddo gets older， because I'm sure they will get more from it as they grow。It made a great jumping off point for discussions about different LGBTQ+ identities and did a good job interspersing uplifting stories with more tragic stories so the overall mood never got too dismal。It is difficult to sum up a person's life and historic events in a single page， and this did a great job of that while being both clear and easy to understand and containing a lot of information。I really wish I'd had it as a child， instead of growing up with no knowledge of LGBT+ people at all until high school （I was sheltered） and thinking for years there was something wrong with me for being different。 It's exactly the sort of book I would have devoured as a middle schooler。 。。。more

Lampje ，

Lovely children's book and a great （but sadly sometimes short） introduction to many queer people who made history but mostly aren't remembered for it， or have their queerness erased in history books。 You can really notice the thought and care that was put into the language surrounding these people and therefore I had to give it 4 stars！ Lovely children's book and a great （but sadly sometimes short） introduction to many queer people who made history but mostly aren't remembered for it， or have their queerness erased in history books。 You can really notice the thought and care that was put into the language surrounding these people and therefore I had to give it 4 stars！ 。。。more

Hayden ，

Taught about new people but slow。

Katie ，

More like three and a half stars。 I wish so much I could rate it higher because books like this are great and important， but - especially as an aromantic asexual reader - I just can’t cheer for yet another book that claims to be for the entire “LGBTQ+” community while actually all but entirely reducing it down to the Ls， Gs， Bs， and Ts。 I knew this would happen， so I kept track of the identities being represented， and here are the results （keeping in mind that obviously some people have more tha More like three and a half stars。 I wish so much I could rate it higher because books like this are great and important， but - especially as an aromantic asexual reader - I just can’t cheer for yet another book that claims to be for the entire “LGBTQ+” community while actually all but entirely reducing it down to the Ls， Gs， Bs， and Ts。 I knew this would happen， so I kept track of the identities being represented， and here are the results （keeping in mind that obviously some people have more than one queer identity）:Lesbian - 10 （20%）Gay - 14 （28%）Mspec - 10 （3 bi specifically; 20%）Trans - 11 （2 transmen， 9 transwomen; 22%）GNC - 6 （12%）Aromantic - 2 （possibly inferred， 4%）Polyamorous - 1 （2%）Ambiguous - 4 （8%）Only mentioned in glossary: Pan， intersex， asexualAnd I have to say the aromantics are “possibly inferred” because a few people are specifically mentioned as never having had romantic relationships， but aromanticism is never mentioned as a possibility。 In fact， the identity is left out of this book completely， not even getting the glossary-only treatment asexuality does。 You cannot have a book like this without including aspecs。 It’s excluding and wrong。 I know examples of these are harder to find， but they exist。 Spend two minutes on Google if you have to。 。。。more

Penny lurkykitty ，

This book is a collection of 50 mini biographies of diverse LGBTQIA+ people in history， from ancient times to the present day。 There were many with whom I was familiar， and many to whom this book was my first introduction。 I found reading about all these people fascinating and inspirational。 This book made me wonder about those whose stories have been lost to history and whose lives were cut short due to hatred。 Best suited for 9-13 year-olds。 Having said that， I learned a great deal reading it This book is a collection of 50 mini biographies of diverse LGBTQIA+ people in history， from ancient times to the present day。 There were many with whom I was familiar， and many to whom this book was my first introduction。 I found reading about all these people fascinating and inspirational。 This book made me wonder about those whose stories have been lost to history and whose lives were cut short due to hatred。 Best suited for 9-13 year-olds。 Having said that， I learned a great deal reading it from an adult perspective。 The terminology and timeline section at the end was really useful。 。。。more

Dylan Pedersen ，

This book does a great job at informing readers about lgbtq human beings throughout history that have affected the world in some way。 Totally recommend it！

