Title: All Boys Aren’t Blue
Author: George M. Johnson
Narrator: George M. Johnson
Rating: 5
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TW: Sexual abuse and homophobia
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This is a very important book, and I’m glad I was able to listen to this one. The author/narrator did a great job of bringing so many poignant and powerful points together under one umbrella, and conveying his message in a concise way. I was entranced by his narration, and the beauty in every chapter.
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In All Boys Aren’t Blue, Johnson takes us through his struggles and adventures growing up/coming of age as a black and queer kid. This collection of essays covers a range of topics relating to finding and accepting your identity, the importance of having a solid support system in your family as you navigate the questions you have, and sexual abuse.
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The essays take us through the author’s life from his childhood to adulthood, as he navigated different spheres and phases of life. He explored growing up amidst other teenage boys who sought to shame him for his feminine interests, trying hard as a college student to join a fraternity to feel a sense of male belonging, and also navigating relationships and sex as a queer adult male. He also lets us understand the effect his family’s support had on the way his life turned out.
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This is one book I recommend for everyone, because it’s so wholesome.
Blurb
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 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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