I am a huge queer history nerd and thought I would know everything in this book as its aimed for a younger audience, but I was pleasantly surprised at all the new things I learned! How did I never know Ghanaian was LGBT+??????? I love how this book was written, even as a history nerd most history texts are text heavy and hard to read, but this one is very accessible with easy to read text and photos and info graphics provided. I also love how the author was honest about how history is biased and how western society negatively affects other cultures, which both leads to the erasure of queer history. This is one I definitely want to buy a physical copy of to add to my library

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

In <i>No Way, They Were Gay?</i>, Lee Wind explores various historical figures of the LGBTQIA+ community. He divides their stories up into Men Who Loved Men, Women Who Loved Women, and People Who Lived Outside Their Gender Boundaries. History as we know it is shaped by people who have their own agendas, and as such, facets of the historical figures we know are erased from the story. Some of the people discussed in this book, such as Bayard Rustin, were out and proud; others, like Mahatma Ghandi, are asserted to belong on this list based on letters they wrote. Either way, Wind draws on primary resources from each person's lives where possible to tell their stories.

Wind has done an excellent job of making this accessible to children wanting to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community and the people mentioned in this book. With an introduction, he explains various terms in the community so the reader is aware of them. In each biography, he breaks the sections down, with headers, for easy readability. The chapters are also peppered with explanations in their own text box, pointing to the what is being explained. These help explain the original sources in quotes or give background information to the story, such as explaining what rhetoric is. The end result is a book that is both informative and engaging. I enjoyed reading about some stories I knew (Eleanor Roosevelt), learning more of others I had only heard in passing (Christine Jorgensen), and discovering people I had not heard of (M'e Mpho Nthunya).

This book was incredible.
The language that was used in it was not harsh, but also not sugar-coating. The choice of the people was also amazing.
The little text bubbles were so useful in giving a little more details about some terms.
I absolutely love love love anthologies and this one was not an exception.
Looking forward to reading more from this author! I love their storytelling.

If you've already read Wind's great novel, Queer as a Five Dollar Bill (2019), you know that there is solid evidence indicating that Abraham Lincoln was gay. Given the history of the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community, it's not a surprise that a lot of the history of this community has been suppressed, especially when it comes to the biographies of individuals. This new corporate biography examines the lives of men who loved men, women who loved women, and people who lived outside gender boundaries, and puts these individuals, their times, and their evolving histories into context. There is a concerted effort to include all facets of the LGBTQIA+ community, and there's some cultural diversity as well.

As was evident in Pittman's Stonewall: Coming Out in the Streets, there's a lot of gay history that was not recorded, or was systematically ignored. Wind starts with a really helpful introduction about different ways this history was hidden, as well as "Good Stuff to Know". I really appreciated all of the helpful side bars as well, especially about the language that should be used. There are a lot of differences of opinion, as well as terminology preferences, and the explanations are really well done. I love that there is information about staying safe as well. This intro chapter alone is worth buying the book; it gives shows readers the difficulties that have been faced in the past and are still being faced, and is a great place for starting conversations.

Wind's note about whom to include was also helpful. There were some people who were already on my radar, but some that were new to me as well. The research is phenomenal, and there are extensive source notes at the back. It was particularly inspired to present the research and then ask readers "What do YOU think?" There is a lot of primary source evidence cited, making this book a fantastic resource for students who are working on National History Day projects.

From Sappho, to Queen Anne, to Bayard Rustin, each entry gives a brief description of the person's life and works, evidence as to why they were gay, how this identity affected their lives and treatment. The best part about the book is the inclusion of historical context, and the presentation of as many illustrations of photographs as could be found to support the narrative. I also liked that there was a "Putting it in Order" chart at the back; sometimes it's hard to understand the historical order of events across world history, and this really helped.

The only thing that made me a little sad was wondering what Eleanor Roosevelt would have thought about being included. She was just a little older than my grandmother, who would have been mortified if a secret about her would have been uncovered after her death. Of course, Roosevelt was particularly good at moving with the times, so I like to think that she would have become a champion of sharing hidden histories had she lived long enough.

No Way, They Were Gay? is a well-researched, well-formatted, intriguing book of history that has a place on the shelves of middle school, high school, and public libraries everywhere.

The book starts off with an introduction part about queer history, why it matters to tell those hidden queer life stories and an explanation of LGBT+ terms.

