Publication Date: 1 February 2024

The Blurb

Maybe there was a place in history for people like me, not on the edges of the story, but right in the centre.

Jesse has recently come out as non-binary, and is struggling to find their place at school, and ideas for their project on lost stories from history.

Thirty-five years earlier, Jesse’s cousin Lisa is falling for her best friend, but with new laws being introduced to restrict LGBT people’s rights, they’ll have to fight for the world to accept who they are.

When Jesse stumbles across Lisa’s teenage diary, they are fascinated and horrified by her stories of living a secret life and protesting in the streets. Now it’s Jesse’s turn to find a way to shine a spotlight on a history that mustn’t be forgotten.

The Review

Powerful, painful, and poignant, this is storytelling at its very best. I cried a lot – hopeful, happy tears came after a torrent of tears filled with anger and shame, as modern day meets modern history when Jesse discovers the bigotry and hatred faced by the LGBTQ+ community, and the government’s attempt to force them into hiding, and out of existence, by bringing in Section 28.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said of Section 28: “Children who need to be taught to respect traditional moral values are being taught that they have an inalienable right to be gay. All of those children are being cheated of a sound start in life.” The government actually thought talking about being gay in schools would, you know, make people gay. It still staggers me that someone elected to run our country within my lifetime held such hate-filled, bigoted and utterly absurd views, and managed to push them into a law which wasn’t repealed until 2003.

Lisa’s experiences navigating love, friendship, and activism provide a rich historical context for Jesse’s own journey to discover who they are. Through Lisa’s teenage diary entries, we gain insight into the struggles and triumphs of LGBTQ+ individuals fighting for their rights and visibility at a time when their rights were stripped away. The story flows seamlessly between past and present, drawing parallels between the struggles faced by Lisa and Jesse, while highlighting the progress and setbacks in LGBTQ+ rights over the decades.

Jesse’s quest to uncover and share Lisa’s experiences serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and courage of those who came before. By shining a spotlight on these forgotten narratives, Sarah invites readers to confront the injustices of the past while inspiring them to advocate for a more inclusive future for everyone.

The Fights That Make Us provides a window into LGBTQ+ history that had a profound affect on so many people alive today, and the ongoing fight for equality. It encourages empathy, critical thinking, and a sense of empowerment, and is an absolutely superb read, making it a must for every school library.

Huge thanks to Usborne for sending me a finished copy, with a link to Nicky and Lisa’s Mixtape on Spotify. Those of us who remember mixtapes, will also remember the absolute skills it took to get that song recorded from the Official Chart Show without Bruno Brooks talking over the end.