My Books

Stories to empower kids and teens to be their authentic selves and change the world.

cover of A DIFFERENT KIND OF BRAVE, featuring a rainbow-hued hummingbird drone flying over a city, and two teen guys racing -- one in an exotic sports car, the other on a dirt bike, with motion blurs and lens flares for drama and speed.

A Different Kind of Brave

Written by Lee Wind. Publishes from Interlude/Duet Press/Chicago Review Press on March 5, 2024.

A Gay teen globe-trotting, high stakes adventure with the heroic courage of the James Bond movies and the ongoing romance—and Queer group of friends—of Heartstopper.

cover of THE GENDER BINARY IS A BIG LIE, featuring a swirling rainbow of colors that highlights yellow and white and de-centers blue and pink. The subtitle is "Infinite Identities Around the World" Author: Lee Wind

The Gender Binary Is a Big Lie

Written by Lee Wind, this nonfiction for readers age 11 and up publishes from Lerner Publishing Group/Zest Books in April 2024.

Get ready to shatter those preconceived notions of a gender binary and dive deep into expressions of gender—both past and present—that reveal the gender binary really is a big lie.

Cover of "Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill" by Lee Wind, showing Abraham Lincoln on the five dollar bill sticking out of a teen's back jeans pocket. The teen has doodled cool sunglasses onto the 16th President's face. The teen also wears a worn leather jacket. The tagline reads: "What if you knew a secret from history that could change the world?" There is an award sticker at lower right, announcing the book won the National Indie Excellence Gold Award for for Best Book: LGBTQ For Children & Young Adults.

Love of the Half-Eaten Peach

Written by Lee Wind, Illustrated by Jieting Chen. Publishes from Reycraft in September 2024.

From the moment I learned the real Gay history (from over 2,500 years ago) of Yuan, Duke Ling of Wei, and Mi Xi Zia, I wanted to retell their story as a celebration that we Queer people deserve epic love, too!

Cover of Lee Wind's "No Way, They Were Gay?" featuring Mahatma Gandhi, We Wha, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln with a swirling diversity pride rainbow

Red and Green and Blue and White

Written by Lee Wind, and illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Paul O. Zelinsky, published by Levine Querido.

5 Starred Trade Reviews

  • Publishers Weekly
  • School Library Connection
  • Horn Book
  • School Library Journal
  • Shelf Awareness

and the New York Times review called it “Beautiful… It’s a message the world can use, throughout the year.” 

Cover of Lee Wind's "No Way, They Were Gay?" featuring Mahatma Gandhi, We Wha, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln with a swirling diversity pride rainbow

No Way, They Were Gay?
Hidden Lives and Secret Loves

This nonfiction for readers age 11 and up publishes from Lerner Publishing Group/Zest Books.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, with strong editorial reviews from Foreword Reviews, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews. Young Adult Nonfiction Winner of the International Literacy Association Book Awards, 2022.

Cover of "Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill" by Lee Wind, showing Abraham Lincoln on the five dollar bill sticking out of a teen's back jeans pocket. The teen has doodled cool sunglasses onto the 16th President's face. The teen also wears a worn leather jacket. The tagline reads: "What if you knew a secret from history that could change the world?" There is an award sticker at lower right, announcing the book won the National Indie Excellence Gold Award for for Best Book: LGBTQ For Children & Young Adults.

Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill

Crowdfunded and author published debut YA novel.

Winner, National Indie Excellence Award for Best Book: LGBTQ For Children & Young Adults and One of Publishers Weekly’s Top Five Independently Published Middle Grade and Young Adult Books of 2018.

A Publishers Weekly “Indie Success Story.”

Over 900 copies were donated to LGBTQ Teens!

Cover of "Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep: 50 Award-Winning Children's Book Authors Share The Secret of Engaging Writing", edited by Melissa Stewart. Lee is one of the fifty authors featured in the anthology. The cover lists the names of all the contributors, and shows the cover of many nonfiction books by the authors within, including "No Way, They Were Gay?" by Lee.

Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep: 50 Award-Winning Children’s Book Authors Share the Secret of Engaging Writing

Published in 2020 by the National Council of Teachers of English.

Lee is one of the 50 authors featured within, and his essay is titled, “How Primary Sources Saved Me (and Might Just Save the World)”

 

 

  • ★ We just got a Starred Trade Review from Foreword Reviews! They wrote: “A Different Kind of Brave is a gem for young adults: not just a high-octane thriller but also a queer romance full of heart and sensuality.”

 

  • Kirkus Reviews loved it, writing: “Thrilling. Positively thrilling.”

    A DIFFERENT KIND OF BRAVE

    Nicolas “Nico” Hall is sixteen when he escapes from Dr. H’s religious gay reprogramming institute in California. On his own, he assumes one identity after another to avoid recapture as he flees south to Peru and then to Mexico.
     
    Seven days older than Nico, Samuel “Sam” Jonas Solomon is a privileged Upper West Side only child who idolizes James Bond. When his heart is broken, he vows that, like Bond, he’s never going to trust in love again. Then he meets Nico, and his heart won’t listen to any logic.
     
    Nico’s survived by living only for himself—until his love for Sam has him risking his freedom for others. And as much as Sam wants to be like 007, he discovers that James Bond is a terrible role model.
     
    Together, Nico and Sam set out to free the other teens trapped in Dr. H’s Institute, plunging readers into perils, drama, and a long-shot chance at love. To succeed, they’ll both have to be A Different Kind of Brave.

    ★ “A gem for young adults: not just a high-octane thriller but also a queer romance full of heart and sensuality.”

    Foreword Reviews, starred review

    “A thrilling adventure and romance.”

    —Jeff Adams, author of the Codename Winger series

    “Be prepared to fall in love with Nico and Sam ... Keeps you on the edge of your seat.”

    —Alex Sanchez, author of Rainbow Boys and You Brought Me the Ocean

    “Bold, breezy, and fun.”

    —Brent Hartinger, author of Geography Club

    Cover of Lee Wind's "No Way, They Were Gay?" featuring Mahatma Gandhi, We Wha, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln with a swirling diversity pride rainbow
      ★★★★★
      Five Starred Trade Reviews:
    • “Affecting. This moving tribute to religious pluralism will uplift children.” — Wall Street Journal
    • Sydney Taylor Award Notable Book
    • Association of Jewish Libraries Best of the Year

    Red and Green and Blue and White

    On a block dressed up in Red and Green, one house shone Blue and White.

    It’s a holiday season that both Isaac, whose family is Jewish, and Teresa, whose family is Christian, have looked forward to for months! They’ve been counting the days, playing in the snow, making cookies, drawing (Teresa) and writing poems (Isaac). They enjoy all the things they share, as well as the things that make them different.

    But when Isaac’s window is smashed in the middle of the night, it seems like maybe not everyone appreciates “difference.”

    Inspired by a true story, this is a tale of a community that banded together to spread light.

    ★ “Wind’s lightly fictionalized version of the 1993 incident wherein a community stood up to bigotry… is conveyed with lyrical simplicity....The visual treatment here is particularly striking—Caldecott Medalist Zelinsky’s vibrant digital art… emphasize[s] fraught emotions in this moving historical tale that encourages taking a stand.”

    Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    ★ “Captures the celebratory joys of the season.”

    The Horn Book (starred review)

    ★ “A strong addition to holiday stories, one that can be reread and rediscovered many times and whose theme of community support and friendship is appropriate year-round.”

    School Library Connection (starred review)

    “A thoughtful addition to the holiday shelves or a springboard to discussions of prejudice.”

    Booklist

    “Artfully smudged, staggered illustrations light up this moving tale about community solidarity.”

    Foreword Reviews

    “The true meaning of the holiday season shines here.”

