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.

An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

All Boys Aren’t Blue is a memoir-manifesto by journalist and LGBTPQIA+ activist George M. Johnson. They talk about their life from childhood to young adult and explore topics such as family, agency, and Black joy. 

This is a powerful and, at times, heart wrenching book. It is thought provoking and deeply moving and is definitely something I’m going to continue thinking about for a long time.

This book will help so many people. It was crafted with such thought and care. There are many topics explored in this book that have the potential to be triggering, but Johnson talks about them all in their author’s note at the beginning of the book, so that you are prepared before starting.

They also bring up the fact that some of these things are seen as “too heavy” for teenagers, but that all of these heavy topics happened to them as a child, teenager and young adult. Teenagers, unfortunately, have to navigate some pretty awful things sometimes and Johnson wants those readers to have the space to be seen and heard in their pages.

Definitely go pick up a copy today, you won’t regret it!