Are You A Friend Of Dorothy? by Kyle Lukoff & Levi Hastings

subtitled The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped.

Hand to God, I did not know that the Dorothy of this saying wasn’t a real person! I always assumed it was an allusion to Dorothy Gale, the heroine of The Wizard Of Oz so iconically portrayed by Judy Garland in the seminal 1939 movie. Ms Garland herself was a gay icon and ally, while the role of Dorothy — someone who was able to escape her repressive black and white life for a Technicolor world with people who understood her — has spoken to queer people ever since her screen debut.

But the “Dorothy” of Are You A Friend of same is much more complex than that, as this vividly illustrated picture book shows us. Despite allusions to both the fictional Dorothy Gale and the very real Dorothy Parker, the Dorothy of this saying was really just a codeword that helped gay people find community in places that were often hostile, if not worse, to their very existence. Kyle Lukoff relates the 20th century (and beyond) history of queer existence and acceptance in language that’s clear and accessible for advancing readers, and makes the hunt for Dorothy feel as gripping as a spy thriller — which it occasionally was!

But it’s really Levi Hastings’ outstanding art that brings this story to life, packing so much detail and emotion into the proceedings. Whether it’s the glory of queer joy; the unnecessary pain of shame and repression, from internal or external forces, or the surprisingly moving depiction of everyday people just being allowed to live their lives no matter what they look like or who they love, this is a powerful picture book that reminds readers of our shared humanity. LGBTQIA+ people are neither a monolith or an other, and excluding them from public life is a surefire way to make a population less strong and healthy and free, as it wastes resources on policing itself instead of actually doing good by making sure that everyone has the food and shelter and healthcare needed to build a strong civic society.

Ahem.

Anyway, this is a really good book that portrays the diversity of the queer experience through the lens of a single catchphrase’s history, and how that speaks to the universal need for community. Buy it for yourself, for a young reader, or for anyone who believes that we can truly make a better world for everyone together.

Are You A Friend Of Dorothy? by Kyle Lukoff & Levi Hastings was published April 29 2025 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers and is available from all good booksellers, including