Be Amazing: A History of Pride

by Desmond Napoles, Dylan Glynn (Illustrator)

Overview

In Be Amazing, drag kid Desmond is Amazing walks you through the history of the LGBTQ community, all while encouraging you to embrace your own uniqueness and ignore the haters.

Desmond is amazing—and you are, too.

Throughout history, courageous people like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and RuPaul have paved the way for a safer, more inclusive society for LGBTQ individuals, and it’s thanks to them that people just like Desmond can be free to be who they really are.

Featuring illustrations by Dylan Glynn

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374312589
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	07/21/2020
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,087,789
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Desmond is Amazing is a teenage drag performer, awarded LGBTQ+ advocate, author, outspoken gay youth, editorial and runway model, public speaker, fashion designer, film and TV actor, muse, and icon from New York City.

They are the founder of the Haus of Amazing, the first drag house for drag kids. Most importantly, they are an inspiration to many and a representation of hope for the future to come. Desmond’s motto is “be yourself, always.” They are the author of Be Amazing: A History of Pride.

Dylan Glynn is an award-winning animator, painter, and author based in Toronto, Canada. His multidisciplinary practice is characterised by its emotion, grace and sense of wild-movement.

His work has been recognized and exhibited by Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Somerset House and the Canadian Screen Awards. He is the author/artist of Rain Boy and illustrated Desmond Napoles' (aka Desmond is Amazing) Be Amazing: A History of Pride.

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2020

K-Gr 4—Thirteen-year-old internet sensation and "drag kid" Napoles has penned an encouraging book that is both an autobiography and a quick history of the fight for LGBTQ rights. Napoles pays homage to queer, trans, and gay activists of color like Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, and RuPaul Charles, with two-page spreads for each individual that briefly examine their lives and influence on the queer community. However, the text does not address intersectionality or connections to the civil rights, feminist, Black Pride, and Black Power movements, nor does it provide an in-depth discussion of how the personal identities of these changemakers shaped their lives and work. Several other advocates and activists from 20th-century history are named and illustrated on a shared spread (along with a drawing of Napoles gazing up at them), but the text does not offer facts or comprehensive information about them. The sources section contains three websites and one adult book. The glossary excludes identities such as nonbinary and pansexual. VERDICT While libraries need a great children's introduction to those who have worked on behalf of the queer community, this book lacks a nuanced overview of LGBTQ history. However, Napoles's unbridled enthusiasm and confidence are refreshing and inspiring.—Sarah Stone, San Francisco P.L.

School Library Journal

2020-02-26
Meet some popular (and amazing) individuals involved with the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Twelve-year-old drag artist Desmond is Amazing narrates this glimpse into popular names and faces that make up the recent history of queer rights in the U.S. Along the way, the author introduces himself (“I like to play video games, read, sing, collect toy trains, dance, and model. I enjoy going to school and have many friends”) and his drag inspirations. Following a brief glimpse at life before the Stonewall riots, readers learn about this historic uprising. Important figures from this time period, including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, are introduced; RuPaul also warrants a double-page spread a little later on. Additional names and faces appear, such as Pepper Labeija, Stormé DeLarverie, James Baldwin, and Laverne Cox, but only as labeled portraits; it will be up to readers to seek out more information. No drag queen likes to be upstaged, but that’s what happens with Glynn’s artwork. The bright, bold colors evoke the energy of fingerpainting and add much-needed depth and vibrancy to the work. It’s a jolt of energy, doing its best to elevate a pedestrian text: “We look back on those who took a stand at the Stonewall Riots as heroes who should be celebrated for giving LGBTQ people, like me, the freedoms we enjoy today.”

Its heart’s in the right place…. (author’s note, glossary, sources) (Informational picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews