Former Chesterfield man’s Pride book becomes an Amazon bestseller

Lewis Laney, 38, the author of The Little Book of Pride, lived in Brampton and attended Brookfield Community School before moving to Blackpool then London.

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The book – which became a number one bestseller on Amazon when it was released this week – is a concise look at everything people need to know about Pride and includes the history, the key people involved and some of the best known Pride events around the world.

Lewis said he was inspired to write it because this year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride marches, which took place in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco on June 28, 1970.

Lewis told the Derbyshire Times: “I will always hold Chesterfield dear to my heart.

“I grew up there and it helped form my character.”

Lewis said he had been in touch with Brookfield to donate a copy of his book to the school’s library.

“I wrote the book, primarily with young adult readers in mind,” he added.

“I wanted there to be a friendly and accessible read on LGBTQ+ culture that a young person might find interesting and not feel intimidated to pick up.

“I went to school when Section 28 was in place, which made it pretty much illegal for teachers and schools to talk about gay issues – let alone have a book about them in the library.

“I was lucky as I had some great teachers at Brookfield who supported me – but I’d have loved to see a book like this in the library when I was a teenager.”

Because the Covid-19 lockdown means people can’t celebrate Pride month in the usual way – with a parade in the street – Lewis made a plea to his publishers to release the book early in June.

This way people could learn some Pride history during the month and celebrate at home.

Lewis has decided to donate some of his author fees to small LGBTQ+ charities, one of them being Chesterfield Pride.

The Little Book of Pride is available via stockists such as Waterstones or online via Amazon

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