I could not be happier to have gotten the chance to review this book in advance. This anthology contains twelve short stories and each of this story has an illustration created especially for it. The authors and the illustrators are all part of the LGBTQ+ community. Plus there is also a foreword written by Juno Dawson, the author who compiled this entire anthology. The hard work put into this book is clear and everyone has done an excellent job.
In this book there is a good variety of short stories that explore several different parts of the LGBTQ+ community. I truly believe that this anthology has something to offer to everyone.
Out of the twelve stories my favourites were Penguins by Simon James Green, illustrated by Alice Oseman; The instructor by Jess Vallance, illustated by Kate Alizadeh; The other team by Micheal Lee Richardson, illustrated by David Roberts.

Dawson pulls another dazzler with Proud.

“Welcome to being LGBTQ+. Your life is inherently political. Politicians, all over the world, are <i>still</i> discussing whether or not you should have the same fundamental human rights as straight or cisgender people.”

Dawson provides a wonderful and emotive forward and introduction, reminding us how far things have come in 30 years but also the challenges still faced. Including the fact that many LGBTQ+ authors and stories have their books banned and challenged. Yet, these are how many young LGBTQ+ people find the language to talk about what they are feeling and who they are - these works are so important. The introduction felt like a call to action, to encourage and support all of the wonderful LGBTQ+ authors and writers and to ensure that these books continue to succeed and reach all the people that need them, and just those that need to see themselves on a page and know that they are normal and right.

“If we live in stories, it means we live in the real world too. We are claiming our space, claiming our oxygen.”

This anthology has a wonderful selection of LGBTQ+ authors and writers, covering both short stories and poetry who provide the reader with so many different ways to feel proud of who they are, covering a wide range of experiences. The collection is heart-warming, engaging, sensitive, funny, powerful and personal, and made me proud to be LGBTQ+.

As with all anthologies, there are some contributions that stand out more than others. For me they would be Penguins by Simon James Green and The Phoenix’s Fault by Cynthia So. However, I enjoyed all of the contributions and there wasn’t a single on that let the collection down. I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book and dip in and out of the different stories depending on what I need at the time. More than that, I am going to be tracking down other works from all of these writers.

Overall, 5 stars for Proud and I cannot recommend this highly enough. Go out and get it for your shelf, get it for friend’s shelf, your family’s shelf, give it as a gift to everyone!

So, it's finally time - the queerest book of 2019! I was at YALC last year when Juno Dawson and the Stripes team unveiled Proud and to say it got me excited was an understatement. After waiting nearly seven painstaking months to be able to read it I can say I was not disappointed at all - and thanks to the people over at Stripes for letting read this early or I would have been waiting even longer!

If you've been living under a book-free rock for the past seven months then you might be asking yourself "what is Proud?" and to that I answer: an anthology of short stories and more by queer authors and artists all about queer things and the theme of pride. Simple as. Contained within Proud is ten short stories and two poems that will have you sad crying, happy crying, laughing out loud and then feeling all warm inside. Proud is nothing short of an emotional roller coaster. With a super heartfelt and passionate introduction by editor Juno Dawson this book was everything from page one.

Proud is a book for everyone, from the seasoned queer literature fan, to LGBTQ+ allies, to those who know very little of queer culture and its peoples and wish to learn more. It is a celebration of the amazing quality of LGBTQ+ YA, queer authors and illustrators all over the UK and beyond.

The stories span different genres from humourous tales of gay penguins to fantasy stories of phoenixes who dare to be different - with characters from all kinds of backgrounds and interests from being poor and living in council blocks of flats to D&D nerds living out almost magical fantasies at school. There's queer jocks, queer nerds, queer people of colour, queer lottery winners, queer people who get wrapped up in peacock wrangling - queer people can literally do/be anything these days. The characters are diverse, the stories are diverse, LGBT+ culture is DIVERSE.