While all that was not new to me, I think it was a very well done summary for everyone starting the book who doesn't have the background knowledge. Those passages are short, easy to understand, and still hold all the key details. In addition, it is done with different colors, boldness, and font sizes to make important points stand out.

The same kind of breaking up the text in smaller parts with clear headlines, little side notes and in different formatting is done to construct the main chapters about hidden queer historical figures.

The chapters give a general overview to the historical situation the person in question lived in, some information on the person, what is known about their queer love life or gender identity, often with examples of their correspondence or quotes, and sometimes other perspectives on the story.
The information is summarized in short, but I figure that if you want to learn about a specific person's life and queerness, you'd choose a book sorely about that person.

I would like it more if it had even more historical figures in it to really be a cool reference book. It includes 5 men who loved men, 5 women who loved women and 5 People who lived outside gender boundaries.
But this book does what it promises, and I feel it does that very well.

(Shout out to the overview on Anne Lister's secret code, that was a special jam for me.)

Rating: 5/5 stars.

“No Way, They Were Gay?” is a quintessential addition to the catalog of LGBTQIA+ resources for teens and young adults. The introductory chapters are well presented and provide very useful information pertaining to the rest of the book. I liked how the author explained the meanings of some general history-related terms, such as hidden history. The author also provided a stellar explanation of the differences between gender, gender expression, and sexual identity. This makes the book a great introduction to LGBTQIA history and social studies, as no prior knowledge of the discussed subject matter is required to understand the book. I also love how the author explained how and why they chose which famous LGBTQIA figures to include, and who to dedicate whole chapters to. It adds an extra layer of thoughtfulness and personal touch not often present in nonfiction books.

A major theme of the book is that just because we were taught something in school or by others as being historically correct, does not mean it is necessarily fully correct or, in some cases, true at all. Every chapter focuses on the hidden history of one public figure. The author focuses on primary sources, providing the original transcripts, and adding translations where needed. The annotations are very useful in highlighting key parts to be analyzed. While the author provides their own analysis and conclusions, that in many cases might be controversial, they allow and in fact encourage the reader to draw their own conclusions.

The author also does not sugarcoat history, even present history, in terms of treatment of the LGBTQIA population. They also make a point to include the “bad” side of some of the individuals they focus on, instead of trying to put each person on a pedestal.

I highly recommend this book to any youth who are questioning their sexual or gender identity, or their friends and family. It is also suitable for those who are looking for diverse role models and relatable public figures and are interested in hidden history.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book on NetGalley and have provided an honest review.*

While the people may be known or unknown to the reader ; we know one thing before we even see who they are....we now know they are a member of the LGBT+ community. That is important as it means they have been through many struggles ; some of us without us even knowing. I love the cover art. We are advised not to judge the book by the cover but this cover is beautifully speaking volumes of familiar faces "coming out of the closet". I highly recommend this book for middle schools and higher (ages 12-90).

I really enjoyed this book! It was fascinating to read about the little-known queer identities of so many notable people. Would recommend especially for queer teens or young adults.

Not enough was presented to give a full review.
However as a gay man as a child/young adult there were more books like this available for me to read. I think it is very important for youg lgbtq youth have access to books like this so they have positive role models to look up to and inspire them!
Thank you!

I think this would be a great addition to my nonfiction collection. I was only able to read a sample, but I really liked the way the information was organized and think it will appeal to young and reluctant readers. I learned something just from reading the sample, and look forward to learning more!

I was disappointed that this was a chapter sample, but think this book is extremely important. I would love to read the full book some day.

It was only a sample of this book that I was gifted from the publishers but it is one that I would like to read in full.

The excerpt that I had was regarding Gandhi and it focussed on his close personal relationship with his friend Hermann Kallenbach. The book uses a few extracts from letters and communications exchanged between the two to show that this is the evidence of a relationship that was more than friendship - but is that just speculation?

I am still on the fence about that as for me reading it, it could be that they just loved and respected each other for the intellect, ideas and beliefs and this is the thought I am more inclined to believe but it doesn't bother me what sexual orientations they may have had.

