Reviews tagging 'Murder'

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

11 reviews

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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bookedandbusy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I enjoyed this one, I feel like I learned a lot about struggles and challenges faced by Black, Queer people and about the dangers of just existing in a world determined to hate you for who you are and who you love. It was a very eye opening read. 
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amazelan's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

j'ai pas vraiment apprécié l'écriture et la façon dont les chapitres étaient organisés, avec une morale à chaque fois alors que tout le chapitre en était déjà une et que ça faisait du coup répétition.
mais ça c'est que la forme, parce que le fond est vraiment bien, il est important. on a besoin d'autobiographies de personnes LGBT+, de personnes LGBT+ racisé.es, on a besoin d'entendre les histoires des personnes qui nous ont précédées.
et je pense -j'espère- que c'est un de ses livres qui aidera les + jeunes d'entre nous à se sentir vu.es et moins seul.es.
il est rempli d'emotions, mais surtout d'espoir, et l'espoir est si important dans la communauté LGBT+.
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the_true_monroe's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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f18's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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purjosipuli's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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anna_l's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

4.25

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leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

This is the story of George M. Johnson, a queer black man. He details his life from childhood, to adolescence, to early adulthood. In this YA memoir, Johnson largely focuses on sharing his stories for teens like himself who do not normally get to hear a firsthand experience. His discussions of the intersection between being black and queer, and what that has meant for George throughout his life, are so open and honest.

The author uses real-life experience to show others that they are not alone, and that it's OK to feel everything that you feel. I found myself surprised to hear him discuss exactly how deeply rooted racism can be, even within the black community. It will definitely make me think more critically about how American history is whitewashed, and how blacks are often underrepresented and/or tokenized without us even realizing it.

Additionally, the challenges Johnson faced - and continues to face - as a member of the queer community, are sadly relatable to many. He tells of them in such a way that the reader can sympathize or empathize, depending on their own personal experiences. Either way, it made me just want to give the author a hug. 

Final thought: I really loved reading about Johnson's grandmother. The way she provided unconditional love for all in her care, and them all feel special in their own way, was just so beautiful. Anyone who has a woman like this in real life, I hope you are grateful and know how absolutely lucky you are.
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skudiklier's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

I think this memoir will be really helpful for a lot of people, and I'm very glad it was written. I'm also glad I read it. However, the writing was not very good; I feel bad saying this, and this is the first book in a very long time where I would actually say something like that. I think the structure of the book was sort of a mess, and so much of it was really on the nose. "Here's a story that I'm going to tell in a roundabout way as if it's not planned out ahead of time, and now here's how I connect this to broader society/gender/identity/etc." Again, I think this book will be great for some young people figuring out their identity on multiple levels. And it's not like it was written terribly or anything--but I haven't read a book written this poorly in a long time. 
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_malia_pt's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.75

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