I loved each and everyone one of these stories and from what I could see from the art in the advanced ebook it's just as wonderful - Alice Oseman and Fatti Burke were particular illustrator faves. I can't wait until I have the physical copy so I can see it all nice and finished. A big shout out to authors Simon James Green who had me lolling so much with his story Penguins, Kay Staples and her trans love story On The Run that filled me to the brim with warmth and lastly, Dean Atta who has actually written a poem that spoke to me in How To Come Out As Gay.

A bold new anthology of LGBTQIA writing compiled by award-winning author, Juno Dawson. I really liked the format of this collection, with each story being followed up by an illustration from an LGBTQIA-identifying artist. I particularly liked that, while there was plenty of the typical content about the difficulties in coming out, there was a lot more about a world where being LGBTQIA is accepted - be it parents who accept without question or multiple, large networks of friends who accept it and proactively defend it against homo/transphobia. There were plenty of characters who were just full of angst because they were teenagers with their first crush, and often the 'coming out' narrative didn't feature at all. It was refreshing and long overdue.

Individual ratings:

Penguins - 5 stars
My favourite of the collection, a classic 'meet cute' story that reminded me of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

On the Run - 4 stars
A story about two teenagers on the run after illegal gambling. I liked this for the opportunity to hear more of the thought process of someone who is trying to understand their identity as non-binary/gender fluid.

The Phoenix's Fault - 4 stars
A fantasy story set in a world where the Emperor chooses a wife from girls who possess a phoenix (with an excellent innuendo about whether the girl's phoenix responds to the Emperor's dragon which I should have hated but actually made me chuckle). I liked the concept and the sweet resolution, particularly as I haven't read much fantasy with lesbian protagonists.

Almost Certain - 4 stars
A teenage music-lover struggling with loneliness and mental health issues is encouraged to go to a gig by her local music-shop owner. A bittersweet story about how much just feeling seen can change a young person's world. This one also had my favourite art of the collection, illustrated by Frank Duffy.

The Other Team - 4 stars
A story about a trans boy playing for an LGBTQIA football team. I really liked Alistair's character and the overall "don't give a crap what you think" vibe.

I Hate Darcy Pemberley - 4 stars
I never thought I'd see an LGBTQIA YA retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but it's here and I frigging loved it.

How to Come Out as Gay - 4 stars
A rallying call to finish the anthology, a poem to tell you do to whatever you want - your identity is your identity. Come out, or don't. It's your life.

The Instructor - 3.5 stars
A teenage girl is taught to drive by her father's friend Patricia, an eccentric woman who helps our protagonist to confess her love for her friend. It wasn't bad, it was just a little twee towards the end.

The Courage of Dragons - 3 stars
A story about a group of friends who love Dungeons & Dragons and who stand up to challenge their school's attitude towards trans rights. It had really important themes about the way in which the world treats trans and non-binary people, manifested in this story through our non-binary protagonist being unable to use the bathroom at school without feeling unsafe. I wanted to rate this one higher but D&D isn't my thing and I was a bit cynical about the character names (Justice, Scabre etc.) so I couldn't really get into it for that reason.

Love Poems to the City - 3 stars
Another one which had important themes (the referendum on gay marriage in Ireland) but I couldn't really connect to any of the characters so struggled to get into it.

Dive Bar - 2 stars
A poem that was a little too abstract for me.

As the Philadelphia Queer Youth Choir Sings Katy Perry's 'Firework' - 2 stars
I really struggled with the narrative of this one, it seemed to switch between characters and I was generally confused throughout!

Overall, four stars for a cracking anthology that I hope makes a lot of LGBTQIA young people feel seen and represented, as well as giving more exposure to queer writers and artists. This isn't just for LGBTQIA people, it's a great anthology of YA writing, so if you like that genre, definitely give this one a try!

