All Boys Aren’t Blue in Diversity in All Forms!

Oct 05, 2022 Jeanne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: african-african-american, read-2022, lgbtq, memoir-biography, ya

If I were a queer teen, especially a Black, queer teen, George Johnson’s book would feel like having the older brother/mentor I wanted and needed to have in my life. All Boys Aren’t Blue reads like a transcript of his loving and supportive conversations with a younger cousin or nephew:

I don’t have to be confined to an identity that boxes me into a space where I have to choose one or the other. To do so would just reward the homophobia. I can be good at football and double Dutch. I am actually s If I were a queer teen, especially a Black, queer teen, George Johnson’s book would feel like having the older brother/mentor I wanted and needed to have in my life. All Boys Aren’t Blue reads like a transcript of his loving and supportive conversations with a younger cousin or nephew:

I don’t have to be confined to an identity that boxes me into a space where I have to choose one or the other. To do so would just reward the homophobia. I can be good at football and double Dutch. I am actually still very good at football and double Dutch. But most importantly, I’m not bound by either of them. You don’t have to be either. (Kindle 735)

Of course, many of the issues Johnson discusses are also ones that allies or other teens will profit from considering, as they may have had similar experiences or know people who have. Can you play basketball and also love science, for example? Most of us have to find ways to resolve such difficult apparent dichotomies. How can you handle bullying or your grandmother's illness? This is not only a book for Black, queer teens.

Johnson sometimes spoke in hyperbole or perhaps he was ill-informed. For example, Johnson claimed to have invented the word Honeychild, a word that caused many problems at his elementary school, only to later be appropriated by mainstream culture. This didn’t match my memory of the word, so I did an Ngram search, which showed Honeychild first found in published books in 1910, then increasingly often after 1940. Honey child (two words) was first used in published books in 1827. Bad Company recorded their song by this name in 1976. Johnny Williams recorded his song in 1966.

Maybe Johnson meant that he independently discovered the word. I don’t think this distinction – he invented it or invented it locally – is nit-picky. When we talk to children and teens about difficult things, we need to be careful to be honest and avoid making ourselves look bigger than we are. (We often look plenty big.)

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.” (Kindle 843)

Isn't this a lovely cover? In a world of inappropriate, inaccurate covers, this one fits.

I've seen different pronouns used for Johnson (he/his? them/their?); he also referred to himself as Matt, but is published here as George M. He is currently describing himself as male and queer, but did not identify (at the time of publication) as non-binary or trans. ...more

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Oct 22, 2020 Lindsay rated it really liked it

That was really good. I love hearing about a positive family environment for a marginalized person in society. It was so interesting to read someone's life story from a positive background instead of a negative one. ...more

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Jan 07, 2021 Hulttio rated it liked it

This was a compelling and enjoyable memoir of Johnson’s life so far. From his early childhood happiness and traumas to his growth and coming-into-being as an adult, he shares with the reader deeply personal and intimate moments. It feels like skipping the awkward, small-talk phase of a friendship and having those hours-long 3 AM conversations with a close friend about your lives. While I enjoyed and am grateful to have shared in Johnson’s life and his story, the memoir does read like a debut wor This was a compelling and enjoyable memoir of Johnson’s life so far. From his early childhood happiness and traumas to his growth and coming-into-being as an adult, he shares with the reader deeply personal and intimate moments. It feels like skipping the awkward, small-talk phase of a friendship and having those hours-long 3 AM conversations with a close friend about your lives. While I enjoyed and am grateful to have shared in Johnson’s life and his story, the memoir does read like a debut work and is probably more enjoyable to its target audience.

Many of the themes in the book resonated with my own experience, and I laughed and (figuratively) cried with Johnson as he takes us through everything, not sparing the reader any words. The themes of repression, loss, trauma, self-acceptance, and others are very much relevant not only to Johnson’s intended audience of young, queer, Black readers but also to people who fit none of those labels. Because of that, I suppose most people would find some point of commonality in this memoir, though perhaps those who share some or all of Johnson’s identities would find it more meaningful. I do, and found it both relatable but also a bit frustrating. While the memoir is deeply personal, it also feels quite raw in the emotions and relationships that Johnson portrays. He loves his Nanny and mother, and both are pivotal to his life; though I was glad that he had positive and supportive figures in his life, I also felt empty at how much my family is the exact opposite. I’m not sure if this aspect of the book will feel as hopeful to some young readers, especially those dealing with painful familial struggles. It was tough to read the interludes of personal letters to various family members, since he was fortunate to be surrounded by loving and supportive family. It felt like a sharp contrast to my own experience, and Johnson doesn't really give much time talking about this potential disconnect readers may feel.

The manifesto element of the book was also a bit unclear. Johnson tells us snippets and moments from his life in a mostly chronological manner, and then analyzes them and spells out some profound statements at the end. The statements themselves may be worthwhile, but this method became repetitive and felt vague at times. As one other reviewer put it, there is too much telling and not enough showing; Johnson could trust his audience to infer some of the conclusions he explains to the reader. Reading a book is not one-sided. The reader is free, and indeed often, imparts their own meanings and inferences to the story (whether fictional or not), and this may or may not align with the author. I certainly disagreed with some of Johnson's statements, but this is reflective of the fact that no community or minority is a monolith that will always agree.

This is a significant and important work, and I applaud Johnson for writing this. It took a lot of effort, bravery, and introspection to publish a book that details not only your heroic family members but also your most personal traumas and embarrassing experiences.

It has been a week of the new year, and this is my third book read so far. The pandemic and lockdown might have disrupted my reading rhythm last year, but I have a good feeling about getting back into the swing of it now, even though it feels like it is still March 2020. Or maybe I tend to be really into reading more books in the beginning months of the year… we’ll see.

“The boy who had struggled to find friends for so long finally had a whole group of people he could call his brothers.” ...more

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Jun 26, 2020 ✨the one with all the books✨ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, ya, lgbt, memoir, blm

For some reason I did not have it in my mind that this was a memoir, but I still enjoyed it. It felt very timely considering current events happening in our culture today. VERY graphic.

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Oct 16, 2023 Sue rated it really liked it

Shelves: memoir, zl-crpl-print-4, zl-crpl-to-check, african-american, essays, non-fiction, zc-living-authors, lgbtq, zl-crpl-hoopla-audio, black-authors

I read this book for a "Banned Books" discussion group. (Note that in the present day U.S., "Banned Books" include those that are frequently challenged within school districts, for their inclusion on required reading lists or in school libraries. The books aren't banned by the government from being sold or being read by individuals.)

Besides reading this book for the group discussion, I read it to be a "listener" to George M. Johnson's story. My rating is based on my appreciation that George is w ...more

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Sep 07, 2022 Heather rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, memoir, black-lives-matter, authors-of-color, racial-justice, lgbtqa, own-voices, 2022

"When people ask me how I got into activism, I often say, 'The first person you are ever an activist for is yourself. If I wasn't going to fight for me, who else was?'" ...more

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