Reviews tagging 'Grief'

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

91 reviews

wanderlust_romance's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

All Boys Aren’t Blue is filled with bravery, unflinching honesty, and emotional vulnerability. This was written as a memoir for young adult audiences-specifically those who are Black and queer. Washington is such a compelling storyteller that from the very first essay I was engaged and educated by the way they relayed their lived experiences and reflections. This book doesn’t shy away from discussing challenging topics related to comp-het, gender, performance, shame, and racial identity. And at the same time, Washington relays the unconditionally supportive and loving family they had growing up that helped enable these honest reflections. Everything about this was excellent.
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bashsbooks's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

Young adult memoirs are a fickle and difficult genre. It's kind of niche, and YA in general is subject to what adults think teens want, not what teens actually want. (Not that I know what teens want, either, but I can postulate about some things they might not want.) I think for the most part, Johnson recalls being a teen better than most adults, and he's franker with teens than most adults are willing to be. I respect this honesty and directness from him, I like that All Boys Aren't Blue tackles CSA, sexuality, gender, abuse, racism, homophobia, death, and toxic masculinity without shying away from them, and with empathy and nuance without making excuses for abusers. At times, he does come off a little stiff and lecturey, but he's above average for the genre. And his anecdotes are well-chosen and well-connected.
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ellius's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

Now I’m gonna be upfront. I hate memoirs. I never thought I would like one let alone love one. But this book will always hold a special place in my heart.

This book is educational and thorough. It’s valuable and heartfelt. It. Shouldn’t. Be. Banned.

This book covers topics, issues and education in an upfront and inspiring way. It’s obviously written for young adults and it uses some writing techniques to show that. It’s light hearted and extremely valuable and i recommend everyone read it. 

10/10. Check it out.
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pizzaisjesus98's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

A wonderful and important book that can open eyes and hearts
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mostlykenny's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

5.0

This book had me stressed (lol) but I was very connected to it from my personal experiences growing up. I definitely recommend to read this !! It’s powerful and it makes a lot of
great points about our society. ⭐️
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melist6's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

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bubblybelle's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
i’ve decided to stop giving memoirs a star rating, but i do have some thoughts on this one. i think it is generally well written and telling extremely important stories about topics that people are often too afraid to discuss. however, in my opinion, the phrasing of the content warnings downplayed the graphic nature of some of the discussions had in this book- specifically surrounding sexual assault. the way it was worded to me implied that there would be discussion of the topic and its effects, but not graphic depictions like there were. as a result i did have to skip portions of the book, and generally found myself on edge for the remainder of the read.

this isn’t to say that i think that chapter (chapter 11: boys will be boys) shouldn’t be in the book. i think it is an important part of the author's story, and is a conversation that more people need to be willing to have. i just wish that there was more care taken in the phrasing of the content warnings so that readers, myself included, would know what to expect and be able to protect our mental health. 
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theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

4.0

A great look into the life of a black queer man and hearing it narrated in George’s voice was wonderful. 
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hannahbee_97's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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. 
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emilemilemily5's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

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