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A review by kimberlyswanson
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
What a stellar coming-of-age book in verse. A stunning, easy to read exploration of identity, love, belonging, disappointment, and the imperfection of being human.
Our main character, Michael, is a mixed-race gay man born from a Jamaican father (absent) and a Greek Cypriot mother. As he grows up, he explores the many facets of his identity and their respective intersections. The book concludes with Mike’s very first drag show as The Black Flamingo, in which he also pays tribute to an extensive list of Black artists and scholars whose work “inspired [him] to stand on this stage and feel free.”
Cue sobbing.
Our main character, Michael, is a mixed-race gay man born from a Jamaican father (absent) and a Greek Cypriot mother. As he grows up, he explores the many facets of his identity and their respective intersections. The book concludes with Mike’s very first drag show as The Black Flamingo, in which he also pays tribute to an extensive list of Black artists and scholars whose work “inspired [him] to stand on this stage and feel free.”
Cue sobbing.