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The quote that will make you want to pick this book up:
“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 gonna fight for me, who else was?”
Review:
“We are not as different as you think, and all our stories matter and deserve to be celebrated and told.”
All Boys Aren’t Blue is incredibly thought-provoking. Johnson’s writing is casual yet intimate, it feels like he could be sitting right beside you as he tells you about his beloved grandmother “Nanny” or discusses growing up and hiding parts of himself to fit in. Even when discussing traumatic experiences and heartbreaking losses, the book also offers hope and an outstretched hand, reminding you that you are not alone in this fight called life.
The common denominator of the chapters is that you feel the heart put in between these pages – Johnson covers a myriad of relevant topics, from racism, toxic masculinity, and sexual abuse all the way to responsibility, dealing with unspeakable losses, and the impending task of taking care of your elders, which all hit you right in the feels. It’s an honest and unflinching exploration of society’s compulsory heterosexuality and overwhelming gender expectations, but also of intergenerational and familial conflicts and connections, of not measuring up and then wondering why anyone ever even would want to measure up to expectations placed upon you by someone else instead of setting them for yourself. In the afterword, Johnson talks about how he believes that the queer community, right now, at this very moment, has the chance to be the blueprint for the next generation – to “trial and error” their way through life and decide what works, and what definitely has to go. In this memoir-manifesto, Johnson spotlights and exposes the trauma inflicted upon the black queer community but he also lends hope and encourages others to look beyond the boundaries that society has set for them and fight their way out of it.
It’s hard to put into words how much this memoir will mean to a multitude of people but in particular black queer people. Yes, there is more media now representing the interests of black people and queer people, but intersectional representation does not get the attention it needs and deserves. All Boys Aren’t Blue should be mandatory reading for everyone because it inspires you to work harder to make this world a more open, more accepting place. It is a fight that’s never done fighting but reading this book reinvigorates your spirit and so I’ll just leave you with my favourite quote from the book where Johnson talks about being true to yourself and hope that will convince you to pick up a copy:
“This won’t always be easy, I’m not going to lie. I won’t sell you the fable of “It Gets Better” like media tries to do without offering how. The how comes in being willing to take a chance on yourself and create the support system you wish to have. I would also tell you to reclaim that campaign slogan and use it from a place of power. Tell folks, especially those who are non-queer and non-Black, to “Make it Better.” Something getting better doesn’t happen without action, and you have every right to ask for that.”
Johnson is right, we have the right to ask for that. And we also have the chance to Make It Better.
All Boys Aren’t Blue is available on Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of April 28th 2020.
Will you be picking up All Boys Aren’t Blue? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
