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kristensreading's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
reading__queerly's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta is a coming-of-age story about a young, gay, and mixed-race boy living in the United Kingdom. From childhood to his teenage years and finally as a young adult in university, Dean Atta tells of his main character’s becoming in beautiful prose both on the page and through his own narration of the audiobook.
This story is bold and marvelous. Truly, it is about finding yourself and figuring out what you want to say. This theme, while present throughout the book, hit the hardest for me in the later chapters where the main character explores and comes to find himself in drag. The poem How to Do Drag, despite the title, was really a consideration of the why of drag. What is the reason? What do you want to say to the audience? What does drag mean to you? To the main character, it is freedom. And in the poem What It’s Like to be a Black Drag Artist, he further explores the intersection of drag with his racial identity. First, there is fear, but the poem ends with rebirth, stepping into the spotlight, and accepting both a shared past and a shared future. In these poems and by the ending in general, I came to appreciate the focus on loving yourself, both the version that you show to the world and the more private one that you keep to your friends, to your family, or even just to yourself. The final poem, How to Come Out as Gay, placed emphasis on accepting yourself regardless of whether you are in the closet or outside of it, encompassing the journey of the character in the book and encouraging those reading – especially those that are queer – to reflect on their own experiences as well as continue on their own journeys towards self-love.
I had the opportunity to listen to both the audiobook and checkout the book from my local library, and I really enjoyed both of the formats. Told with the author’s own voice, I could hear the inflection and emotion that I simply may have been reading too fast to notice in the written version. As someone who often struggles through audiobooks, I thought that this one shined in the audio format, and solidified my desire to listen to more audiobooks, especially those that are narrated by the author themselves.
leafblade's review against another edition
3.0
i appreciate the message immensely, but i don't usually connect with stories told in verse and this wasn't the exception
evieskirrow13's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Uplifting and illuminating coming-of-age LGBTQ tale.
It's a genre I don't tend to gravitate towards, so when I do read stories of gay teens I usually find something revealing that makes me appreciate the experience of those whose lives are different from my own - it's certainly vital to be taken outside your comfort zone and see the world through the eyes and experiences of others.
And Michael is rather a joy to share a few hours with. From his early years loving his Barbie and kissing other boys innocently at parties, to the first crushes and adolescent yearnings, to University and sexual experiences, we are taken through an adolescence of a young gay man who knows who and what he is and is seeking his future path and identity, the same as any teenager.
With family and friends, with relationships that fail or falter, with access to his internal monologue, it's a personal voyage with a young man you really want to succeed in life, to find love and acceptance. I was reminded of 'Everybody's Talking about Jamie' at times, the musical theatre production, for the uplifting moments, the gradual move the protagonist makes towards his likely path.
I loved the fact that the author narrated this for Audible, his voice really brought Michael to life. The audiobook kept me listening, even when I needed to stop for other things, I just wanted to stay with the story and find out what was next for Michael. Readers will enjoy listening to this as well as following on paper.
I learnt a lot about the experience of a gay teen, and Michael has the added element of being Cypriot-Jamaican as well, which was mentioned in the story. The University scenes reminded me of my own first days as a Fresher, the ending pitched just right for a warming conclusion.
A great choice for secondary school libraries and classrooms, an honest portrayal with heart.
For ages 13 and above.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
It's a genre I don't tend to gravitate towards, so when I do read stories of gay teens I usually find something revealing that makes me appreciate the experience of those whose lives are different from my own - it's certainly vital to be taken outside your comfort zone and see the world through the eyes and experiences of others.
And Michael is rather a joy to share a few hours with. From his early years loving his Barbie and kissing other boys innocently at parties, to the first crushes and adolescent yearnings, to University and sexual experiences, we are taken through an adolescence of a young gay man who knows who and what he is and is seeking his future path and identity, the same as any teenager.
With family and friends, with relationships that fail or falter, with access to his internal monologue, it's a personal voyage with a young man you really want to succeed in life, to find love and acceptance. I was reminded of 'Everybody's Talking about Jamie' at times, the musical theatre production, for the uplifting moments, the gradual move the protagonist makes towards his likely path.
I loved the fact that the author narrated this for Audible, his voice really brought Michael to life. The audiobook kept me listening, even when I needed to stop for other things, I just wanted to stay with the story and find out what was next for Michael. Readers will enjoy listening to this as well as following on paper.
I learnt a lot about the experience of a gay teen, and Michael has the added element of being Cypriot-Jamaican as well, which was mentioned in the story. The University scenes reminded me of my own first days as a Fresher, the ending pitched just right for a warming conclusion.
A great choice for secondary school libraries and classrooms, an honest portrayal with heart.
For ages 13 and above.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
unfocusedcuriosity's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bibliophile27's review against another edition
2.0
Read it in school .it was diverse and all but it was so boring . Give it 2 stars for the lgbtq , poc and drag topics but the actual writing style was not enjoyable . The random poems were cringe and the main character wasn’t likeable and had like no personality other than being gay and black .
janagaton's review against another edition
5.0
SUCH an important read. so much crucial information about being Black, being queer, being a young adult, and about identity in general. it's written in verse, so I flew through it and I absolutely loved the writing. I think everyone should read this book 'cause chances are, you'll inevitably learn a little something.