I raced through #ProudBook, compiled by @junodawson. All the stories/poems/illustrations are so different & so great, I laughed on one page & cried on the next. @DeanAtta's poem & the beautiful artwork by @LeoGreenfield particularly struck me, the perfect end to the anthology https://t.co/OlcfYAmdWM

Thank you NetGalley and Little Tiger Group for granting my wish and providing me with a copy for review.

I was really excited to read this compilation of LGBT+ short stories and I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to read and review it before its release in March. It features a range of LGBT+ writers and artists who have come together to tell different stories about a range of people across a range of genres.

All the stories were very different and I enjoyed reading every one of them. I haven't really read a compilation of short stories like this for a long time so it was a nice change, especially to read so many stories featuring so many LGBT+ characters. I read a lot of books with queer characters as I am queer myself, but I tend to stick to the ones focusing on sexuality rather than gender as this is what I relate to so it was nice to read about the other parts of my community too in these short stories.

I think it made a good attempt of trying to encompass the diversity of the LGBT+ community, especially as many books don't feature these characters and identities at all, but I wish it had been a little more diverse. For instance, the + identities were still not really represented in this book.

Overall, it was a brilliant book and I really appreciate what it is doing. There were stories focusing on coming out, discrimination, first love, fantasy, and much more. It is a great book and I can't wait to read and see more work from the authors and artists featured in this book, many of which I hadn't heard of before.

Proud is a heartwarming anthology that comprises of 12 different pieces by LGBT+ writers.

With anthologies, you often find that the quality wildly varies between pieces but this book is consistently good. Each story is well-written and has loveable characters, I particularly love seeing the unique writing style that each writer had.

Penguins was my personal favourite and reminded me of Simon vs the homosapiens agenda in its witty, personable flow. I also loved On the Run which I believe would have made for an awesome book if fleshed out into a longer story as I wanted to hear more about the character's backgrounds and Nicky's gender journey. The Pheonix's Fault which was a sweet whimsical tale that I especially loved despite it being very different from the stories I usually gravitate to.

After those three stories, I gradually lost interest which is why I have not given this 5 stars, but that is to be expected when reading a collection, it is normal not to enjoy every piece equally. However, I would recommend this for anyone who identifies as LGBT+ and would like to see themselves represented in YA fiction, or for those who just want an insight into the lives of LGBT+ folk. This is a lovely collection that I hope will bring attention to the talented writers involved and I hope to read more from some of these writers in the future.

Proud is a collection of YA short stories and poems by various writers all on the theme of Pride and the LGBTQ+ community. The book has a foreword by Juno Dawson (This Book is Gay and The Gender Games) and each of the collection’s submission is accompanied by a piece of art by various artists and illustrators, reflecting their take on the story.

Written by a range of authors, from LGBTQ+ icons you may already know such as David Levithan and Tanya Byrne to a selected group of début writers, the book is full of different experiences and interpretations of being proud. What they all have in common though is an inspirational, understanding and supportive message which reminds readers they can be proud in whoever they are.

From the Ireland equal marriage referendum and transgender football players to coming out stories and a re-telling of Pride and Prejudice, this book covers a great range of different ideas and themes. While the various authors also create diversity in the genres featured, from romance and coming-of-age to poetry and fantasy writing. Whether you are coming out to friends and family, exploring your first love, are uncertain about your feelings or are even just an ally for the LGBTQ+ community, there’s a story in here for you.

Some of my personal favourites included; Penguins by Simon James Green, On the Run by Kay Staples, Almost Certain by Tanya Byrne, The Other Team by Michael Lee Richardson, and Love Poems to the City by Moïra Fowley-Doyle.

A brilliant collection of short stories which tackle the struggles of identity alongside heart-warming tales of friendship, love and becoming who you’re meant to be. Every writer and every reader of this book has something to feel proud about.

I really enjoyed the last Stripes anthology A Change is Gonna Come so was really excited to get an advanced copy of Proud.

This collection of LGBTQ+ YA writing is based on the theme of pride. The stories are witty, sensitive, heartwarming and often laugh out loud funny. An interesting range of writers and artists, and these stories will make you want to seek out more of their work.