This was one that left me with food for thought and it was an intriguing read - I love a book that challenges your thinking - 4 stars from me for this one.

if you're queer ( or even if you aren't, really ), you'll know about one of the running jokes in the lgbtqiap+ community : when historians see two same-sex people, who are extraordinarily close to each other in a way that is clearly not platonic, they believe what they want to and slap the label of friendship on these relationships. and god knows how many non-cis people in history had their identities wiped out because of casual queerphobia.

so you can imagine my surprise when i saw this very colourful cover featuring so many famous people in history — people we would never have thought were anything but straight !

i received only a chapter as a digital review copy, and it was based on mahatma gandhi. the writing was simple and to the point, with helpful little pieces of information on the sides providing explanations for certain instances mentioned in the main text. there were pictures and graphics included, which makes this book seem like a really, really fun textbook ( this is probably the first time i'm using the words 'fun' and 'textbook' next to each other without being sarcastic ).

of course, the intention behind writing this book must be appreciated as well : to shine light on the real lives led by famous individuals of the past, to show that the lgbtqiap+ community are not a 'result of the internet' ( as some queerphobic comments go ) and that queer people not just existed, but thrived in the past, as always.

since only a single chapter was accessible for ARC requests, i am keeping my rating neutral for now until i can buy the book in its entirety and read it.

however, i would definitely recommend this book for readers looking for an informative read on queer history through the eyes of a queer person, complete with pretty graphics, letters written between 'friends', and photographs !

>> thank you to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to review the digital copy !

I read a preview of the chapter about Gandhi. I had never heard anything about even the possibility of him being LGTBQ+, so I was fascinated by this chapter. It was interesting to read the letters that he wrote to his ”friend”. I liked that there were little thought bubbles that explained the context of certain parts. Sources were included at the end of the chapter.

Books like this are so important so that LGTBQ+ people can find representation throughout history. But also so that non-LGTBQ+ people can see this representation and to realize that this is not a new phenomenon.

It would have been nice to have received at least two chapters to see how different stories were told. It's hard to give a complete review of just one chapter. But I will definitely be looking for this book when it comes out.

I found this short extract very illuminating - as we all know, LGBT+ history (as well as the history of other minority groups) is often sidelined, and LGBT+ people are often "straightwashed".
I particularly appreciated the letters evidencing Gandhi's relationship, which preemptively quash any knee-jerk denial of Gandhi's queerness.
I thought the front cover very appealing and eye-catching, but the interior graphics felt a bit retro.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to students I teach, and would consider adding it to the school library, subject to seeing a full copy.

This book is very cool. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but this was cool. I'd totally recommend it.

Current Rating: 3.5/5
Synopsis: History sounds really official. Like it's all fact. Like it's definitely what happened. But that's not necessarily true. History was crafted by the people who recorded it. And sometimes, those historians were biased against, didn't see, or couldn't even imagine anyone different from themselves. That means that history has often left out stories of LGBTQIA+ people.

I'd like to start off by saying that the ARC I received is only a sample chapter, and not the entire book so my review is only based on what I read in the Mahatma Gandhi chapter. My review could become higher if I read the whole book, because the chapter I read seemed well researched with all sources attached at the end of the chapter.
That being said, (this chapter at least) felt like an episode of a paranormal history channel show, where they present information on what may or may not be haunted hotels and at the end of the segment say "So what do you think? Do you think the ghost haunts this room?" This chapter felt like they plucked circumstantial evidence and after reading all of the information presented, you may or may not think that Gandhi was homosexual/bisexual by the end of it.
Overall, it's hard to give a review on just one chapter. I don't know every historical figure that will feature in this book, so I don't entirely know what to expect from the book as a whole. I think the concept is promising and it is a book I'd be interested in looking into further.

(For Goodreads: This chapter was sent to me as a free ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

This was a really interesting chapter about Gandhi and I can't wait to read the full book to learn about more historical figures.

The chapter released is really interesting and informative.
We are taught in schools of so many historical figures, but very rarely is theie home life mentioned. and when it is, it's redacted or edited to fit the narrative.
It's fascinating to see how much History books leave out or untold, in order to keep there 'normal' narrative.
If the book continues anything like this chapter, it will be a instant addition to my education and book shelf. I look forward to reading more and being enlightened.

I really enjoyed reading this, even if it was only a chapter!

The writing was interesting and simple, almost to the point where it felt like the narrator was giving you an incredibly interesting and detailed history lesson. I loved that there were graphics included, and that the writing didn't feel like a textbook.

There was a bit of an emphasis put on the fact that queer people have always existed, and I really liked that, as well. It is up to those who write the history books to include such important details about these famous people, but even if they aren't, it doesn't change the fact and what was true. (I had never known that about Gandhi before reading this, and it made me sad.)

Overall, I really like what this book is trying to accomplish, and would definitely love to read more than a single chapter!