*An Amazon Best Book of the Year optioned for television by Gabrielle Union!* In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual … his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.
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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What an amazing and powerful YA memoir. I am so grateful for Johnson for writing such a brave account of his life as a queer black man. Such a heartfelt account that I was completely immersed in. I really loved this one. Read this and most especially the audio is amazing narrated by the author himself. This was definitely a beautifully written memoir that I loved. u2063
5 stars – I loved it!
Trigger Warnings: sexual assault, racism, homophobia, death of a friend, physical violence.
This is a series of personal essays about journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson. They explore his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia.
This was a very moving memoir about George’s life. He describes his past trauma and how it changed him as a person, such as no longer smiling after having his teeth kicked out as a child. He talks about racism, family, love, depression, coming out and so much more.
George does a wonderful job narrating his own memoir. His descriptions of key moments in his life were emotional and you could hear that in his voice. His words were heartfelt, powerful, and emotional. I think this is a wonderful book for young adults because it really captures some of the fears and trails that a young adult can face, especially if they are black and queer.
Approachable. Gave me goosebumps, broke my heart, made me smile, made me jealous of a family so loving and accepting of his queerness. The sections to his family were breathtaking. So much pain and pride and survival and love mixed together in a powerful story that so many need to read, either to understand things they’ve never lived through or to see themselves in someone who has survived and thrived.
CW: Sexual abuse, taking care of sick parental figures
This was a fair read, not at all what I expected, but read it because I saw a recommendation on a TV program.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson is a very moving and inspirational memoir and I am so glad I made the decision to listen to it on audio. The author narrates which is something I always appreciate, and I just loved the way they read their story. This book is in the format of essays which isn’t something I read a lot of, but it totally worked, and it was very well done. I clearly am not the person to be speaking to anything said in this book, but I loved the message and think this should be a must read for everyone. I also noticed on Johnson’s Twitter account that the book has been optioned for a TV series by Gabrielle Union and Sony Pictures TV and I could not be happier to see that. Even though I adored the audio, I am also going to make it a point to buy a copy of the book too especially so I can look back on it before watching it on TV.
All Boys Aren’t Blue is timely and thought-provoking, and Johnson’s writing style is like a dream. It feels like you are having a conversation with a friend and I absolutely loved that. The book is incredibly short as well at just over 5 hours for the audio, so there are no excuses for not reading or listening to it. This was such a special book and I highly recommend it to everyone.