All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto
Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren't Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson's emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.
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Readers say *All Boys Aren't Blue* is a heartfelt memoir offering powerful insight into growing up Black and queer, praised for its honesty, emotional...
True to its name, this memoir-manifesto is equal parts descriptive and instructive. George explores defining moments in his life that many will find impressively relatable. The lessons he shares are relevant and, for those interested in self-betterment, actionable. While members of either or both of these communities may benefit greatly from this read, George does not provide much guidance for non-black or non-LGBTQIAP allies to support those communities.
Okay, it goes without saying that I am not the target audience for this book!
I wanted to really, really love it simply for the fact that so many people would want to ban it.
As a story about a family dynamic, it was pretty darn good.
As a story about a black, queer man? It was….missing something. Something that I was hoping to see. Something that would have made me uncomfortable (because that’s what I wanted).
It’s not bad, but wasn’t what I was expecting either.
I wanted to really, really love it simply for the fact that so many people would want to ban it.
As a story about a family dynamic, it was pretty darn good.
As a story about a black, queer man? It was….missing something. Something that I was hoping to see. Something that would have made me uncomfortable (because that’s what I wanted).
It’s not bad, but wasn’t what I was expecting either.
This book was real & vulnerable. It gave a glimpse into the author’s life in the way a diary would. Reading about someone else’s stories always makes me reflect on my own.
I read this book for a Banned Books Book Club. We've been reading more literature, so when I began reading this, it didn't measure up. However, it's not "literature," it's more of an instructive memoir. As such, I think it is done fairly well. To get more stars, it needed a few more drafts and some editing. My personal opinion is that I would have like to have felt more of what he described instead of it being so dry. However, if there had been more emotion to the sex scenes, then it would have run the danger of being less instructive and more porn-like, so probably that was a conscious choice.
Yes, there are three explicitly described sexual encounters. I talked this over with my 29 year old daughter to get a younger opinion. The encounters are presented factually, not like a sex scene in a romance novel. It's closer to describing the act like might be done for sex ed if they covered gay sex along with basic heterosexual sex. One of those encounters is statutory rape. These are things that it's okay to talk about. Stuff happens. It's important to acknowledge it, and know that there are readers who need to know they aren't alone.
Yes, there are three explicitly described sexual encounters. I talked this over with my 29 year old daughter to get a younger opinion. The encounters are presented factually, not like a sex scene in a romance novel. It's closer to describing the act like might be done for sex ed if they covered gay sex along with basic heterosexual sex. One of those encounters is statutory rape. These are things that it's okay to talk about. Stuff happens. It's important to acknowledge it, and know that there are readers who need to know they aren't alone.
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