Ben Truong ，

Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History is a middle grade picture book anthology of mini-biographies written by Sarah Prager and illustrated by Sarah Papworth。 It is a colorful compendium， which covers fifty boundary-breaking LGBTQ+ figures from across history and around the globe。For the most part， this anthology is written and constructed rather well。 Arranged in alphabetical order by first name， each tribute receives a two-page biography with a straightforward one-page b Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History is a middle grade picture book anthology of mini-biographies written by Sarah Prager and illustrated by Sarah Papworth。 It is a colorful compendium， which covers fifty boundary-breaking LGBTQ+ figures from across history and around the globe。For the most part， this anthology is written and constructed rather well。 Arranged in alphabetical order by first name， each tribute receives a two-page biography with a straightforward one-page biography that includes an account of how they changed the world， broke a barrier， or fought for LGBTQ+ rights and is accompanied by vivid， full-page， blocky illustrations。 Backmatter includes a timeline， LGBTQ+ flags and symbols， selected bibliography。Prager had chosen fifty influential people from all walks of life and covering many spheres of influence。 The selection showcases a diversity of races， ethnicities， genders， and sexualities， with some minor gaps as there are no intersex examples or those from East-Asian countries。 Despite this oversight， it does not diminish the book’s fundamental value as a resource for young people。All in all， Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History is an exciting if uneven volume that offers much for inquisitive kids seeking LGBTQ+ information。 。。。more

Phil Sheridan ，

I think this book is a great non-fiction book for middle schoolers who enjoy short stories on really interesting people。 While I wouldn't use this book for a research paper， I did really enjoy the art， the stories， and how the author incorporated their sexuality and/or gender into the biographies。 Each spread had a painted illustration of the person， their lifespan dates， and the country where they lived on the left page。 The right page had a short one-page biography on the right。 The more we ho I think this book is a great non-fiction book for middle schoolers who enjoy short stories on really interesting people。 While I wouldn't use this book for a research paper， I did really enjoy the art， the stories， and how the author incorporated their sexuality and/or gender into the biographies。 Each spread had a painted illustration of the person， their lifespan dates， and the country where they lived on the left page。 The right page had a short one-page biography on the right。 The more we honor and normalize， the better our society becomes and this book is a small step towards this。 。。。more

Pontiki ，

This is an excellent history book for young and old of LGBTQ+ culture。 It substantiates the biological nature of sexuality and gender， independent of country， time， and learned influences。 It’s interesting to see how various sexualities and genders were part of the natural order， then arbitrarily became outlawed， then legalized again， throughout the centuries。 Beautifully illustrated， it depicts various persons in their gay， lesbian， and trans presentations， and summarizes their contributions to This is an excellent history book for young and old of LGBTQ+ culture。 It substantiates the biological nature of sexuality and gender， independent of country， time， and learned influences。 It’s interesting to see how various sexualities and genders were part of the natural order， then arbitrarily became outlawed， then legalized again， throughout the centuries。 Beautifully illustrated， it depicts various persons in their gay， lesbian， and trans presentations， and summarizes their contributions to human rights for all。 Racial oppression is addressed as well， and the discrepancies in all equalities are highlighted， including trans rights not being pursued by a gay alliance agency。 The language and content are obviously geared to younger children， but the information about each individual is honest and clear。 As we of older generations often say， I wish this incredible book was around when I was a kid。 GPL book 。。。more

Jools Woodward ，

Informative， passionate and comforting。 Easy to follow and excellent！

Tory Lanman ，

This is an amazing book to have young kids read。 I’d say it would be ideal for 4th grade to 7th grade， just based on the simplicity of its writing。 I really enjoyed the drawings that went with it as well。 However， I was beyond blown away by how the author took something that people believe is “hard to understand” and made it as simple as can be。 This was a really amazing book to tell the history the of LGBT+ community and those who are a part of it。 10/10。

Riley ，

I didn't know a lot of these people！ I didn't know a lot of these people！ 。。。more

