Tourmaline

On a day in June 2020, people across New York City gather in defense of Black trans lives—and to honor queer activist and icon Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992).

“You see…the way we are exactly ourselves, no more, no less? That’s because of Marsha.” Addressing both a young child and readers, a Black caregiver offers glimpses of Marsha’s life: her style, her attitude, her struggles, but most especially her seemingly simple but radical acts of kindness and acceptance. Connecting these show more past moments to the present, Tourmaline’s text is wonderfully light on its feet, dancing through rather than around the threats faced by Marsha and by Black trans people today while also showing that the sunshine of connection and joy is more than a match for the shadow of all-too-real struggle. A distinctly intergenerational pulse thrums under every word, emphasizing the storytelling and living knowledge at the heart of queer, trans, and Black community resilience and resistance. Kristensen’s illustrations bring Marsha’s full glory to bear as she sweeps not only skirts too fabulous for words, but also a larger-than-life light across the cityscape of her home and her people. Most impressively, Tourmaline brings Marsha the icon into the more intimate space of Marsha the person as she finds joy in accepting herself and others, knowing “that’s how we change the world”—something the youngest of readers will understand they can do.

A tribute as bright, luxuriant, and giving as Marsha herself. (author’s note, additional resources) (Informational picture book. 3-8)

-Kirkus Review show less

n a day in June 2020, people across New York City gather in defense of Black trans lives—and to honor queer activist and icon Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992).

“You see…the way we are exactly ourselves, no more, no less? That’s because of Marsha.” Addressing both a young child and readers, a Black caregiver offers glimpses of Marsha’s life: her style, her attitude, her struggles, but most especially her seemingly simple but radical acts of kindness and acceptance. Connecting these show more past moments to the present, Tourmaline’s text is wonderfully light on its feet, dancing through rather than around the threats faced by Marsha and by Black trans people today while also showing that the sunshine of connection and joy is more than a match for the shadow of all-too-real struggle. A distinctly intergenerational pulse thrums under every word, emphasizing the storytelling and living knowledge at the heart of queer, trans, and Black community resilience and resistance. Kristensen’s illustrations bring Marsha’s full glory to bear as she sweeps not only skirts too fabulous for words, but also a larger-than-life light across the cityscape of her home and her people. Most impressively, Tourmaline brings Marsha the icon into the more intimate space of Marsha the person as she finds joy in accepting herself and others, knowing “that’s how we change the world”—something the youngest of readers will understand they can do.

A tribute as bright, luxuriant, and giving as Marsha herself. (author’s note, additional resources) (Informational picture book. 3-8)

-Kirkus Review show less

Tourmaline’s Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson tells the story of one of the foundational activists in the Pride movement from her childhood through her legacy beyond death. Tourmaline structures her book into different eras of Marsha’s life: Marsha, the Jersey Kid; Marsha, the Time Square Hustler; Marsha, the Stonewall Rioter; and so on. She draws out essential elements of Marsha’s truths through interviews with those who knew her, archival footage, written documents, show more and studies in queer history to honor Marsha’s legacy and help younger people see themselves in her story and as part of a greater story of hope, love, and joy.

Discussing the varying accounts of Stonewall, Tourmaline concludes, “The illusion of coherence in history begins to break down once you start to push. We don’t know who exactly was at Stonewall that night because we don’t even know who people were – it’s a fool’s errand to try to define the undefinable, like whether an individual in 1969 was a gay man, versus a drag queen, versus a transvestite, versus a trans woman. The Stonewall Riots occurred in a messier moment in our histories, a moment of acute oppression that was being met with acute freedom of dreaming. In recounting the stories of Stonewall, we are reaching back to that feeling of freedom of dreaming” (p. 98). Unfortunately, the mainstream history of Stonewall was quickly sanitized by those who focused on respectability rather than intersectionality. Tourmaline writes, “Unlike the transformative politics from the first Gay Pride rally in 1970, the Christopher Street Liberation organizers of the 1973 Pride rally wanted it to be a decidedly nonpolitical event. Rather than connecting rally participants with incarcerated queer people, the organizers chose to bolster gay consumer culture by leading the march to conclude at West Village bars” (p. 140).

Tourmaline examines the multifaceted life Marsha lived and how she persevered, writing, “The narrative of Marsha’s life is interwoven with moments of joy alternating with moments of profound sadness. She had reserves of resilience in the face of waves of violence, grief, and loss” (p. 135). Discussing the moment to find justice for Marsha P. Johnson after her death, Tourmaline writes, “Justice for Marsha means remembering we are not just valuable but invaluable, as in non-disposable and of incalculable worth, a value that exceeds even the measure of value itself” (p. 240). Looking to Marsha’s legacy, Tourmaline concludes of Marsha’s intersectionality, “She was influential in the ways she intertwined activism with art, using her presence and performances as forms of replenishment, protest, and celebration. Her work also served as a model for contemporary movements in disability justice, collective organizing, care work, and living one's truth against a limited backdrop of societal norms” (p. 250).

Tourmaline’s biography of Marsha P. Johnson is a welcome text that takes on greater importance in light of recent events, showing how gender has always been complex and trans people have always been part of activist movements. show less

A poetic, visually rich tribute to Marsha P. Johnson, celebrating her joy, resilience, and activism. Blending history with imagination, the book reclaims Marsha’s legacy through vibrant & heartbreaking storytelling. Tourmaline captures her spirit beyond tragedy, centering her as a visionary who dreamed of liberation.

It’s a powerful reminder of Black trans joy, survival, and the importance of collective care - and lord knows we need it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!