Queer, There, and Everywhere: 22 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager (review)

In this clever, breezy, and informative collection, Prager offers twenty-two biographies of twenty-three individuals (one entry is joint) who have challenged heteronormative assumptions in various ways. Some identified as being firmly on the GLBTQ spectrum (Harvey Milk) and others clearly never used the terms (Abraham Lincoln), but all of the people featured belong in this wide-ranging collection. The author is very clear that this collection focuses on subjects with deep, intimate nonsexual connections, those in same-sex physical relationships, and those whose gender identity rather than sexual pursuits place them on the queer spectrum. In a nod to the idea that even short chapters may be too darn long, a quick summary preceding each entry that hints at juicy information to come, as with Elagabalus, whose note reads, “the most scandalous teenage Roman emperor you’ve never heard of.” End matter including a glossary, concluding essay, and source notes make this an even more useful tool, but really, the stars here are the chapters themselves, jam packed with direct quotes, sardonic authorial asides, and pro-love (in whatever form and with whomever you choose) messages.