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brynalexa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
jaynevam's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
schopenhauers_poodle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
The footnotes bog down the narrative and I found them completely unnecessary. This is spoon-feeding the reader to the point of ridiculousness. It lends a condescending faux-academic tone to the book. If you feel your fiction needs this much exposition, something has gone wrong.
Our unlikeable narrator is Trey, a teenage know-it-all. The frequency with which he emerges in every moment of historical importance as the savior or genius starts to become comedic. Trey is like an incredibly unlikeable, gay Forrest Gump. He also characterizes any unmarried woman over 30 as a lesbian which is vaguely misogynistic. So when we're introduced to his tragic background it's impossible to feel much for him or for that lore to expand the depth of his character. This flatness of character afflicts all of the other characters in the book as well.
As if the footnotes weren't patronizing enough, each chapter is framed and titled as a "lesson." Each moral lesson is then neatly tied up at the end like an episode of a tv show, perhaps belying the author's profession as a tv writer. It’s Aesop's tales for baby queers.
As noted by others, despite Trey posturing as some radical, the book is completely at odds with the political sentiments expressed in "My Government...." which is dripping in liberalism. Trey laments that he didn't vote enough in elections! The (frequently wrong) footnotes describe the BPP's legacy as tainted by radicalism! Nonviolence is the highest, noblest form of protest! It feels very targeted towards a specific type of affluent liberal.
The writing is also not very good. On encountering someone only deceased for a few hours, Trey astutely remarks "He looked so lifelike." He just died? What else is he supposed to look like? An extra from a Romero zombie film? Another closing sentence to a passage was pulled from the clichés of tv writing:
A risky idea occurred to me, and I bolted from the table, yelling, "I'll call you and explain later!"
End scene. I actually found myself laughing.
If you need an introduction to queer history and the LGBTQIA+ movement in the US, make it something else.
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
thepermageek's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Police brutality, and Medical content
Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, and Abandonment
onmalsshelf's review against another edition
- 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
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
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Grief, Lesbophobia, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
knittingreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, and Police brutality
drraytay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, and Rape