Various

A stirring, bold and moving anthology of stories and poetry by top LGBTQ+ YA authors and new talent, giving their unique responses to the broad theme of pride. Each story has an illustration by an artist identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community. A boy's coming out is overshadowed by gay penguins, a music-loving teen overcomes her shyness about approaching a girl and a trans boy joins a ragtag football team. From a China where a lantern-maker has a pet phoenix to the Travelodge hideout of two teens on the run, these stories shine with glorious moments of pride.

Proud

Grace O'Callaghan

Average rating of all the stories: 4.2/5 ⭐️

CW: Homophobia, transphobia, misgendering, panic attacks, grief

‘They say home is where the heart is, but I think home is where you’re understood.’

This is an anthology for anyone that has every felt other because of their sexuality or gender. For any teen that is stuggling with theirs, or that’s accepted theirs, that’s proud of theirs. For those that just want LGBTQ+ people to get a happy ending. Because it’s what we all deserve: a happy ending. From Asian fantasy about queer girls to gay boys bonding over penguins, there’s a story for you in here.

The anthology starts with a wonderful foreword by Juno Dawson telling you about the history of the LGBTQ+ community in Britain, as well as why it’s so important to tell stories about LGBTQ+ people, by LGBTQ+ authors.


• Dive Bar by Caroline Bird - 4/5 ⭐️
Art by Staffa Khan

Poetry has never been my thing, but I’m pleasantly surprised. I did have to read it at least three times before I felt like I understood it. I loved the imagery and the repetition of words changed slightly as the poem went along. It made me feel claustrophobic and trapped but ultimately hopeful by the end. The art also lent itself well to the poem, quite abstract so you can interpret it just like the poem.

• Penguins by Simon James Green - 5/5 ⭐️
Art by Alice Oseman

Cameron has finally plucked up the courage to come out to his parents when two male penguins at the zoo start a relationship and take the spotlight.
This was utter perfection. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. How can you not like a story about gay penguins? You just can’t. Oseman’s art style is also pure and wholesome, perfectly capturing the feeling of the story.

• On the Run by Kay Staples - 4/5 ⭐️
Art by Alex Bertie

After Nicky and Dean find out they have a winning lottery ticket, they go on the run to escape the world of poverty and greedy people they’ve grown up in. Nicky is also struggling with their identity. Not knowing whether they’re a boy, girl or somewhere outside the gender binary.
I really enjoyed this one. I don’t think I’ve ever read from the perspective of a non binary person, I’m so glad stories like this are finally being written for the people that need it the most.

• The Phoenix’s Fault by Cynthia So - 4/5 ⭐️
Art by Priyanka Meenakshi

In a Chinese fantasy setting, where dragons and phoenixes are the symbol of (heterosexual) marriage, Jingzhi feels out of place. When the Emperor is looking for a new wife, all girls who have been chosen by phoenixes are requested to go to the palace, including Jingzhi. Faced with an ultimatum she must confront her feelings for her best friend.
This was so cute and lovely. Queer Chinese fantasy including phoenixes AND dragons, how could you not want that? My only complaint is I wish it wasn’t as rushed at the end and that I need a whole novel of this now.
I liked the style of the artwork, but I think it was too contrasted and busy for you to make out anything other than the phoenix.

• As the Philadelphia Queer Youth Choir Sings Katy Perry’s Firework... by David Levithan - 3/5 ⭐️
Art by Steve Antony

The thoughts of the Philadelphia Queer Youth Choir as they sing Firework by Katy Perry.
The format really threw me off. I get why it was done, to mimic the form of thoughts, but I didn’t care too much because I didn’t know who was speaking. I guess that’s kind of the message because they’re singing as one, I just didn’t like that aspect to it.

• Almost Certain by Tanya Byrne - 5/5 ⭐️
Art by Frank Duffy

Orla has no clue how to come out to everyone, and has panic attacks thinking about it. But at Trafalgar Records, Orla is completely at home with the music.
I found this one to be so perfect. It’s a quiet story about music, emotion and the complete terror that is the feeling before you come out. It’s a quiet and subtle story that’ll really stick with me. 
That artwork was also exactly my kind of thing, dark and minimal.

‘I can’t help but wonder if that’s what love is, if it’s knowing exactly how much space someone takes up in the world and not making them feel bad about it.’

• The Other Side by Michael Lee Richardson - 3/5 ⭐️
Art by David Roberts

All about the queer football team from the perspective of Ethan, a trans guy who recently joined the team. With themes of inclusion and friendship.
Highly enjoyed this one, loved all the support that involves queer sports teams, would’ve been a four star if it hadn’t perpetuated the idea that bi people are more likely to cheat because they have the capacity to be attracted to more than one gender. 

• I Hate Darcy Pemberly by Karen Lawler - 4.5/5 ⭐️
Art by Kameron White

Lesbian retelling of Pride and Prejudice set at a high school. What more could you possibly want out of a premise like that? A novel, that’s what I needed. Although I loved this, it wasn’t my favourite as I don’t think Pride and Prejudice works great as a story this short, I think the anticipation of things is the best part about the original work. Another thing that bugged me slightly is that I thought technology was integrated really well into the story, but then they talk about liking a poll on Instagram stories, which you can’t do. It just showed the author had not used that feature before. I still absolutely loved the chemistry between Lizzie and Darcy and all the characters were fleshed out in such a short amount of time. 

