When I need a quick read I head to my piles of reader copies. Sometimes I need to go to my online links and sometimes I have physical copies. This time it was an online reader copy for Willi Ninja: Vogue Legend by Joy Michael Ellison and illustrator Nabi H. Ali. Due mid-May 2026 you’ll be just in time to learn about Willi Ninja and become inspired to dance like him in the hot summer nights.
Yes, Mr. Ninja (not his real name) was a dancer. He was also a revolutionary person who mixed martial arts moves and dance moves to make a unique thing called Voguing. While he might not have invented it, he would form it into something that would get him the nickname of the Godfather of Vogue.
The first part of the book is young Willi Leake’s journey to becoming a young man who would shape dance and the LGBTQ community. He had the unusual hurdles that many gay boys and men face, and like many who came before and after him, he would be a pioneer by being himself. The second part focuses more on the dance and what happened when he would enter the balls. The overall look of the book is poetic and does not do a deep dive into the life and times of Ninja. It is at the surface of things and marks important highlights of his life that are approached with respect, love and admiration.
The illustrations are neither overly realistic nor cartoonish, but are brightly colored and have focus on Willie Ninja. There are not a lot of details, but they can be busy but they support and are background whereas the actual story and Willie is what Ellison and Ali want you to see. I did not feel it was a “wow best ever” book, but it was interesting and a neat introduction to a person that I had never heard of before. It is good for black history, dance lovers and lovers of dance history, and for LGBTQ history. All ages could be read too, but I do lean towards lovers of dance as the main audience and at least four/five to around eight years old.