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skudiklier's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Murder, Outing, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia
jojo_'s review
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Grief, and Drug use
words_and_coffee's review
4.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Homophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Deadnaming, Violence, Hate crime, Transphobia, Cancer, Drug use, Terminal illness, and Incest
Minor: Bullying
xoodlebooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Deadnaming, Vomit, Terminal illness, Racism, Racial slurs, Grief, and Cancer
Moderate: Blood, Death, Violence, Suicide, Medical content, and Hate crime
Minor: Child abuse
susannaobrien's review against another edition
4.5
The vulnerability with which All Boys Aren't Blue is written is moving and essential. It took me a couple of chapters to embrace the book as the writing style is more simplistic than I've been used to recently but from the Family chapters onwards I was captivated.
George M. Johnson's raw telling of his queer affirming yet imperfect Black family helps breakdown stereotypes of the Black community, and he takes care to describe powerful relationships with family members (like Nanny, his parents and Hope) and friends (like Kenny) that create a loving environment so often missing for queer young people.
He lays bare his sexual traumas and explorations, friendship gains and losses, and identity questions and certainties - many moments of which had me closing the book to better process his experiences. The simple yet raw writing should provide access to affirmation, acknowledgement and hope to future Black queer young people.
Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Deadnaming, Death, Racism, and Terminal illness
Minor: Drug use, Grief, Medical content, and Slavery
samusc's review
5.0
I appreciated the Authors' Note included at the beginning, for providing some context on language used as well as some heavier topics that this book discusses. I think it's incredibly important that George M. Johnson didn't shy away from details regarding sexual experiences, because fellow survivors of sexual assault are reassured that we are not alone. Including a table of contents also allows a reader to skip over these sections, should they be too triggering.
Matthew's experiences are ones that you can't help but empathize with. I was crying when Hope passed away from AIDS and loved how supportive of a family figure Nanny was.
The highlight of this text, to me, is the voice George M. Johnson uses when reassuring the reader that he won't lie to us (in regards to history). Knowing one's communities' history is one of the more empowering things that marginalized folks can do.
Graphic: Sexual assault and Racism
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, and Drug use
Minor: Deadnaming
spiritedfaraway's review
4.0
All Boys Aren’t Blue is a memoir-manifesto by journalist and LGBTPQIA+ activist George M. Johnson. They talk about their life from childhood to young adult and explore topics such as family, agency, and Black joy.
This is a powerful and, at times, heart wrenching book. It is thought provoking and deeply moving and is definitely something I’m going to continue thinking about for a long time.
This book will help so many people. It was crafted with such thought and care. There are many topics explored in this book that have the potential to be triggering, but Johnson talks about them all in their author’s note at the beginning of the book, so that you are prepared before starting.
They also bring up the fact that some of these things are seen as “too heavy” for teenagers, but that all of these heavy topics happened to them as a child, teenager and young adult. Teenagers, unfortunately, have to navigate some pretty awful things sometimes and Johnson wants those readers to have the space to be seen and heard in their pages.
Definitely go pick up a copy today, you won’t regret it!
“We all deserve more than just the ability to exist.”
Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Rape, Medical content, Hate crime, Death, Deadnaming, and Bullying
Moderate: Transphobia
bookishgems's review
5.0
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Homophobia, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, and Racism