Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

56 reviews

autismandniamh's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

Heart-wrenching, searingly honest and shocking. There was occasional “finding my journey” speak which came across a little cringe; plus the SA chapter was incredibly difficult to read and felt overly sympathetic to the abuser, even with the disclaimer at the end of the chapter. In addition, the fraternity parts read like self-immolation rather than self-realisation and finding family, but what do I know? I’ve never been in one. You can’t fault George for his honesty though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Racism, Outing, Racial slurs, and Sexual content

Moderate: Physical abuse, Incest, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug use

mari1532's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

I listened to this audiobook through my library on Libby. 

Brief Summary: A memoir that explores the experience of a Black, Queer person growing up. Johnson provides essays about their life that include experiences navigating racism, homophobia, sex, love, and joy.

Thoughts: This is a beautifully written book. Johnson has such a clear understanding of how growing up can be such a difficult process and how learning to love yourself is truly the first step to an enlightened understanding of the world. 

I really loved every essay that included stories of Johnson's grandmother. The love and admiration that they have for each other was so touching to read. I also think that it is so important that Johnson highlighted how their grandmother and others in their family may not have had a perfect response to the queer members of the family, but that their love for each other always came first and that love allowed for growth and acceptance on all sides.

I also appreciate the way that Johson discusses their sexual experiences. I think that even in a young adult book it is important to discuss topics like these because making them taboo makes it difficult for people to feel comfortable discussing the topic and asking questions. 

Even if you are not a young adult this is a great book to read. It is beautifully and thoughtfully written. I would highly recommend this book  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Transphobia, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Incest, Homophobia, Bullying, Racism, Violence, Rape, and Deadnaming

Minor: Drug use and Alcohol

callidoralblack's review against another edition

reflective

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Racial slurs, Medical content, and Racism

havennnofjoyy's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Death, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, and Bullying

Moderate: Medical trauma, Drug use, and Medical content

bookwormcat's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Bullying

Moderate: Blood, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Deadnaming, Cursing, Drug use, Racial slurs, and Injury/Injury detail

kteliza28's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

Really enjoyed this memoir about growing up black and queer. The first 2/3 of this book were the best: the childhood upbringing, growing into oneself and trying to understand identity, family dynamics and dealing with hate in all its forms (especially the emphasis on micro aggressions). It was actually the most informative part for me, especially the un-learning of what we’ve been taught in our history classes. This story was different to me because not everything was a struggle. At first I was so surprised that the authors family was pretty much fully supportive from the get go (some members more than others but mostly supportive). You read books like this and think everything has to be a downhill battle the whole time and how the author preserved and came out of it heroic, but it was a really nice change of pace to hear the story of someone who didn’t have it all bad but still dealt with very negative things and also still hasn’t figured everything out yet. As someone not black and not gay, reading someone’s story of sexuality and their feelings around sex in general was actually something I could connect with. I do think this book kinda loses me a little around the time the author goes to college. There were some elements of the story that played into the theme of the book but at times felt like I was just hearing a day to day recall of a pretty mundane college life. But maybe that’s the point. Again, you don’t need to struggle 100% of the time or have a drama filled life 100% of the time to write about it. This is not to detract from what the author went through. There are MANY times throughout this memoir where I was shaking my head in sadness and disgust for what he went through. But there was hope and happiness here too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content

Moderate: Physical abuse, Homophobia, and Child abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Drug use, and Deadnaming

jenniferbbookdragon's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

A powerful memoir about growing up Black and queer, this book has been targeted by those who believe banning books about controversial topics is necessary to protect children. Johnson directly addresses racism,  homophobia,  bullying, and sexual abuse, all of which impact teens in their daily lives. He argues that they need books like this to know they aren't alone and to empathize with peers facing these issues.  I agree.
Johnson describes his introduction to sex in college as difficult due to the lack of sex education for queer youth. 
Their struggles with identity and sexuality are addressed in the  context of a supportive family,  something many young people lack. Johnson's story is one of strength and hope. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, Homophobia, Racism, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Incest, Cultural appropriation, Deadnaming, and Drug use

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Outing, Violence, and Blood

kaylasbewks's review

emotional informative fast-paced

5.0

I think the majority fear becoming the minority, and so they will do anything and everything to protect their power.

This memoir was fantastic. The experiences shared were insightful, educational, and full of emotion. The author was extremely vulnerable, which added a heartwrenching layer to this book. When I discovered that this book has been banned in 29 school districts (USA), I was honestly baffled, but it did make me read this book, and I'm so glad I did (even if I cried a handful of times). I will forever recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I've shared a couple of quotes throughout that stuck with me.

As a Black queer person, I've died hundreds of times. Will likely die hundreds more times before my physical death. That is the lesson of death, though - from death comes rebirth. A rebirth in thinking, in processing, in living.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol

dannothedino's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Cancer, Medical content, Outing, and Transphobia

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Slavery, and Police brutality

madisone's review against another edition

emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Deadnaming, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Drug use, Incest, and Sexual assault