A Year of Pride and Joy: LGBTQ+ Voices Share Their Life Passions

by Simon James Green, Ruth Burrows (illustrator)

An uplifting and empowering anthology, A Year of Pride and Joy shares joyful contributions from 52 contemporary LGBTQIA+ voices, including Olympic gold medalist diver Tom Daley, author and historian Blair Imani, and singer Rina Sawayama

Edited by award-winning children’s author Simon James Green, this buoyant title celebrates the joy, talent, and contributions of members of the LGBTQIA+ community—and delivers a full year of celebration. Each of the 52 entries—one for each week of the year—is tied to a particular season, event, international day, or week. Feel the timeless joy of old movies with actor Stephen Fry and discover his all-time favorite classic movies on Global Movie Day. Discover the joy of knitting with Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley, then follow a beginner’s step-by-step knitting guide. Find the joy of pets with singer Rina Sawayama, then consider which pet is right for you. Experience the joy of food with actress Miriam Margolyes, then uncover a recipe to her famous chicken soup with matzo balls. Vibrant illustrations are paired with the engaging text. Whether you read an entry a week or pick it up whenever you are feeling in need of joy, this is a book to treasure all year round.

Genres: Queer, Nonfiction, Biography, LGBT

112 pages, Hardcover

Published May 6, 2025

About the author

Simon James Green grew up in a small town in Lincolnshire that definitely wasn’t the inspiration for Little Fobbing – so no-one from there can be mad with him, OK? He enjoyed a classic British education of assorted humiliations and barbaric PE lessons before reading Law at Queens’ College, Cambridge, where he further embarrassed himself by accidentally joining the rowing team despite having no upper body strength and not being able swim. When it turned out that being a lawyer was nothing like how it looks in Suits or The Good Wife, and buoyed by the success of his late night comedy show that involved an inflatable sheep, he travelled to London to pursue a glamorous career in show business. Within weeks he was working in a call centre, had been mugged, and had racked up thousands of pounds worth of debt. Finding strength and inspiration in the lyrics of "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba, he eventually ended up working on a range of West End shows and UK tours, co-wrote a feature-length rom-com for the BBC and directed Hollyoaks for C4 / Lime Pictures. After trying really, really hard, he also managed to write Noah Can’t Even. If you are interested in stalking him, he still lives in London, where he spends a lot of time telling people that Noah Can’t Even is only partly autobiographical, and his mum has definitely never done a Beyoncé tribute act.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this colorful biographical collection, 52 queer people share their passions in a 2 page spread. The book is broken into months and also notes a holiday that ties into that person's passion. Ex. January begins with actor Rebecca Root who shares her joy of bird watching; the holiday for this is National Bird Day. On this spread there is a stylized cartoon image of Root plus lots of colorful images of birds and their environs, words about why this is her passion, some of her favorite birds, and some tips for bird watching. Some people have interests related to their careers others are very diverse - like knitting or Eurovision. Some people will be well-known, other names will not be as easily recognized. There is a wide variety of careers, hobbies, ages, etc. making this a fun book to browse.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice book for those looking for ways to find new hobbies, celebrate new occasions, and spark some joy and happiness. Each month is broken down into four or five pages highlighting national and international days such as "Global Movie Day" or "International Joke Day." Colorful, vibrant drawings can be found on every page as well as a famous LGBTQ+ person who explains what the hobby/occasion/event means to them and why they participate in it. I think anyone could find something from this book. The reader doesn't have to be LGBTQ+ to find something fun and interesting.

[Olympia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great idea, but I found it skewed a little bit too juvenile for my taste. I enjoyed the bright illustrations, but the text was very basic, and combined with the pictures and subject matter: “I like dogs” “I like trains” I found it gave off a childish vibe.

[Vanessa Lecaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely. A book about the interests of LGBTQ+ folks- everything from bugs to stars to knitting!