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A review by hmatt
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
I have a feeling I will be in the minority of reviewers here, but I found this to be a challenging read because of its lack of sophistication. It felt unedited - rough transitions between chapters/phases of the author's life, unrefined phrasing, a mix of both too much and not enough detail in different areas. To me, it reads 100% as a memoir and 0% as a manifesto because of this.
From a stylistic perspective, I cannot stand memoirs that self-reference/break the fourth wall/"Dear Reader"-me. I lost count of how many chapters the author stated were "the hardest chapter to write" or similar.
When it comes to the content of the memoir: I felt uncomfortable in spots because it read as though the author has not unpacked or processed some of the trauma he describes. I understand that these were formative experiences and it would have defeated the point of the memoir to exclude them; but, as a reader, they were presented in... almost a casual way? A way that excuses or brushes off the traumatic nature of these experiences? I also have extremely turbulent feelings about the author repeatedly, for an entire chapter, deadnaming and misgendering his cousin and then explaining it as "that was my perspective" or something equally BS.
I haven't come across anything else in my limited reading that fills this specific genre/experience, so I guess I understand the higher star ratings from that lens? Read it, if you have a few hours. But maybe don't go into it with the expectation that this is a groundbreaking literary memoir.
From a stylistic perspective, I cannot stand memoirs that self-reference/break the fourth wall/"Dear Reader"-me. I lost count of how many chapters the author stated were "the hardest chapter to write" or similar.
When it comes to the content of the memoir: I felt uncomfortable in spots because it read as though the author has not unpacked or processed some of the trauma he describes. I understand that these were formative experiences and it would have defeated the point of the memoir to exclude them; but, as a reader, they were presented in... almost a casual way? A way that excuses or brushes off the traumatic nature of these experiences?
I haven't come across anything else in my limited reading that fills this specific genre/experience, so I guess I understand the higher star ratings from that lens? Read it, if you have a few hours. But maybe don't go into it with the expectation that this is a groundbreaking literary memoir.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Misogyny
Minor: Drug use and Grief