The Black Flamingo
Ratings70
Average rating4
Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he’s navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican—but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough.
As he gets older, Michael’s coming out is only the start of learning who he is and where he fits in. When he discovers the Drag Society, he finally finds where he belongs—and the Black Flamingo is born.
Told with raw honesty, insight, and lyricism, this debut explores the layers of identity that make us who we are—and allow us to shine.
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4.5 Great audio performed by Atta himself, I'll have to look at the book for the illustrations! Enjoyable novel-in-verse on finding yourself and your identity when you feel between/not enough in so many of your identities. UK setting will be a nice window for US teen readers. Loved the ending and freedom of the drag performance and how Atta took some time to give thoughtful explanations for what drag is and can be.
Read for Bookoplathon 2021 - 48 hour round
I wanted to love this book so much more than I did. I still enjoyed my time with this book especially the end, but this just didn't connect with me. As a biracial, queer human myself I just feel like that experience and emotions are so nuance and complex. This book glossed over everything because it was so quick. It didn't go into Michael's emotions as much as I would have liked and because of the way the writing is done. This book will be incredibly invaluable for young mixed race, queer teenagers and also white people but for me, it didn't do much. It's not even that I didn't connect but that I felt that there wasn't enough substance to even connect to.
I appreciate this book for what it is, and I will recommend it to others, but I think there are other YA books that explore these ideas a bit better and more in-depth.
