Citation: Johnson, G. M. (2020). All boys aren’t blue: A memoir-manifesto (First edition). Farrar Straus Giroux.
Content Warnings: sexual violence, queerphobia.
What does it mean to be both Black and queer? Writer George M. Johnson lives at this intersection, as a non-binary Black person reflecting upon a life living outside of the margins of society. This memoir is comprised of essays that narrate the trials of Johnson’s childhood and adolescence, often as a struggle of the expectations placed upon them by both their Blackness and heteronormative society.
It is important to acknowledge that this book contains content that some readers may find triggering as it considers the experiences of sexual violence and abuse endured by the author. Frequently challenged for its inclusion of graphic depictions of queer sexuality, All Boys Aren’t Blue is an honest account of teenage queerness from an intersectional lens.