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mattyvreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Enthralling, heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and raw. I loved this book from start to finish. One of my favorite books I have read this year.
Plus there are really sexy parts. I cannot tell a lie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Slavery, Child death, and Sexual assault
lenaschrn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Police brutality, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, and Terminal illness
danaslitlist's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Classism, and Death
notcharlottete's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Sexual content, Violence, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Racism, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault
lvosler21's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Transphobia, Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Outing, Misogyny, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Infertility, Homophobia, Alcohol, Vomit, Suicide, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, Slavery, Sexual content, and Racial slurs
dustghosts's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Homophobia, Racism, Classism, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content
thepermageek's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Drug use, and Child death
jiaozi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Was such a good book to read, there were so many quotes and passages that were so true in America and America's treatment of black and brown communities, especially queer communities. I
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
brownreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
1.0
*As a disclaimer, I am a Queer Black AroAce Trans person & I have read the entirety of this book
The reason why I decided to rate it a one is because of a sentence in the book where the main character (Trey) says that their first interactions with another person is “Purely Asexual”.
Please read page 67 of My Government means to Kill me. The sentence in question is “The guy in question was Harrison Coleman and I would classify our first encounter as purely Asexual”
Although there is a disclaimer near the beginning of the book that states that the use of the derogatory language [please refer to the quote on page 13 of My government means to kill me] is used to show Trey and his peers worldviews during 80s, the examples stated are queer slang not a sexuality. The reason why I think that the word Asexual is misused is because some Ace people are indifferent to sex & them being part of the Ace community is valid. It is extremely harmful to misuse a sexuality that barely gets any representation in Pop culture and Queer culture. This can lead to people that don't know enough about Asexuality to misuse it even more. From Black Queer person to Black Queer person, I expected more from this author because this was one of my most anticipated books of 2022 and I was excited to read about a young black queer person like me on their journey through self discovery. I do not know the author personally but I think that he had the right intentions with the wrong execution. Despite this I think it's important to hold him accountable for this. I understand that the disclaimer should be enough of a reason to excuse this misuse of Asexuality & I want to say that you are entitled to your own opinion. I was debating on whether to post my review or not because I really do wish the best for this author because it's nice to see a black queer author get the hype they deserve, but I knew that it is important to tell people especially my fellow Asexuals about this.
The reason why I decided to rate it a one is because of a sentence in the book where the main character (Trey) says that their first interactions with another person is “Purely Asexual”.
Please read page 67 of My Government means to Kill me. The sentence in question is “The guy in question was Harrison Coleman and I would classify our first encounter as purely Asexual”
Although there is a disclaimer near the beginning of the book that states that the use of the derogatory language [please refer to the quote on page 13 of My government means to kill me] is used to show Trey and his peers worldviews during 80s, the examples stated are queer slang not a sexuality. The reason why I think that the word Asexual is misused is because some Ace people are indifferent to sex & them being part of the Ace community is valid. It is extremely harmful to misuse a sexuality that barely gets any representation in Pop culture and Queer culture. This can lead to people that don't know enough about Asexuality to misuse it even more. From Black Queer person to Black Queer person, I expected more from this author because this was one of my most anticipated books of 2022 and I was excited to read about a young black queer person like me on their journey through self discovery. I do not know the author personally but I think that he had the right intentions with the wrong execution. Despite this I think it's important to hold him accountable for this. I understand that the disclaimer should be enough of a reason to excuse this misuse of Asexuality & I want to say that you are entitled to your own opinion. I was debating on whether to post my review or not because I really do wish the best for this author because it's nice to see a black queer author get the hype they deserve, but I knew that it is important to tell people especially my fellow Asexuals about this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Homophobia, Violence, and Racial slurs
The reason why I started that there is acephobia is because someone can easily be acephobic with out them realizing it & it is important for readers to know about this before reading this book.whatmadiread's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Police brutality, Sexual content, Racism, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Homophobia