This collection of biographies serves as a mirror or window for students either needing to relate or needing to branch outside of their acceptance and understanding. Many of the people featured in this book are ones the students will be familiar with already but may not know their full stories. There is a vast array of people featured including athletes, musicians, actors, and more!

This contains important information that students need to know in order to be global citizens in the present times and in the future.

A quick and informative read. full of short introductions to influential activists, authors, politicians and sports stars, this is an inspiring read for young readers.

Beautifully celebrated book on LGBTQ+ historical figures from artists, writers, athletes, and activists, there was so much I didn't know. This was published on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and would be a great addition to an upper middle school and high school classroom. The book goes from ancient times to present day, which was fascinating. Some of the people in the book may be familiar to students, others may not be!

Throughout June, GeekMom will be celebrating Pride Month with lots of LGBTQ content. Follow the Pride Month tag to find all the content in one space and keep checking back for more throughout the month. Today’s book review is Queer Heroes by Arabelle Sicardi.

Please note: This post contains affiliate links.

Some time ago, I reviewed several anthology-style books containing short biographies of famous and historical figures, each on a theme such as Sports Stars or Musicians. Queer Heroes by Arabelle Sicardi is another of these books but this time with an LGBTQ theme. Every figure contained here is either publically out as LGBTQ, or was a historical figure who is now generally believed to have been LGBTQ.

Queer Heroes contains 53 short biographies of people including Freddie Mercury, Emma Gonzalez, Alan Turing, and Harvey Milk. Each one is illustrated with a drawing by Sarah Tanat-Jones with the illustrations attempting to capture something of the person’s personality and achievements, Martina Navratilova is shown playing tennis while Rufus Wainwright is shown singing at a piano, and Marlene Dietrich’s page is drawn in a black and white art nouveau style with her in a top hat and tails.

Some of the entries in the book might be considered to be controversial because of the lack of “proof” regarding their sexuality. Michaelangelo is included, as is Leonardo da Vinci and clearly neither is available to confirm or deny whether they really were LGBTQ so the author relies on historical sources that provide evidence to suggest they were.

Even if the odd inclusion is perhaps historically inaccurate, the vast majority of people featured here lived during the 20th and 21st centuries and were famously out as LGBTQ. There are sports stars and musicians, film directors and politicians, TV presenters and scientists. In fact, the representation is fantastically wide including teens and the elderly, all genders, and multiple nationalities and skin colors. This is great because of the way it shows that LGBTQ folk exist in all walks of life.

Queer Heroes will be a great book to give to any young people who may be questioning their sexuality and looking for LGBTQ role models. That being said, it will also be great for all young people because it shows that LGBTQ folk are around in every field and every social group.

GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes.

I loved the colorful illustrations and the brief biographies of these queer heroes. I must admit that there were quite a few people I had never heard of and this speaks to the author choosing people from different countries and different walks of life. Bravx¡

this was a great book showing you and telling you about some of the most iconic and trail blazing queer heroes in history telling little snippets of their lives/ who they are and what they are known for

a nice little read and perfect for people who want to learn more about queer legends/celebrities

The illustrations in this book are amazing. I loved the mini bios of influential people that inspire the LGBQT+ community

This book is a great collection of inspiring queer people.

All of the people featured in this book are queer. Some are gay or lesbians, while others are bisexual or transgender. I knew that a few of the people were queer, such as Alan Turing. There were some people that I didn’t know identified as queer, such as Virginia Woolf. Most of the people in this book I had never heard of, so I learned a lot about queer activists.

Many of the people featured in this book are from countries where being gay is illegal. These people had to defy their governments, and sometimes even family, to fight for the right to express their own identity. They had to be incredibly strong to stay true to their beliefs, despite what their family and country said.

I loved the art in this book. All of the images are done in vibrant colours which give a positive feeling to these stories, which did not always have a happy endings.

I really enjoyed this book!

Thanks Wide Eyed Editions for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the art work and what I managed to read of this Book because unfortunately when I tried to reopen the file to read more, the Book file was corrupted and would no longer open and sadly it has now been archived. I'm really sad as was looking forward to reading more. Such a beautiful LGBTQ+ book and The Cover of Queer Heroes is so bright and fabulous. I will hopefully purchase this Book soon :)

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group- Wide Eyed Editions for a temporary digital copy via NetGalley of ‘Queer Heroes’ written by Arabelle Sicardi with art by Sarah Tanat-Jones in exchange for an honest review.

Subtitled: ‘Meet 53 LGBTQ Heroes From Past and Present!’ it is intended for readers aged 10-15 and to provide brief overviews of a selection of historical and modern people.

Sarah Tanat-Jones’ art work was bright and colourful and I felt that she did well to capture her subjects.

