Small Town Pride

Stamper, P. (2022). Small town pride. Harper.

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

    After Jake comes out to his parents, he is welcomed home one day by a giant pride flag hanging on his family's flag pole. This causes a commotion in their small town and the mayor is fielding complaints. One day, Jake and his friends come up with a plot to host a pride festival in town, he just needs the support of the council to get the license. However, due to the corruption of the council by the mayor, they unanimously say no. However, the team now decides to host a fundraiser to have the pride festival on a local farm instead. Thanks to a helpful pastor, they are allowed to host the festival on church grounds and the pride festival attracts more than a thousand people in the county.

    The diversity discussed in this book is sexuality. Jake is a witness to and victim of homophobia throughout the book. He overhears homophobic remarks from others in his town and when he presents his case to the council, homophobic remarks are made toward him as well. When he asks for advice on a video game forum about pride festivals in small towns, it is bombarded with homophobic messages. This book also showcases how to be supportive of people in the LGBTQ Community. Jake's classmates start wearing rainbow flag pins and bracelets to show support for him and the pride festival.