"The Fights That Make Us is a thought-provoking, heartwarming wonder." Maz Evans, author of Who Let the Gods Out?

"Highly engaging, completely relatable and truly empowering, I loved this book." Jen Carney, author of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

An unputdownable read about LGBTQ+ history and standing up for what you believe in, from award-winning author Sarah Hagger-Holt.

Maybe there was a place in history for people like me, not on the edges of the story, but right in the centre.



Jesse has recently come out as non-binary, and is struggling to find their place at school, and ideas for their project on lost stories from history.



Thirty-five years earlier, Jesse's cousin Lisa is falling for her best friend, but with new laws being introduced to restrict LGBT people's rights, they'll have to fight for the world to accept who they are.



When Jesse stumbles across Lisa's teenage diary, they are fascinated and horrified by her stories of living a secret life and protesting in the streets. Now it's Jesse's turn to find a way to shine a spotlight on a history that mustn't be forgotten.

Praise for Sarah Hagger-Holt:



Winner of the Little Rebels Award



Twice-nominated for the Carnegie Medal



"A heartwarming and empowering read that amplifies LGBTQ+ voices from the past and present." Tamsin Winter, author of Being Miss Nobody

"An empowering, eye-opening and empathy-boosting book written with great sensitivity." Rashmi Sirdeshpande, author of How To Be Extraordinary



"Gentle and compassionate" The Times Literary Supplement.



"A fantastic book - I absolutely loved it!" L.D. Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency.



"Warm, funny and believable" The Guardian



Sarah Hagger-Holt is an award-winning and critically acclaimed author. Her debut novel, Nothing Ever Happens Here, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Recent novels, Proud of Me, and The Fights That Make Us each won the Little Rebels Award for Radical Children's Fiction. She is also the author of two adult non-fiction LGBTQ+ books. Sarah lives with her partner and two daughters in Hertfordshire. When she's not writing books, she works part-time in a library and for a youth climate education charity, and visits schools.