This is great collection that continues the Stripes quest for encouraging diversity in YA Lit - I'll definitely be recommending this to people and buying a copy for my classroom library. Loved it!

Thanks Stripes and Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for a review.

This book was an anthology containing 12 stories. All twelve stories were written by a different author and had art joined to it by an artist. That's 24 people, all LGBT+. Also, it was compiled by Juno Dawson, also LGBT+, and she wrote the foreword.
All the stories are about Pride, being proud of who we are, in one way or another.

The book grabbed me when I read the first sentence of Juno Dawson's foreword. After that, I was a goner. The stories aren't all the same, I liked some more than others but there are so many different writing styles, topics and characters, everyone will found their own favorites. This entire book is a jewel and I cannot wait to put my hands on a physical copy.

Proud is an upcoming anthology of stories and poetry by LGBTQ+ YA authors, each piece reflecting the theme of Pride. Proud is such a fun anthology. It was a pure joy to read some of these pieces.

Some stories are utterly hilarious with Green’s Penguins were his own coming out to his parents is interrupted by penguins. Somewhere deeply saddening which follow the narrator as they navigate grief. All the chosen pieces are equally powerful and personal.

Each piece could easily be expanded by their authors if they wanted to. However, my fantasy-biased self obviously loved Cynthia So’s The Phoenix’s Fault the most. The short F/F story where a Chinese lantern maker has to choose between what her heart desires and what is expected of her. It reminded me a lot of Girls of Paper and Fire. Almost Certain comes close which follows a music loving teen who struggles to come out to her family while navigating her impending adulthood. I like reading books set in Brighton, where I’m from.

A broad and heart-warming collection of stories poems about identity and pride. Each piece was refreshing and different. I really love how each writer had interpreted the theme in their own unique way, and the range that is in this book is rather brilliant and fun to read. The accompanying art does not go unnoticed, and they work so well with their matching piece.

I was so excited to read this book (just look at that cover!) and I’m happy to report that Proud more than lived up to expectations. It is an inspiring and hugely enjoyable collection of short stories, poetry and artwork which I believe will mean a great deal to many young (and not so young) people.

Editor Juno Dawson’s pulls-no-punches introduction recalls the dark days of Section 28, which today’s young people will thankfully know, if at all, only as a historical disgrace. We’ve come a long way since then, which is not to say we don’t still have a long way to go.

From a lottery-winning teenage couple hiding out in a Travelodge (On the Run) to a queer football team (The Other Team) to a modern high school version of Pride and Prejudice (I Hate Darcy Pemberley), there’s a huge amount packed into this book. Relationships blossom and comings-out are accomplished, sometimes with a little help from penguins or phoenixes. (Phoenices?) There’s humour, sadness, gallons of compassion and creativity. I would hesitate to pick favourites, but I did find Tanya Byrne and Moira Fowley-Doyle’s stories to be very moving; I also loved Cynthia So’s delightful The Phoenix’s Fault which has the feel of a folk tale. The artwork which accompanies every piece also adds a fabulous extra dimension (I loved those by Frank Duffy, Kate Alizadeh and Leo Greenfield especially.)

There are lots of authors here I haven’t heard of - some are appearing in print for the very first time - but the standard is uniformly high. Brief information is provided at the end on all the authors and illustrators (from which I learned that Karen Lawler has a dog named Buffy).

Although I’m not in the YA age range (not by a long chalk), I found this book to be an absolute joy to read and I’m sure I will be returning to read it again.... now, how about a follow up including some more of the brilliant writers Juno mentions in her introduction??