I thought Arabelle Sicardi’s introduction was quite moving explaining why this project was meaningful for her and how she hopes that it will inspire its young readers.

It includes a glossary and a section on sources, organisations and websites to seek further information.

I felt that this was an informative work of nonfiction and applauded its diversity. Certainly educational whether or not the reader identifies as queer.

Queer heroes is such a wondrous celebration of queer people.

It's vibrant with it's bright colours and artwork. It does an incredible job of capturing the brilliant triumphs and tribulations of queer people throughout human history in easily digestible, bite-sized offerings. It celebrates the wins and grieves the loses with respect and love.

This makes an incredible book to have on hand, to give to a young queer person just discovering their identity. Or a book to refer to whenever someone tries to tell you that LGBTQIAP+ people are some kind of 'new phenomenon'. It's definitely a book I'll be adding to my list wishlist because I'd love to have a physical copy on the shelf I have labelled as my Gay Gang shelf.

I thought this was cute. The stories are diverse, beautifully and creatively illustrated, and aren't just a bunch of people you've read about dozens of times before. I'm impressed by how the LGBTQIA community is really coming into their own globally and not just in the wealthy countries that dominate the news cycle. This was educational for adults and kids equally..

I love this so much!! This is a very colourful book featuring short biographies of famous queer heroes, celebrities, activists, politicians and historical figures - as well as people you may not have heard of before.
It is very positive, not preachy, uses inclusive language in a natural way, and every page absolutely bursts with colour and quirky illustrations.
This is the ideal 'coffee table' book for modern times!!
Personally, as a teacher I would like a copy for my classroom to stimulate natural conversation about role models and to inspire my kids!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

➽ <b>This was a really nice nonfiction book highlighting queer celebrities of the past and present. </b> It's definitely more surface level, but I think that covering such a broad spectrum of people doesn't allow for much more information to be featured. That's why I think Queer Heroes is a <strong>great starting point if you want to read about inspirational LGBTQ people</strong> and gain a quick insight into their lives, but if you want to explore these people further you'll have to do additional research. Nevertheless, the short portrait that we get is beautifully illustrated and very aesthetically pleasing. It highlights why the features person is a 'hero' and has the potential to be very inspirational for our own life. Some people I already knew, others I discovered through this book, which was very nice as the<strong> book tries to cover many experiences and balances present and past heroes in a really great mix</strong>. My favorite's to read about were Freddie Mercury, Emma González, and Alan Turing, but there are many more great people features. I liked that the book included lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, as well as people of color and a few people that had a disability. However, the<strong> lack of asexual representation</strong> (the word wasn't even defined in the glossary) remains disappointing, especially for a book published in 2019 that should try to include all identities.

🌈 "<i>Queer Heroes</i> gives an interesting overview of 53 modern and classical queer heroes/role models, including a variety of experience, summed up in a colorful portrait." 🌈

This was put together exceptionally well. The flow of the artwork and the layout was seemless. I loved the information given about each important person. The diversity was like the cherry on top. Very fun and colorful but also serious and educational. Loved it!

Whilst some of the entries into this book seem a little speculative, this is generally an excellent book. A lot of the people included within this book I hadn't realised were queer and it made me really happy to see them included.

The artwork is something else altogether! Wow! Every page has absolutely stunning drawings in full colour truly bringing the entries to life.

Going into this book I was expecting to read about many LGBTQIA+ icons who were well known, but after getting into it I realized that most of them were suspected to be apart of the community or someone who isn't one that many would think of when they start listing them. After getting into this it read fairly fast, but this may be the result of each person only have a page about them; with the illustration taking up the majority of the page. The illustrations of this book are amazing, but I feel that the content otherwise didn't measure up.

The book's introduction is personal and explains the deep importance of what follows to the author.  She recalls looking for people more like her and longing for role models; Ms. Sicardi is making what she wanted easily available to young readers. 


This book can be read in order or flipped through.  It is engagingly illustrated and filled with people, some of whom readers will know even as others become new acquaintances.  Just some of those profiled include Sappho, Freddie Mercury, Emma Gonzalez, James Baldwin, Tove Jansson, Martina Navratilova, Tim Cook. Virginia Woolf, Lili Elbe and Nobuko Voshiya.  The book also includes a helpful glossary.

This title provides its readers with a sense that they are not alone in the world.  It may well encourage them to learn more about those in the book whom they find most appealing.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book from NetGalley because it sounded so great to read about famous LGBTG+ personalities throught history. And I have to say this was a great collection of short biographies of amazing people that have stood up for who they are, and are truly an inspiration for a lot people. This is definitely a book that every kid and teenager should read.