Reviews with content warning for Classism - My Government Means to Kill Me

Reviews tagging 'Classism'

My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson

9 reviews

mirandalikesbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I really liked this book! Trey, the POV character, is loveable in his flaws. You definitely end up rooting for him. I learned a lot about gay history and black history through the footnotes. I liked the footnotes and definitely missed them when I switched to the audiobook format!

My issue with the book is it feels as if some of the plot threads weren't fully fleshed out. I also think the ending was ABRUPT.

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iseefirede's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A wonderful and informative read. I loved the footnotes with the history interwoven into the story.

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thecriticalreader's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Review:

I normally resent fiction books that try to give me a history lesson (I’d much rather read a nonfiction book for that sort of thing, thank you very much), but I make an enthusiastic exception for My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson. There are two reasons for this. The first is that the informative passages and footnotes on American history make sense within the conceit of the novel, which is that of a retrospective memoir written by a Black queer elder about his life as a gay man in New York City during the AIDS crisis. The second is that this history Newson interweaves these historical facts within a riveting story. My Government Means to Kill Me is a funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story, a political thriller, a queer history lesson, a mediation on political activism, and a devastating yet empowering portrait of the queer community during the AIDS epidemic, all incorporated seamlessly into a narrative of less than three hundred pages. I’ve never read anything quite like it.

Newson juggles so many elements (and makes it look easy) in large part due to his excellent characterization. His main character, Trey Singleton, has a singular voice. Trey has flaws and personal struggles, but his strong moral compass, adaptability, and ability to make connections with strangers make him an extraordinarily likable main character. Besides Trey, the book is peppered with an array of colorful side characters, many of whom are so vividly described that I felt like I knew them. Through these characters, Newson makes history come alive: I felt simultaneously ineffable sorrow for the tragedy and malice that the queer community faced during the AIDS epidemic and immense admiration for those who resisted the attacks on their lives and their community. I could have read hundreds of more pages of My Government Means to Kill Me; Newson leaves a lot of aspects of Trey’s life open at the end of the book. I can’t complain, however, because I think that he ends the book at the exact right place for Trey’s coming-of-age story.

Alas, I don’t think my review quite captures the brilliance of this book. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

The Run-Down:

You will probably like My Government Means to Kill Me if . . .

· You are interested in a heartfelt and informative look into the AIDS crisis from the perspective of a young Black gay man living in New York City

· You appreciate a well-written main character who learns a lot and grows as a person throughout the novel

· You like to read books that balance tones of hope, tragedy, humor, adventure, and relatability

You might not like My Government Means to Kill Me if . . .

· You want to avoid mentions or depictions of sex

· You don’t like books that incorporate fictionalized versions of real historical figures

· You like a book that wraps up all loose ends

A Similar Book:

The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma. Similarities include:

· A young main character who moves to a new place and assumes that this whole “life” thing will be a breeze, and subsequently experiences a lot of character growth

· A unique and likable main character who uses their perceptiveness and pluck to make a positive difference in people’s lives

· Strained familial relationships

· Colorful side-characters

· A good mix of humor, heart, heaviness, and hard truths, with a tiny dash of thriller in the mix

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danaslitlist's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

"A childhood spent attending church services, and the first time I ever felt the Word touch me was during a sermon from Dorothy Cotton delivered in Larry Kramer's bedroom. I felt like I'd finally reached a long sought destination and tasted the purest water (....) Until Dorothy removed the scales from my eyes, I'd had one hundred ways of asking one thing: Why did I feel hunted in my homeland? Because my government means to kill me. Amen! Amen and glory hallelujah! At last, I could explain the force shaping my existence."

I commend Rasheed Newson for such an impactful, creative and bold debut that is My Government Means to Kill Me. The decision to make this historical fiction read as an autobiography was a choice that could've not worked, but not only did it enhance the reading experience, I fully believe that it was one of the only ways to properly tell Trey's story effectively. When the queer community talks about the Pride, when we talk about queer history and activism, we are talking about the people like the ones in this book. The focus on intersectionality between race, gender, and sexuality, the conversations about activism and how it changes with time, and the sheer emotional impact of the topic of the AIDs epidemic make for a powerful history lesson of how much we owe to the older queer generation and the allies who fought for us.

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jayisreading's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.75

I have mixed feelings about this one. Newson did a wonderful job giving the reader a very personal look into the world of a young gay Black man in 1980s New York City during the AIDS epidemic. Woven into the story were footnotes explaining who certain individuals, organizations, etc. were to enrich your understanding of this time and situation. I really appreciated the distinctly Black perspective and learned a fair bit.

On that note, the book often read more as an opportunity for Newson to teach the reader than to experience a story, making things feel a bit labored at times. There were also some plot points that kind of floated around, most notably the story with Trey’s brother. I wasn’t entirely sure what Newson wanted to get out of this.

This novel is a great dive into queer history, and it’s clear that Newson took great care to do as much research as possible. However, as a fictional work, I felt that there was a lot left to be desired.

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jdianm's review against another edition

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challenging funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Halfway through this book, I wondered how I’ve made it this far without reading a protagonist like Trey before. I want more! Through the story, I felt like I was right with him and it was where I wanted to be.

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dustghosts's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A really interesting take on the fictional memoir, with all the best structural and pacing qualities of a contemporary novel. The narrator, Trey, is charming and likeable— but also messy and often wrong (which, fair, because he is a rotten youth). This is historical fiction that educates not just on a key portion of LGBTQ+ history in the US but also feels pertinent to social movements and activism of today. Newson paints a scene beautifully— I can picture the movie that this book would make (and he is a screenwriter, so that makes sense!). At times tempting to think that some of the perspectives feel a little outdated— but I think some of that is the point, and Trey is very actively growing before our eyes, anyway.

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d0505's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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onmalsshelf's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I’m amazed that this is flying under the radar because it needs to be on everyone’s radar.

A coming of age story following a black, gay man as he makes his own way in New York City after leaving his privileged family behind in Indianapolis. Set in the 1980s during the AIDS epidemic, this collection of lessons that the main character, Trey, learns almost reads like a collection of memoir essays.

This was a powerful reflection on a man coming of age in the Gay Rights movement as well as the AIDS epidemic. With both heartbreaking and comical moments, this was a powerful story that should be a must read.

If you enjoy books that trick you into thinking it’s nonfiction, but are actually fictional - pick this one up!

A TIP: Pick this one up as a physical or ebook copy! The footnotes help make the story and the audiobook version does not have the footnotes

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