With all the press coverage and banning of this book, I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book. However, after reading, I can share that, unequivocally, this book is a message to all young queer persons of color that you are loved. George's story is incredibly vulnerable and intimate. They discuss their personal feelings, their relationships with their family and friends, their introduction to physical intimacy, their childhood traumas, and more. All together - as many reviewers have shared, this is a powerful story. There is plenty to love about this book, but one of my favorites is how they ended chapters speaking to the reader. They knew that there would be backlash about their story. They knew. But they wrote it anyway because they know it is too important to not share. Everyone should read this memoir as they grow.”

I really hate to rate this so low as a white woman reading a black man's life story but I was honestly just so bored though the whole thing. I felt prepared for difficult stories and uncomfortable truths and I just feel like they weren't there? I can't speak to how traumatizing it would be to grow up black queer and gender non conforming but at the same time the author never told me? This book just felt like it was full of anecdotal stories about his life and never got too terribly deep. I'm so confused because there's obviously tons of reviews praising and loving this book and ita profoundness and I just don't get it at all.

The author mentions that he just hopes this book can help one person who may need it, to see themselves represented in literature and I truly hope for that as well. Maybe this story just isn't for me and that's fine.

"Everything is connected, and it often requires someone breaking a stigma or pattern in order to change the trajectory of a family. Instead of giving up and drowning, I fought to stay afloat."

This is a book you can really tell was written with warmth, care, and love.

what a beautiful memoir. so glad that books like this are being written for younger queers. so many hard truths in this book and i really enjoyed reading it.

This book is honest, purposeful, and deeply reflective. I am left with a story I would have never otherwise been able to glimpse. Some parts are difficult to read, but I’m so grateful that Johnson has shared his story.

I think this book would be valuable for middle/upper YA students with the trigger warnings of SA and death.

Beautifully written and so important

I needed to mull over my thoughts on this one.

All Boys Aren’t Blue isn’t what I thought it would be. I came into this memoir with expectations on what content would be included. Now, I won’t say I’m disappointed due to things being different than anticipated.

I will say that Johnson has some very interesting and thought provoking commentary. Many of his observations I either previously agreed with or found it eye opening. He really nailed it when he talked about the detrimental effects of society’s need to categorize and label. This observation and the depths he goes into over it alone makes this book worth reading.

There were some challenging ideas too. These were a little harder to chew and harder to understand his viewpoint. And honestly, it’s important to sit in that discomfort. It’s important to be forced to reflect on your actions and that’s exactly what Johnson did for me. And if you read it, I’m sure you will too.

It makes sense to market this as a YA memoir (which I didn't know was a thing?) bc there are times where this felt very young adult. A few of the essays are disorganized or meandering, but there's a lot of good to be found in Johnson's writing. There are a few descriptions of sexual encounters (including SA, which he includes in the CW section at the beginning of the book), but otherwise there is zero reason for this book to be banned/challenged as much as it is.

4.5 rounded up, I would have loved to hear more about him now: what he's doing, other aspects from his adult life post-college.

Beautiful. George M. Johnson recounts his experiences of being both gay and black in this memoir. For those who don't know much about what intersectionality is or how it affects people, I strongly recommend you read this. (And of course, I highly recommend everyone else to read this too).

All Boys Aren't Blue may be rather short, but it took me quite awhile to finish because there's just so much to absorb. Johnson successfully captures how identity can influence every aspect of one's life, which becomes much more salient for people who feel different than the rest of the people in their surroundings. It's heartbreaking over and over again, but it's reality, and also offers some much needed hope.