I understand why this book makes book banners angry. It’s a powerful, honest discussion of racism, homophobia, and learning to embrace who you are while standing up to oppression. It’s also a beautiful celebration of a Black family’s unconditional love and community. Bitter mixed with sweet, imperfect but dedicated. 

As the author mentions at the beginning of the book, there’s some heavy stuff that is discussed, but they lived these experiences as young as 5 years old. Not everyone gets the luxury to not think about heavy topics, I truly believe teens need books like this to know they’re not alone, or to learn that other people have struggled in ways they’ve never considered. 

I could write an essay about this book. 

No rating for nonfiction, but I do recommend reading this one. It was difficult to get through some parts because of the content, so I would check content warnings. This story is such an important lesson for people who identify more like me than they do the person telling this story. 

I listened to this audiobook through my library on Libby. 

Brief Summary: A memoir that explores the experience of a Black, Queer person growing up. Johnson provides essays about their life that include experiences navigating racism, homophobia, sex, love, and joy.

Thoughts: This is a beautifully written book. Johnson has such a clear understanding of how growing up can be such a difficult process and how learning to love yourself is truly the first step to an enlightened understanding of the world. 

I really loved every essay that included stories of Johnson's grandmother. The love and admiration that they have for each other was so touching to read. I also think that it is so important that Johnson highlighted how their grandmother and others in their family may not have had a perfect response to the queer members of the family, but that their love for each other always came first and that love allowed for growth and acceptance on all sides.

I also appreciate the way that Johson discusses their sexual experiences. I think that even in a young adult book it is important to discuss topics like these because making them taboo makes it difficult for people to feel comfortable discussing the topic and asking questions. 

Even if you are not a young adult this is a great book to read. It is beautifully and thoughtfully written. I would highly recommend this book