• The Courage of Dragons by Fox Benwell - 3/5 ⭐️
Art by Kristen Van Dam

All about Scout, and their friends as they bring Dungeons and Dragons to life by becoming heroes to try to make their school more inclusive to non binary folks.
I thought the plot itself was actually pretty good and worked perfectly as a short story. My issue was with how many D&D references there were. So many that I had no idea what was going on half the time. The writing also did not suit the story. It was sort of lyrical at times and others very simple. Just quite jarring with all the references which made me not enjoy this as much as I could have.

• The Instructor by Jess Vallance - 5/5 ⭐️
Art by Kate Alizadeh

Follow Lucy as she tries her hand at driving, bring taught by an eccentric woman who may or may not be a real instructor. Her reason for driving? So she can gain some independence and impress her crush, Fizzy.
This was such a heart warming story about how some people are in your life at the right time for the right reasons. That sometimes you need a bit of a nudge to get where you want to go. The ending had me tearing up. I just love when queer girls get happy endings.

• Love Poems to the City by Moira Fowley-Doyle - 5/5 ⭐️
Art by Fatti Burke

A beautiful story of Irish teens during 2015 fighting for the right to love whoever they want to.
As I live in Ireland this story has a very special place in my heart. This was lyrically written without detracting from the story and encompasses the entire theme of this anthology: that LGBTQ+ people just want the same rights as everyone else.

‘Protect children from ever having to be told that they are less because of who they love.’

• How to Come Out As Gay by Dean Atta - 5/5 ⭐️
Art by Leo Greenfield
A simple poem on how to come out.
Utter perfection, need I say more?

‘Remember you have the right to by proud, remember you have the right to be you.’

A really wonderful book of LGBTQ+ authors and artists coming together to celebrate the community. So glad we’re seeing more things like this being published, it makes me excited for the future.

Kath Lau

PROUD is a collection of short stories and poetry accompanied by beautiful illustrations by new and established lgbtq+ young adult authors and illustrators. The theme of the stories is pride and I really admired every single one of them. They are funny, inspiring and powerful. The foreword written by June Dawson is one of my most favorites in this book. It's honest and very empowering.

There are ten short stories and two poems in this collection. All are contemporaries, except for one which is a fairytale fantasy, with diverse and interesting characters. I just wished there's a story that features an Aromantic/Asexual character. The stories tackle a lot of important subjects such as homophobia, transphobia, anxiety, and even dementia in a very sensitive way.

Dive Bar by Caroline Bird - This was a bummer because I honestly didn't get this poem which was frustrating for me because I feel like I would love it. I'll give it a try again.

Penguins by Simon James Green - This was an adorable and sweet story. It kind of reminded me of Simon vs. the Homo-Sapiens Agenda. The main character struggles to come out especially when everyone is having different reactions about the gay penguins in the zoo.

On The Run by Kay Staples - I loved this one. Two teens run away after winning the lottery. One of them is non-binary. Their romance is really special and touching.

The Phoenix's Fault by Cynthia So - This is one of my most favorites too. A Chinese f/f fairytale fantasy. That's all you need to know.

As the Philadelphia Queer Youth Choir Sings Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’… by David Levithan - The narration was quite confusing but I loved the representations. I also agree that Born This Way by Lady Gaga is better than Firework.

Almost Certain by Tanya Byrne - This was quite an emotional read for me. It features an f/f romance and also tackles anxiety and grief.

The Other Team by Micheal Lee Richardson - A story of a transgender boy who is in a queer football team. He faces discrimination but his amazing team has his back.

I Hate Darcy Pemberley by Karen Lawler - This is a contemporary f/f retelling of the classic "Pride and Prejudice".

The Courage of Dragons by Fox Benwell - A story of a non-binary teen and his Dungeons and Dragons team turning their school gender neutral. I admire the illustration at the end by Kristen Van Dam.

The Instructor by Jess Vallance - A heartwarming story about a girl who wants to learn how to drive to impress her crush and finally discovers her real feelings towards her.

Love Poems to the City by Moïra Fowley-Doyle - This story is inspiring and thought-provoking too. It has an f/f romance and subject like marriage equality.

How To Come Out as Gay by Dean Atta - A powerful poem about coming out and self-acceptance. Definitely a favorite of mine.

PROUD is a brilliant and very uplifting collection of own voice stories and I highly recommend it!

Ocean

I've never read anything like this before. A brilliant anthology of LGBTQ+ short stories and poems, there's something for everyone. I really enjoyed this book and some of the stories made me want more, to see what happened next to the characters - I particularly felt this after reading Penguins by Simon James Green, On The Run by Kay Staples and The Phoenix's Fault by Cynthia So. The illustrations are beautiful and the artists were well-matched to each story. As there are a variety of stories, naturally there were a couple that weren't quite my cup of tea, which is why this doesn't quite get 5 stars, but it was a great read overall. I hope to read full-length books by some of these authors in the future!

Proud

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