Leah Bauer ，

If you're looking for short histories of influential people from the past and today who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community， this book does a good job of covering a variety of people。 I listened to the audiobook， and each history reminded me of 1-3 minute TikTok videos where people share stories of people that school likely didn't teach were queer。 Since a lot of queer history has been erased or discounted， I appreciate learning more about members of the community who came before me。 I didn't r If you're looking for short histories of influential people from the past and today who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community， this book does a good job of covering a variety of people。 I listened to the audiobook， and each history reminded me of 1-3 minute TikTok videos where people share stories of people that school likely didn't teach were queer。 Since a lot of queer history has been erased or discounted， I appreciate learning more about members of the community who came before me。 I didn't realize this was a MG text until after I finished the book， but now that I have， it makes sense that it's missing some of the nuance I would've liked。 Overall， it was a quick nonfiction read。 。。。more

Fay Babette ，

This needs to be in every school。 So many unsung LGBTQ+ revolutionaries I didn't even know existed paved the way for me and my wife to live together！！！ I adored this！ Education and equality is the way forward💖💖💖💖 This needs to be in every school。 So many unsung LGBTQ+ revolutionaries I didn't even know existed paved the way for me and my wife to live together！！！ I adored this！ Education and equality is the way forward💖💖💖💖 。。。more

Tracie ，

Some of the entries got identities wrong， but I was happy to learn about folks I have never heard of before and I was glad to see different identities and BIPOC folks represented in the book。

Margaret Boling ，

7/11/2021 ~ I read sections of many 1-page bios to determine whether this would fit in my elementary library collection。 School Library Journal suggests grades 3-7。 The book has 1-page bios accompanied by full page painted illustrations of the subject。 I appreciated that the book included people from a range of historical periods and from across the world。 Verdict: Will be purchasing for my school library。

Max ，

this is a very cute， basic introduction into the history of our community but i did have some issues with it。 i didn't really enjoy the writing style。 i get that it's for kids but i didn't like how the author skirts around the word death and the awful horrible things that happen/-ed to lgbtq+ people， especially the black part of the community。 it just feels a little disingenuous。 this whole like，，， "they didn't let discrimination get them down。 pretty cool right？" It just felt like unless there this is a very cute， basic introduction into the history of our community but i did have some issues with it。 i didn't really enjoy the writing style。 i get that it's for kids but i didn't like how the author skirts around the word death and the awful horrible things that happen/-ed to lgbtq+ people， especially the black part of the community。 it just feels a little disingenuous。 this whole like，，， "they didn't let discrimination get them down。 pretty cool right？" It just felt like unless there was absolutely no way around it， like in the case of Harvey Milk， the author wanted to shy away from the hard things as much as possible。 i get it， it's a children's book and you want to make it sound happy and hopeful， but what if their lives weren't like that？ a lot of the parts in here feel like lies by omission and like，，， idk。 i'm not a parent so idk， maybe this is the proper way to tell children about stuff， it just felt a little "dishonest" to me， like people just might not want to tell kids about it because it's hard。 or maybe the chapters were just way too short to get into it， which is also a thing。 the book probably would have had more impact if the author had narrowed it down to thirty people。 or made a series out of it with ten per book。 。。。more

Amy ，

This book does a lovely job of listing plenty of influential LGBTQ+ people from both recent history and further back in time。 I was especially fascinated to learn about the trans women and men in history， since their existence is so often framed as a phenomenon。 I loved that the writing is made to be accessible to kids， explaining things simply and not assuming they know basic facts of world history already。 I also loved that it focuses on positivity， highlighting people's lives rather than dwel This book does a lovely job of listing plenty of influential LGBTQ+ people from both recent history and further back in time。 I was especially fascinated to learn about the trans women and men in history， since their existence is so often framed as a phenomenon。 I loved that the writing is made to be accessible to kids， explaining things simply and not assuming they know basic facts of world history already。 I also loved that it focuses on positivity， highlighting people's lives rather than dwelling on the details of their deaths。 All in all， this was a great impulse buy that's going to be a great addition to my future child's bookcase。 。。。more

Oyinda ，

Book 189 of 20213。5 ✨

Dave ，

Interesting overview of 50 people of varying sexual or gender identities some more well known than others， selected to show the rich variety the LGBTQ+ Community has offered the world over time。 Quirky but fascinating work， beautifully aided by its colourful illustrations。

