All Boys Aren't Blue

rly excellent YA intro to race & sexuality

This is a really good YA memoir (definitely adult themes, so older YA) about growing up black and queer in New Jersey in the late 80s early 90s. The chapters about George's grandmother, Nanny, were my favorites. She seems like she was a wonderful woman.

4.5
A powerful personal account on the intersection of Blackness and queerness.

I enjoyed this and appreciated how candid Johnson was in his struggles and life events. I think this resonates so much with queer and Black kids and I'm so glad they have this book!

3.5 and rounding up. Make sure you check the trigger and content warnings

2/5 cw: queerphobia, sexual abuse, racismBumped this up on my to-read list because of some happenings in a local community and library with challenges, “hide the pride,” etc. Asked my partner, “Am I too radicalized and gay already?”, but that's not the core of my lukewarm feelings. There's valuable commentary in this book, particularly for young folk (and especially for young, queer, Black boys), in the realm of finding people who care about you in the way that the author's family and line brothers cared for and respected them. I studied these theories in college. The young adults at whom this book is directed may be interacting with its content for the first time.The work itself isn't outstanding, though. The writing is... fine. Johnson's journey is about becoming comfortable with being an “effeminate” queer Black boy and defining their own masculinity. It alludes to struggles and traumas, but doesn't write about them in a compelling manner. No one is required to share their coming out story, but in a “memoir-manifesto” in which the narrator struggles with coming out, and shares multiple times that they officially came out to their parents over the phone at 25, I was waiting for that scene the entire time. The books ends before it happens. I couldn't identify a call-to-action. The last handful of chapters is more a shill for the author's fraternity than anything.Then there is the explicit content for which this book (alongside the being gay, of course) is challenged. There are two chapters in which the author describes in step-by-step detail their sexual encounters. I think the author, in writing something so deeply personal, needed to write those details for their own catharsis, particularly in the case of the sexual abuse. I don't think the encounters needed to be shared in as much intimate detail to make a point. The author insists within the text that they didn't have appropriate sexual education, and were willing to risk their own embarrassment to educate others like them, but alluding to sexual practices (be that oral, anal, bottoming, topping, whatever) is just as useful as relating the minutiae of particular instances.I don't have an opinion on the topic of “young adult memoirs” just yet. Memoirs in general are hit-or-miss for me; I'm not a fan of the interconnected essay format, but I did miss Trevor Noah's [b:Born A Crime 29780253 Born a Crime Stories From a South African Childhood Trevor Noah https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1473867911l/29780253.SY75.jpg 50150838] while reading this. I do find myself wanting to promote more memoirs to the young adult audience, though, if only so they have more people to see themselves through.

Absolutely a fantastic read. I love the begin of the author addressing some of the topics so you will know what to expect. [b:Iron Widow 52459864 Iron Widow (Iron Widow, #1) Xiran Jay Zhao https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617986668l/52459864.SY75.jpg 77901205] did this too at the beginning and I hope that this will be a common theme in future titles! I can understand how some topics can be surprising to some and I think this helps the tone and understanding right away.This is well written and I think George is really thoughtful. I'm glad he wrote such a great book for lgbt+ individuals...and really everyone! The author has had a very complex experience and captures it well. There is a part in the book where he addresses a sexual assault and I think talks about how it was something that happened and the relationship with that person afterward. Such as things need to be held accountable. Great read! I recommend

this book was beautiful. i listened to the audiobook and the author narrating their story was chef's kiss

With all the press coverage and banning of this book, I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book. However, after reading, I can share that, unequivocally, this book is a message to all young queer persons of color that you are loved. George's story is incredibly vulnerable and intimate. They discuss their personal feelings, their relationships with their family and friends, their introduction to physical intimacy, their childhood traumas, and more. All together - as many reviewers have shared, this is a powerful story. There is plenty to love about this book, but one of my favorites is how they ended chapters speaking to the reader. They knew that there would be backlash about their story. They knew. But they wrote it anyway because they know it is too important to not share. Everyone should read this memoir as they grow.”