    Kirkus Reviews

    No Way, They were Gay?

    Hidden Lives and Secret Loves

    From the Series Queer History Project

    “History” sounds really official. Like it’s all fact. Like it’s definitely what happened.

    But that’s not necessarily true. History was crafted by the people who recorded it. And sometimes, those historians were biased against, didn’t see, or couldn’t even imagine anyone different from themselves.

    That means that history has often left out the stories of LGBTQIA+ people: men who loved men, women who loved women, people who loved without regard to gender, and people who lived outside gender boundaries. Historians have even censored the lives and loves of some of the world’s most famous people, from William Shakespeare and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Cary Grant and Eleanor Roosevelt.

    Join author Lee Wind for this fascinating journey through primary sources—poetry, memoir, news clippings, and images of ancient artwork—to explore the hidden (and often surprising) Queer lives and loves of two dozen historical figures.

    “Such an important book, both enlightening and entertaining. Highly recommended for readers age 10-110!”

    –Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist

    “I can't believe this book hasn't existed until now!! It's a joyful and fascinating read that reminds us that LGBTQ+ people have always existed, thrived and made important contributions to society.”

    –Michael D. Cohen, Actor/Writer/Director/Acting Coach

    “Entertaining, illuminating, and an accessible antidote to dominant histories… Deftly weaving in primary sources (in bold text), cheeky sidebars, and his own narrative observations as a gay man, Wind keeps the tone conversational and playful.”

    —Kirkus Reviews

    “Had I read this book in 1985, when I was growing up in Nashville with 2 moms - it would've changed my life. I don't know how to just write a blurb for this book, I feel like it needs much more - fireworks, a Lady Gaga song & then an entire Mardi Gras parade.”

    —Susan Yeagley, Mommy, Wife, Actress – Jessica Wicks on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”

    “Fascinating, ambitious, diverse, rigorously researched, and much-needed—this book will save lives.””

    —Kathleen Krull, winner of the Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award for body of work, and author of the Lives Of series

    “A fascinating book that challenges the simplistic history we have been taught to believe for far too long.”

    —Lesléa Newman, author of Heather Has Two Mommies, Sparkle Boy, and October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard

    “I know if I would have read this book when I was a teenager it would have changed my life, I might have been able to be my authentic self, much earlier.”

    —Jessica Weissbuch, Co-Founder of Camp Brave Trails

    “Lee Wind has done a fabulous job pulling back the curtain to reveal some long suppressed history. Not only is NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? fascinating reading, I firmly believe it is a book that is literally going to be a lifesaver for some young readers.”

    —Bruce Coville, Author of the groundbreaking short story “Am I Blue?” as well as My Teacher is an Alien and more than 100 other books for kids and teens

    "Splendid... serves not only to educate everyone who reads it, but also to help LGBT youth feel seen, to know people like them exist in the world, and to have role models that are among the most revered of leaders. Do I wish I'd had this in junior high? You bet!”

    —Dr. Judy Grahn, author of Another Mother Tongue: Gay Words, Gay Worlds

    “Wind's careful analysis of the primary source documents and cultural context will make any teen (and adult) say, no way, they were gay?”

    —Elisabeth Abarbanel, School Librarian, grades 9-12

    “Reminds readers, especially LGBTQ readers, that we all come from somewhere and that even though the history books may seek to silence or throw a shadow over our truths, our truths are ours to share with the world with pride.”

    —Matthew C. Winner, host of The Children’s Book Podcast

    Fun, fast-paced, and thought-provoking… I love how it lays out the evidence about some of our past’s greatest heroes, invites us to draw our own conclusions, and inspires us, regardless of our sexual orientation or gender identity to be true to who we are.”

    —Alex Sanchez, author of Rainbow Boys and You Brought Me the Ocean

    “Offers LGBTQ youth (and anyone who cares about them) a compelling and often surprising look at a history they may not have been conscious of. A powerful and necessary book.”

