This middle-grade history of Stonewall is organized around 50 representative objects, including the “Statement of Purpose” from the Daughters of Bilitis, the first lesbian civil rights group in the U.S.; a matchbook from Gene Compton’s Cafeteria, site of a pre-Stonewall police raid in Los Angeles; a photograph of trans advocate Marsha P. Johnson; another of bisexual activist Brenda Howard; and a New York city police nightstick. Pitman, a professor of psychology and women/gender studies at Sacramento City College, weaves the stories behind these objects into a compelling narrative that feels both accessible and substantial. She thoughtfully shows how the groundwork for Stonewall was laid, albeit unintentionally, by police raids on gay establishments around the country, a burgeoning organization among LGBT people, and the visibility of other civil rights movements. She also conveys how Stonewall nurtured a mindset and launched organizations that propelled the LGBTQ rights movement forward into what it is today.
As a trained historian myself, I applaud that Pitman captures so much of what history is really about: piecing together clues to what happened, asking questions that don’t always have answers, and realizing there are often multiple sides to a story. The book should stand not just as a history of one event or movement (although it does that exceptionally well), but as an example of how history for young people can be made enthralling, nuanced, and relevant to their lives today.
