Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Anastasia Higginbotham's What You Don't Know: A Book About Identity isn't a story about coming out--it's a story about trusting kids to trust themselves.
For one "oversensitive" sixth grader, knowing he's gay isn't what worries him. What worries him is seeing everyone scared (and scarred). He might not be out yet, but he can sense his parents' concern, his friends' acceptance, and the church's hypocrisy. But what all of them don't know is that it's never occurred to him to do anything but love himself, and until he senses that it's safe to come out, he just plans on radiating love.
Synopsis
I think the days of Heather Has Two Mommies are long past. We're ready for GLBTQIA+ stories for kids that are a little bit complicated and a little bit interesting and a whole lotta fantastic. For all this, the person you turn to is Anastasia Higginbotham. --BETSY BIRD, librarian and blogger
Anastasia Higginbotham's What You Don't Know: A Book About Identity isn't a story about coming out--it's a story about trusting kids to trust themselves.
For one "oversensitive" sixth grader, knowing he's gay isn't what worries him. What worries him is seeing everyone scared (and scarred). He might not be out yet, but he can sense his parents' concern, his friends' acceptance, and the church's hypocrisy. But what all of them don't know is that it's never occurred to him to do anything but love himself, and until he senses that it's safe to come out, he just plans on radiating love.
Synopsis
AWARD-WINNING, HIGHLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR: Higginbotham's previous book, Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, was a White Raven 2019 Selection and named one of School Library Journal's Best Books of 2018. Higginbotham is also well-loved by schools and librarians alike, and has made numerous such stops on tour.
CRITICAL CONTEMPORARY THEMES OF DIVERSITY: Higginbotham addresses LGBTQ+ identity, the process of coming out, the intersection between race and queerness, and other aspects of social justice in her iconic straightforward but sensitive style.
AN UNDERREPRESENTED BOOK CATEGORY: While there is growing readership for books about LGTBQ+ families and the process of coming out, there are few, if any, books for children who are comfortable with their identity but are not yet ready to share it with the world. This book is for children who are not necessarily seeking acceptance so much as understanding.
Synopsis
FEATURED IN MS. MAGAZINE'S "15 BOOKS FOR KIDS THAT PROVE YOU CAN BE A FEMINIST AT ANY AGE"
Anastasia Higginbotham's What You Don't Know: A Story of Liberated Childhood delves into queerness, Blackness, and the love that dismantles whiteness.
It's a book about knowing deeply that you matter--always did, always will. It's a book about what schools get wrong and churches don't say; but institutions are made by people and the people are evolving. It's a book about being known and cherished by family, and living in communion with your own personal Jesus, Buddha, Spirit, Source, Father, Mother, God, breath, inner space, outer space, nothingness, and however else we name and relate to our divinity and humility in the presence of all we don't know.
I think the days of Heather Has Two Mommies are long past. We're ready for GLBTQIA+ stories for kids that are a little bit complicated and a little bit interesting and a whole lotta fantastic. For all this, the person you turn to is Anastasia Higginbotham. --BETSY BIRD, Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library