Evelyn Hooker and the Fairy Project

by Gayle E. Pitman, Sarah Green (Illustrator)

Overview

A pioneering psychologist, Hooker was a poet and a towering figure in LGBTQ+ rights.

This evocative biography tells the story of Evelyn Hooker, the extraordinary woman behind the research, advocacy, and allyship that led to the removal of the “Homosexuality” diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Written by Stonewall award-winning author Gayle Pitman, Hooker’s groundbreaking work is captured like never before.

At the end of the book, a “Note to Readers” provides information about how to be an effective ally to LGBTQ+ people; other endmatter included are a timeline, discussion questions, reading list, and additional resources, written by Sarah Prager.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433830471
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	10/26/2021
Series:	Extraordinary Women in Psychology Series
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	649,155
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Lexile:	1130L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Gayle E. Pitman, PhD, is a professor of psychology and women's studies at Sacramento City College. Her teaching and writing focuses on gender and sexual orientation, and she has worked extensively with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) community. She is the author of My Maddy, This Day in June, When You Look Out the Window,  Feminism From A to Z, and Sewing the Rainbow. This Day in June was the winner of 2015 Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children's & Young Adult Literature Award and a Top Ten Title in the ALA Rainbow List. In 2019, it was named as an 11 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2018 List book by ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom. She lives in California. Visit gaylepitman.com and @GaylePitmanAuthor on Facebook, @GaylePitman on Twitter and Instagram.

Sarah Green is an illustrator and designer from San Francisco. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 2014. She lives in San Francisco, California, and Vancouver, Canada. Visit sarahgreenillustration.com, @s_green_bean on Twitter, and @sarahgreenstudio on Instagram.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Nebraska to California 1

Chapter 2 Unexpected Twists 29

Chapter 3 Stranger Danger 51

Chapter 4 The Fairy Project 69

Chapter 5 Backlash 87

Chapter 6 Grand Marshal 117

More Learning & Other Resources by Sarah Prager

Timeline 129

Discussion Questions 139

How to Be an LGBTQ+ Ally 141

Further Learning 145

Other Resources 147

Endnotes 149

About the Authors, Illustrator, and Magination Press 153

What People are Saying About This

Sam From

She’s another Eleanor Roosevelt. You’ve got to meet her.

Editorial Reviews

2021-08-16
A true story of true allyship.

This straightforward historical retelling follows the life of Evelyn Hooker, a straight White woman born in Nebraska in 1907, her studies and career in psychology, and the impact of her work to depathologize homosexuality. Some detours explain antisemitism and Hitler’s Germany (Hooker was staying with a Jewish family in Berlin at the time), the cultural context of tuberculosis, and advances in feminism predominantly benefitting White women. Hooker’s pioneering research at UCLA was pivotal in the American Psychiatric Association’s 1973 decision to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The story is often interrupted by a variety of poetic forms, ranging from found poems to limericks to a sonnet, which distract more than they engage. A helpful note at the beginning of this book reminds readers that, “Language is fluid, and the terminology used to describe sexual orientation has evolved over time to be more specific and respectful,” but given the era and the events described, the work uses “labels like ‘homosexual’ and ‘homosexuality’ in a historical context, and refers mostly to ‘gay people’ or ‘gay men,’ rather than the diverse array of identities we appreciate today.” On the whole, this offers helpful material for young researchers and audiences curious about LGBTQ+ history. Spot art and floral page decorations appear throughout.

Offers interesting information on a lesser-known hero. (timeline, discussion questions, ally guide, suggested reading, other resources, endnotes) (Nonfiction. 12-15)

Kirkus Reviews