Um dos melhores livros de autobiografia/memórias que eu já li. 
Muito honesto e humano.

I really appreciate the honesty and vulnerability here and I think it's a book that'll be valuable and important to a lot of readers, teen and otherwise. I also learned a lot about HBCUs and their fraternities/sororities, which wasn't like...the main point of this but it was really interesting to me (as a white lady who watched Beyonce's Homecoming like 10 times...sorry......I know that's a cringey statement but it is my truth)

I became familiar with George through The Grapevine, a YouTube series of panel discussions involving black millennials and the racial, gender, and sociopolitical issues that still impact us today. Getting to read his personal story, from childhood to early adulthood, was special while shedding light on the issues that queer Black youth continue to face within their families and out in the world. From sex, gender, and toxic masculinity, to the intersectionality of racism and homophobia, this self-proclaimed “memoir manifesto” is another personal account of one's experience growing up marginalized in a system that wasn't designed to uphold them–one that I think most would enjoy reading about, simply for its honesty and desire to not hide the truth from anyone.

George tells his story, and it is quite a story. He tells us about good times, rough times, and sad times. Being a straight, white woman, I definitely can't begin to understand the pressure, pain and heartache he went through, growing up as a gay, black man in this crazy, racist world we live in.
But I appreciated his honesty and enjoyed hearing his story.

a vulnerable, poignant, intimate, and all-around beautiful memoir/manifesto. also...that cover is beyond gorgeous!

(not rating this but i want you to know) this was an amazing story to hear, and i suggest everyone pick this book up at some point in their lives.

I always feel weird rating memoirs, but I'll give it four for the brutal honesty and lovely phrasing. The author makes his intentions very clear in his writing, and I think more than one young person will find this story heartening and/or helpful.

Easy reading, for a YA/queer audience. (What would the world be like if school taught pleasure + consent based sex ed tho????)

Compelling from a thematic standpoint: an honest exploration of identity, trauma, family, acceptance. Less so from the delivery perspective, for me. I was hoping for a cohesive story but what I found was a series of disjointed essays that felt bound together from magazine articles. It felt more like a collection of manifestos than memoir to me.

I'm sure young adults will benefit from this book a great deal though.

???Symbolism gives folks hope. But I???ve come to learn that symbolism is a threat to actual change???it???s a chance for those in power to say, ???Look how far you have come??? rather than admitting, ???Look how long we???ve stopped you from getting here.???

Beautiful cover. Beautiful truthful story told in a heartfelt way. The audiobook is read by the author. I loved hearing about George's supportive family.

4.5 Thoughtful memoir about his years growing up, high school, and into college. I appreciated his frank discussion about his first sexual encounters and believe we need more of that for teens and especially queer teens. Will be a great mirror text for many kids, even if he did a little more telling than showing (though he did write manifesto in the title so this was intentional). I could definitely listen to stories about Nanny all day!

This was such a beautiful and brilliant read. A story of the author's growing up, and ultimately his story of finding himself, this book might deal with many difficult themes but ultimately it's about a loving family, a brotherhood of amazing friends and full of hope for the next generation of queer Black teens. A must read.

cw: grief, cancer, illness and death of loved ones, sexual assault, physical assault, use of slurs, trauma, sexual content


So, if you can't tell from the content warning, this book deals with heavier topics. It is real and honest, and yet such a great book to listen to. The author does a wonderful job narrating and I love the emotions he conveys and the humor he puts into it. The humorous moments made this so easy to listen to – not just easy, but one I didn't want to stop listening to. 

I laughed, I cried, I replayed parts to hear their depth fully, and just... wow. I have been recommending it left and right since I finished it and believe even people who don't read nonfiction often ( like myself) will enjoy this one. There are just so, so many beautiful messages sprinkled through this book.

This book is absolutely amazing and I strongly believe it will be on my top 10 list for the year.