Catherine ，

Author: Sarah PragerIllustrator: Sarah PapworthAge Recommendation: Middle PrimaryArt Style: ColourfulTopic/ Theme: LGBTQ+ People & History I want to start by saying this is almost problematically American given the words on the back of the book 'In every culture and in every century， LGBTQ+ people have not only existed and thrived， they have revolutionised'。 So many of the stories are from people lived as a substantial enough amount of their life in the US to have their country listed as the Unit Author: Sarah PragerIllustrator: Sarah PapworthAge Recommendation: Middle PrimaryArt Style: ColourfulTopic/ Theme: LGBTQ+ People & History I want to start by saying this is almost problematically American given the words on the back of the book 'In every culture and in every century， LGBTQ+ people have not only existed and thrived， they have revolutionised'。 So many of the stories are from people lived as a substantial enough amount of their life in the US to have their country listed as the United States。 Some could have been left out in order to have more geographic diversity。 As a book aimed at children， it does simplify the situation for many of them dramatically so。 Alexander the Great was no exception， sexual expectation and acceptance of sexual relationships have changed dramatically through time。 Which is partially the point though that is not made clear and it probably should be。 So many of the people featured are bi or their orientation is maybe a guess or an assumption。 I will say that maybe the write-ups are a little wordy for those in the youngest demographic。 The framing on the text boxes are a nice way to bring everything together。 The art style is okay， including so quotes where appropriate。 The settings are effective。 Like Billie Jean King's write surrounded by tennis balls， her name spelt out using tennis iconography; Ma Rainey's name stylised in a font of her time surrounded by jazz instruments; Cleve Jones with all his quilting imagery。 Have a random dump of some of the good and the bad• Alan H。 Hart — feels kind of unnecessary。 He was the first American person to transition with the help of medical doctors and a leader in the tuberculosis treatment field。 But given Lili Elbe is in here I just think the space could have better used。• Benjamin Banneker — Bless the inclusion of an ace。 A scientist。• Chevalier d'Éon — born Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont， aka Mademoiselle La chevalière d'Éon。 A badass spy trans spy in the time of Louis XV （and Louis XIV） her entire debut wardrobe was a gift from Marie Antoinette• Christina of Sweden — What is a book like this without Christina？• Franciso Manicongo — This is one I hadn't heard of， 1500s Angola/ Brazil。 The whole thing is mostly heartbreaking。 But it is also fascinating to my anthropologist's brain。 The idea that Angola at this point had different clothes for trans people fascinates me。• Frieda Kahlo — Another I absolutely expected， but how it was written is odd。 Diego and Frieda are something else。 Putting Frieda in a children's book does not allow her to be done justice。• Gilbert Baker — "Do you know the word 'vexillographer'？ It's time to learn。" One is that a word？ Two who chose to put it in a children's book？ Baker is the man who made the rainbow flag so closely linked to the LGBTQ+ community。• Lili Elbe — Lili is a badass。 She was one of the first to get physical transition surgery。 Always supported by her loving wife Gerda Wegener。 Lili's death from complications for her fourth surgery hurts me。• Natalie Clifford Barney — It's nice to see at least one poly in here。• Wen of Han — I would also suggest people look up the story of Ai of Han， known to some has emperor cut sleeve。 Wen of Han and Ai of Han are related some 5 or 6 generations apart。• We'Wha — Their identity is "lamana" it's an example of non-binary gender。 The book does explain the meaning of this one， I just appreciate that it was included。 The inclusion some of the LGBTQ+ history at the end is useful。 A timeline of LGBTQ+ history， Glossary， Pride and Identity Flags and LGBTQ+ Symbols。 There is a selected bibliography as well， I'm not sure how acceptable they would be the demographic。 It's not the best book it's not the worst book。 I think it lost track of its audience somewhere along the line but it does tell the stories to the extent it does fairly well。 I think it could have chosen a wider people on a global scale， possibly different identities。 Look I'm ace there is only one ace and his feels a bit off， ace is not a new identity but we are often less vocal than others harder to assert historically。 Do I think it is a good book？ Yes。 I think it would be a good choice for a child particularly for those who have a personal connection to the LGBTQ+ community or an interest in history。 But I'm pretty sure there are better out there。 。。。more

