The Fights That Make Us

Book excerpt: An unputdownable read about LGBTQ+ history and standing up for what you believe in, from award-winning author Sarah Hagger-Holt. 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. Praise for Sarah Hagger-Holt: Winner of the Little Rebels Award Twice-nominated for the Carnegie Medal "Gentle and compassionate" The Times Literary Supplement. "A fantastic book - I absolutely loved it!" L.D. Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency. "Warm, funny and believable" The Guardian