A few weeks ago I was cleaning up old emails and found one from 2022! It was a note I had sent to the author of Meaning of Pride, Rosiee Thor and their response. They mentioned they were sharing my note with illustrator Sam Kirk. I never heard from them; but then again, I was not expecting to (though it would have been awesome). Finding this note made me want to read it once again. Now the real kick-in-the-pants? It was still an online reader! I mean, I have recently lost two links for books that came out “today” (the day of writing this review as it was their publication date), but one from 2 years ago was still there? (Okay, I don’t get it!) But I wasn’t too worried as I was able to read Meaning of Pride again.
The great thing is, nothing changed for me. Maybe the book has since been updated, but considering it had people from Marsha P Johnson to Elliot Page, I had a feeling they would not be updating too much as it was as current as humanly possible. The format is a quick poetic prose format that “gives a bit of history” and it is mixed with the pioneers of the Pride movement. There is also a short biography section of each person mentioned. Which made me feel a little silly as if I had read that before, I would have known that Andrea Gibson was the Andrea Gibson I was thinking of. But of course, if I had, I would not have written the note in the first place (funny how things work out). Maybe this book is “just another in a line of Pride books” but that does not mean it is “just a book” or “just a Pride book.” It has people who you might not have heard of, some who are not as well known names but are familiar if you are part of or watched some popular culture, and of course, the big names, too. And of course from the “classics” to the “modern” are included. From fashion icons, to politicians, to actors/actresses, authors/poets and even the “everyday hero” grace the terribly colorful and fun illustrations.
The fun part of reading a book again (which usually is not a thing I do) is that it made me look to see what else Thor has done. There were a few things I added to a I Want to Read Wish List, but I’m still looking for more Sam Kirk (therefore, suggestions welcomed). I realized that if I find this book again (online or in a physical copy) I will read it again. It is a book that is worth reading more than once. It might be because it is an introduction but not overly simplified. There is meat and potatoes to things. It is also a good book to have cross over into multiple ages. It can grow with the listener and/or reader, and spark conversations about the subject matter.