About This Book:
*Review Contributed by Evren Dodd, Staff Reviewer*
WHAT KIND OF QUEEN is a picture book that tells the story of José Sarria. José was a drag queen and activist from San Francisco. This book tells his story: from his childhood to his military service, from his performances to his activism. The book manages to cover a lot of aspects of his life in a short number of pages.
The illustrations in this book are stunning and fit the personality of José Sarria, at least what is being displayed, very well. It’s fun and colorful, radiating with life and energy. The art style is simple, but effective.
The book isn’t long and José Sarria had quite a lot that happened in his life. So, at times the story feels a bit rushed, like it is jumping from one milestone to another with no breathing time in between. But I also appreciated that the book covered a bunch of different things that happened in Sarria’s life. It might’ve been cleaned to focus on a couple of bigger moments, but it’s more impactful to cover it all.
This book ends with a wonderful message. I think it is present in the book and Sarria’s life, and I think it’s a very important message for both kids and adults to hear. Especially when times get rough.
A picture book about a powerful figure of LGBTQ+ history, WHAT KIND OF QUEEN surpasses expectations. The book is written with a lot of heart, carefully covering José Sarria’s life and accomplishments. The illustrations are magnificent, seeming to capture the vibrancy and life that José had. It’s important to know queer history and José Sarria was an important figure in that history. I am genuinely moved to know more about his life than I did before.
*Find More Info & Buy This Book HERE!*