Clover ，

Loved the art， 10/10 would recommend

Kate Elizabeth ，

This was a beautifully illustrated book about queer history。 I got this in my library book subscription box from the Junior Library Guild， and it was such a good pick！ I have zero other books like this， and I think it's so important for my kids to have access to this book。 It was also written in a really accessible way for kids， which I really appreciated as well。 I read it for the Book Riot's "Read Harder 2021" challenge- read a LGBTQ+ history book。 There were tons of people whose stories I had This was a beautifully illustrated book about queer history。 I got this in my library book subscription box from the Junior Library Guild， and it was such a good pick！ I have zero other books like this， and I think it's so important for my kids to have access to this book。 It was also written in a really accessible way for kids， which I really appreciated as well。 I read it for the Book Riot's "Read Harder 2021" challenge- read a LGBTQ+ history book。 There were tons of people whose stories I had never heard， and some who I knew， but didn't know were queer。 A great read！ 。。。more

Sharon ，

Picked up this quick and easy read after hearing the author speak on Episode 0。7 of History is Gay。 I'm still astonished by how few of these people I was taught about while growing up in school。 Even with the familiar names， I mostly didn't know that they were LGBTQ+。 I'll probably send a copy of this to my activism-inclined nephew at some point。One drawback about listening to the audiobook version of this is that I didn't get to see the illustrations。 Also， "LGBTQ+" is a mouthful to say out lou Picked up this quick and easy read after hearing the author speak on Episode 0。7 of History is Gay。 I'm still astonished by how few of these people I was taught about while growing up in school。 Even with the familiar names， I mostly didn't know that they were LGBTQ+。 I'll probably send a copy of this to my activism-inclined nephew at some point。One drawback about listening to the audiobook version of this is that I didn't get to see the illustrations。 Also， "LGBTQ+" is a mouthful to say out loud over and over。 。。。more

Trish Meegan ，

Great read for my classroom。 A variety of historical profiles of important individuals。 My middle school students seemed to enjoy it。 The Audible narration was a nice addition。

Jani Sblendorio ，

I picked up this book as part of #TheA5Experience where I tour a new book store in each of the 50 states。 This book has a broad variety of people who happen to be from the LGBTQ+ community that have influenced our lives。 The pages are abstract and colorful just like the personalities of the people who have paved the way！ I can't wait to place this in my classroom library！ Educators this is a must have for yours as well！ I picked up this book as part of #TheA5Experience where I tour a new book store in each of the 50 states。 This book has a broad variety of people who happen to be from the LGBTQ+ community that have influenced our lives。 The pages are abstract and colorful just like the personalities of the people who have paved the way！ I can't wait to place this in my classroom library！ Educators this is a must have for yours as well！ 。。。more

Heidi ，

This book says it is for younger kids， but I think it would better suit middle school。 The purpose of the book is a great one， but trying to fit 50 short， less than one page biographies into one book is daunting。 Also， some of the people covered are not even confirmed part of the LGBTQ+ community and it even states that in a couple of the biographies。 So， my question is， why include them then？So， I think if you want to add a book or two to your library for kids to learn more about the world's LG This book says it is for younger kids， but I think it would better suit middle school。 The purpose of the book is a great one， but trying to fit 50 short， less than one page biographies into one book is daunting。 Also， some of the people covered are not even confirmed part of the LGBTQ+ community and it even states that in a couple of the biographies。 So， my question is， why include them then？So， I think if you want to add a book or two to your library for kids to learn more about the world's LGBTQ+ game-changers， I would look elsewhere。 。。。more

Salamah ，

Wide range of diverse people from different occupations。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0