I’m a keen advocate of diversity in children’s literature and strongly believe that children and young people should be able to see themselves reflected in the books available to them. In 2017, I read A Change is Gonna Come, an anthology of stories and poems written by BAME authors and poets, and I absolutely loved it. When I heard that Stripes Publishing were to bring out a similar anthology featuring the work of LGBTQ+ authors and illustrators, I was so excited and new that I would need to read this. I had a feeling that, like A Change is Gonna Come, this would be a book that secondary schools just needed to get into their collections….
…and having read it, I was completely right! This book is for all young adults (it’s also suitable for those who are not so young, like myself), whether they are gay, straight, trans, cis, non-binary or questioning their identity. It will allow many young people to see their experiences reflected in writing but also will allow them to gain an understanding of and empathy for those who identify differently to them due to the wonderfully diverse range of perspectives in the poems and short stories featured.
I absolutely enjoyed the range of the poems/stories featured- from the teen rom-com take on Pride and Prejudice ‘I Hate Darcy Pemberley’ by Karen Lawler to the folktale style ‘The Phoenix’s Fault’ by Cynthia So and the wonderful montage of voices featured in ‘As the Philadelphia Queer Youth Choir Sings Katy Perry’s Firework.’ The accompanying artwork for each story/poem are beautifully rendered and absolutely capture the heart of each piece.
I feel incredibly strongly that this is a book which should feature in secondary school collections and community library YA sections around the country.

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 is an anthology of YA stories and poetry with accompanying art written by LGBTQ authors on the theme of 'pride'. These cover a range of experiences, giving different insights into teenage life including learning to drive, coming out, escaping bad situations, dealing with anxiety, and finding ways to fight. People think about their opinions on marriage, find community in choirs and football teams, and get upstaged by some penguins.

The stories are often moving, funny, and powerful, taking some of the best elements of young adult fiction—the characters, voices, and relatability—and distilling them into short tales. The authors are a mixture of established YA writers and some lesser known ones, and the anthology provides a great way of finding new authors to read. Each story makes a great bitesize, affirming read, but it is difficult not to read it all at once. This is another YA anthology from Stripes Publishing that brings together thought-provoking fiction that shows the diversity of YA writing and will hopefully provide a lot of people with stories that reflect them and the people they know.

This is the sort of book I want to buy hundreds of copies of and gift it to everyone I know. Each story has a distinct voice, but the whole book, curated beautifully by Juno Dawson, is unified. It fills me with joy knowing that there are young people who are going to feel heard, seen and wanted when they read any one of these artfully penned shorts.

This book was delightful. I inhaled it in one sitting on a rainy Friday afternoon and it has filled me with such joy.

The book is made up of a wonderful selection of poetry, short stories and beautiful artwork. The tales range from Pride and Prejudice retellings to Dungeons and Dragons and all with an LGBTQIA+ (Pride) spin - just wonderful.

I cannot wait to read this again when I get my hands on the final print version. Thank you to Netgalley and Stripes Publishing for an early review copy of this book and for granting my (first) wish!

It's possibly my own fault: my expectations were *so* high with this book. And it is really good. Just not as completely fantastically best thing ever as I was expecting. And to be fair, what book could hit that mark?

This is very good, a collection of stories and art celebrating various combinations of gay, bi, trans and probably others I'm forgetting. My favourite story was The Instructor; it had a lovely touch of humour that I really enjoyed. I think this'll sell well, and it definitely deserves to.

Everyone involved in the making of @StripesBooks' Proud should be so, well, proud of their achievement.

It is an extremely important book.

It's a fabulous read, with beautiful art, but, more than that, this is a book that will genuinely change lives. I love it. 🌈

Wow firstly I’d like to say that this anthology is one of the best anthologies I have ever read every story was powerful,emotional and so uplifting.
I loved every single story in this book some more than others of course but mostly every single one was amazing. I really loved this anthology because it had a lot of authors I had never heard of before and now want to look into each persons work because their writing was beautiful written and so many I wanted turned into actuall novel. Yes to more lgbtq+ rep and yes to more and more novels coming out every single year.
Overall I would give ths anthology a 5/5 stars so well deserved and I would recommend this book to anyone to read