    —Ellen Wittlinger, author of Hard Love and Parrotfish

    “Written in an easy to read, conversational style, Wind heavily annotates his book, citing his sources so there is no doubt to the veracity of the facts. This book belongs in every school that teaches history, in every library that serves teens. It just might save someone's life. Highly recommended for grades 5 & up.”

    —Yapha Mason, school librarian and two-time Newbery Medal judge

    “Transmits rare facts and firsthand accounts with a sense of joyous wonder… At a time where issues of social justice are often deemed either overinflated or ‘solved,’ Lee Wind makes a powerful case that queer historical erasure is an ongoing issue.”

    Foreword Reviews

    Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill

    What if You Knew a Secret From History That Could Change the World?

    Wyatt is fifteen, and nobody in his homophobic small town of Lincolnville, Oregon, knows that he’s gay. Not even his best friend (and accidental girlfriend) Mackenzie.

    Then he discovers a secret from actual history: Abraham Lincoln was in love with another guy! Since everyone loves Lincoln, Wyatt’s sure that if the world knew about it, they would treat gay people differently and it would solve everything about his life. So Wyatt outs Lincoln online, triggering a media firestorm and conservative backlash that threaten to destroy everything he cares about.

    Now Wyatt has to pretend more than ever that he’s straight (because no one will believe a gay kid saying Lincoln was gay). Only then he meets Martin, who is openly gay and who just might be the guy Wyatt’s been hoping to find. Will Wyatt stay closeted to change the world, or will he let Abraham Lincoln’s gay romance fade back into history and take his own chance at love?

    This nineteenth- and twenty-first-century coming-of-age, coming out story was inspired by real historical evidence that Abraham Lincoln was in love—romantic love—with another man.

    “The premise is a real hook . . . with real potential to influence and educate, on top of entertaining. . . . A tapestry of the gay teenage experience—frayed edges repaired with earnest love and care.”

    Kirkus Reviews

    “Wind’s engaging, utterly enjoyable tale of teen self-discovery is riveting both for its well-structured, historically based plot and its emotional honesty. . . . Wind’s polished prose is filled with laugh-out-loud moments. . . . A resonant and admirably crafted work.”

    Book Life Prize

    “Bound to spark curiosity . . . A sympathetic novel that will change the way young readers look at history and the lessons it has to teach.”

    Foreword Reviews

    “Compelling… with highly empathetic characters in Wyatt and his friends. Was Abraham Lincoln gay? Readers of this intriguing and readable novel will decide for themselves.”

    –Michael Cart, ALA Booklist

    “All the more impressive when considering that it is author Lee Winds’ debut as a novelist. Entertaining, thought-provoking, Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill is recommended for school and community library YA fiction collections.”

    Midwest Book Review

    “Lee Wind has written a courageous novel about facing truth, both in history and in yourself. I applaud this important book.”

    –Ellen Wittlinger, author of 14 novels, including the Lambda Literary Award– and Printz Honor Award–winning Hard Love

    “This powerful novel combines raw emotion with detailed historical evidence. Readers will be drawn into Wyatt’s story as he struggles with being true to himself, and come out the other side questioning who writes the history we learn. Speaking truth to power, indeed. Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill belongs in every library that serves teens.”

    –Yapha Mason, school librarian and two-time Newbery Medal judge

    “I loved Queer as a Five Dollar Bill! The twists and turns of Wyatt’s experiences, both of pondering his own sexuality and of attempting to bring questions about Lincoln’s experiences to light, make this an exciting story. . . . Will keep any reader turning the pages. Highly recommended!”

    –Elisabeth Abarbanel, school librarian for grades 7-12

    “This one should get people talking! I hope this book…finds the large audience it deserves.”

    –Brent Hartinger, author of 12 novels, including the groundbreaking gay teen novel Geography Club

    “I LOVE the characters.”

    –Alex Sanchez, author of 8 teen novels, including the groundbreaking gay teen Rainbow Boys trilogy

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