In this fun yet informative graphic novel, modern queer teens Natalia, Jax, and Rashad are surprised to learn that Natalia’s abuela (grandmother) had a girlfriend before she met Natalia’s grandfather. She explains how things were for LGBTQ people back in the 1960s—finding underground community but facing beatings, arrest, or loss of a job if they came out, at a time when being gay was still considered an illness. The youngsters are skeptical that things were really that different, but then find themselves, along with Abuela (and her pet cockatiel, Rocky), magically transported back to the Stonewall Inn in June 1969.
After a narrow escape from queerphobes, they meet and chat with some of the Inn’s clientele, including Marsha P. Johnson, Silvia Rivera, and Stormé DeLaverie. Then the police raid the Inn and as the events of that fateful night transpire, the three protagonists react differently. Natalia is inspired and wants to help; Jax is stressed and fearful; and Rashad wants to ignore the problems and just flirt with the cute guy he met. Gradually, however, all three see how much has changed because of Stonewall and realize the importance of standing up for their rights. As Jax puts it, “I don’t need to be brave all the time. Sometimes I just need to show up, in whatever way I can.”
Abuela offers more context and history, noting that several protests also happened elsewhere even before Stonewall. She then gives some highlights of the post-Stonewall evolution of the movement, including Johnson and Rivera’s work; lesbian group the Lavender Menace; Harvey Milk’s election and assassination; the first joint adoption by a same-sex couple; the founding of PFLAG (which it dates to 1972, although the organization itself says 1973); the AIDS crisis; marriage equality, and more.
The main characters are then zipped back to the present, where Natalia thanks her abuela for showing them the hardships of the past. “Hardships and joy,” Abuela gently corrects her. The teens each share how they plan to educate themselves and take action on current challenges: Natalia, who is trans, wants to organize a protest at her school in support of gender-neutral bathrooms; Rashad wants to learn more about how the queer and Black Lives Matter movements intersect; and Jax (who is nonbinary if I read one use of “them” correctly) is going to write to legislators “to ensure gender-affirming medical care is accessible and available to all.”
The story is obviously fictionalized, but is in many ways one of the best short LGBTQ histories for this age group. Author Archie Bongiovanni notably shows us not only the intra-community debates that happened in the wake of Stonewall (make noise and protest? stay quiet and safe?) but also the bias that often excluded people of color and trans women from the burgeoning movement. Those are aspects often elided in other books. And it is a rare history for young people that mentions the Lavender Menace or an adoption milestone.
This isn’t just a historical narration, however; it’s a story, and the protagonists’ adventures in time are also exciting, moving, and often funny. The three main characters also represent various mindsets about advocacy, offering readers various points of entry into the tale. A. Andrews’ limited-palette illustrations are bold and dynamic. Young readers should enjoy this immensely, even as they are learning important lessons about history and about making change. Other books may offer more details in some areas, but few will engage readers as well as this one, whetting their appetites for reading more about history and perhaps even making it themselves.
