Honors the dead and inspires the living.
AIDS in America: a story of injustice and resistance.
Written for readers who are growing up in an era where AIDS is treatable, this book reconstructs the terror of the 1980s and 1990s, when it was a deadly epidemic whose victims faced fear, stigma, and prejudice. The authors also examine how the crisis forged heroes, sparked movements fighting for justice and dignity, and evoked compassion from unexpected places. Rooted in science, history, and statistics—but also channeling the emotional power of firsthand testimonies—this work is a must-read for its broad coverage of individuals and collectives who stepped up to combat neglect with activism and apathy with care. This account chronicles the work of ACT UP, the Hetrick-Martin Institute, Project Lazarus, and the San Diego Blood Sisters, among others. Its strength lies in the diverse voices—male, female, nonbinary, gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, transgender, cisgender, white, people of color, urban, and rural—represented through narrative nonfiction, interviews, poetry, speeches, news reports, obituaries, and artwork. While the story sets out to tell the story of AIDS in America, it displays an awareness of the global nature of the epidemic. Balancing rigorous research with accessibility for teen readers is no small feat, but the co-authors achieve it by drawing on their complementary expertise: Levithan is a Lambda Literary Award–winning YA writer, and Duckels is a scholar of young readers’ literature focusing on the cultural politics of HIV/AIDS.
Honors the dead and inspires the living. (notes and sources, bibliography, resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 21, 2026
ISBN: 9780593710920
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future.
An adaptation for teens of the adult title A Queer History of the United States (2011).
Divided into thematic sections, the text filters LGBTQIA+ history through key figures in each era from the 1500s to the present. Alongside watershed moments like the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, the text brings to light less well-known people, places, and events: the 1625 free love colony of Merrymount, transgender Civil War hero Albert D.J. Cashier, and the 1951 founding of the Mattachine Society, to name a few. Throughout, the author and adapter take care to use accurate pronouns and avoid imposing contemporary terminology onto historical figures. In some cases, they quote primary sources to speculate about same-sex relationships while also reminding readers of past cultural differences in expressing strong affection between friends. Black-and-white illustrations or photos augment each chapter. Though it lacks the teen appeal and personable, conversational style of Sarah Prager’s Queer, There, and Everywhere (2017), this textbook-level survey contains a surprising amount of depth. However, the mention of transgender movements and activism—in particular, contemporary issues—runs on the slim side. Whereas chapters are devoted to over 30 ethnically diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer figures, some trans pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen and Holly Woodlawn are reduced to short sidebars.
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future. (glossary, photo credits, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8070-5612-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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