> Skip to content
  • Published: 15 January 2017
  • ISBN: 9780147511478
  • Imprint: Speak
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 128
  • RRP: $22.99

Stonewall

Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights





The first history of gay rights for teen readers, written by award-winning nonfiction author Ann Bausum.

The first history of gay rights for teen readers, written by award-winning nonfiction author Ann Bausum.

That’s the Stonewall.
The Stonewall Inn.
Pay attention.
History walks through that door.

In 1969 being gay in the United States was a criminal offense. It meant living a closeted life or surviving on the fringes of society. People went to jail, lost jobs, and were disowned by their families for being gay. Most doctors considered homosexuality a mental illness. There were few safe havens. The Stonewall Inn, a Mafia-run, filthy, overpriced bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, was one of them.

Police raids on gay bars happened regularly in this era. But one hot June night, when cops pounded on the door of the Stonewall, almost nothing went as planned. Tensions were high. The crowd refused to go away. Anger and frustration boiled over.

The raid became a riot.

The riot became a catalyst.

The catalyst triggered an explosive demand for gay rights.

A riveting exploration of the Stonewall Riots and the national Gay Rights movement that followed is eye-opening, unflinching, and inspiring.

  • Published: 15 January 2017
  • ISBN: 9780147511478
  • Imprint: Speak
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 128
  • RRP: $22.99

About the author

Ann Bausum

Ann Bausum is the daughter of a history professor, and she grew up with a love of American history and a passion for research. She is an award-winning author who has published six other titles for National Geographic Children’s Books, including the acclaimed Sibert Honor Book Freedom Riders. Another of her titles, With Courage and Cloth, won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award for Older Children. She lives in Beloit, WI. Visit Ann Bausum at her Web site: www.annbausum.com.

Also by Ann Bausum

See all

Praise for Stonewall

*"Powerful, well-researched . . . An essential purchase" --School Library Journal, starred review
*"Readers coming of age at a time when state after state is beginning to celebrate gay marriage will be astonished to return to a time when it was a crime for a man to wear a dress. Enlightening, inspiring, and moving." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
*"A powerful and moving account." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
*"Bausum writes with the precision of a journalist; there is never any doubt as to what she wonders, what she conjectures, and what she knows. The resulting narrative integrity makes her observations and her conclusions about the persecution and resilience of the LGBTQ community all the more powerful." --The Horn Book, starred review