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holliscsmith's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was incredible! I learned so so much about the gay rights movement & AIDS activism in NYC and across the country, yet the plot flowed so well & it wasn’t a difficult read. This book should be getting way more attention!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Police brutality
cheyrohm's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Violence
shainaseideneck's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-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
Wow, what an impactful read.
In "My Government Means to Kill Me" by Rasheed Newson we follow Trey who has just moved to New York City for a new start in life. As a young, gay, black man he is on a journey to discover himself and his place in the world all while facing the impacts of the AIDS crisis during the 1980's.Trey's journey is one of strength and resilience. After experiencing a childhood tragedy for which he blames himself he branches out at 18 to start a new life in The Big Apple. Trey begins to explore his sexuality in one of the last remaining gay bath-houses where he meets a prominent civil rights activist and with his help discovers his passion for activism and trying to reconcile his guilt by contributing to ACT UP and other gay rights movements as well as managing his identity as a black man.
This story was a rollercoaster. From the start I felt as though I was reading a non-fiction memoir. This author's research into the time period and events that shaped it was impeccable and I learned a lot while reading this story without it feeling cumbersome. The footnotes included were helpful at piecing together the people, places and events that I was unfamiliar with.
From the start I felt drawn in by Trey's character. He is an 18 year old at the beginning of this story and just trying to make it through life. As a 30-year old I can still relate. He makes mistakes and learns to atone from them. Unlike myself, however, Trey has a whole lot of gumption. He does what he feels is right sometimes without thinking about the consequences. For example, lying about his connections to begin a successful rent strike. I could never. Its hard to put into words but the reason I loved this book is because I was brought along on Trey's journey every step of the way and felt every emotion. I am not a gay, black man but I could empathize with much of what Trey was going through. The journey to finding yourself is messy and along with shedding light on the politics of the time period and the injustices that are still faced by marginalized groups today my that is my biggest takeaway from this book. No matter how much we have to sacrifice or feel that we are struggling we need to continue to stand up for what we believe in and continue to learn and grow each day.
There is so much in this story that I am struggling to put into words and with that all I can say is please read this book. It is educational and emotional and even sordid at times but it will leave you thinking and impacted. A very important read so that we can remember how far we have come and how far we still need to go when it comes to righting injustices and fighting for equality in America.
**Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**
In "My Government Means to Kill Me" by Rasheed Newson we follow Trey who has just moved to New York City for a new start in life. As a young, gay, black man he is on a journey to discover himself and his place in the world all while facing the impacts of the AIDS crisis during the 1980's.Trey's journey is one of strength and resilience. After experiencing a childhood tragedy for which he blames himself he branches out at 18 to start a new life in The Big Apple. Trey begins to explore his sexuality in one of the last remaining gay bath-houses where he meets a prominent civil rights activist and with his help discovers his passion for activism and trying to reconcile his guilt by contributing to ACT UP and other gay rights movements as well as managing his identity as a black man.
This story was a rollercoaster. From the start I felt as though I was reading a non-fiction memoir. This author's research into the time period and events that shaped it was impeccable and I learned a lot while reading this story without it feeling cumbersome. The footnotes included were helpful at piecing together the people, places and events that I was unfamiliar with.
From the start I felt drawn in by Trey's character. He is an 18 year old at the beginning of this story and just trying to make it through life. As a 30-year old I can still relate. He makes mistakes and learns to atone from them. Unlike myself, however, Trey has a whole lot of gumption. He does what he feels is right sometimes without thinking about the consequences. For example, lying about his connections to begin a successful rent strike. I could never. Its hard to put into words but the reason I loved this book is because I was brought along on Trey's journey every step of the way and felt every emotion. I am not a gay, black man but I could empathize with much of what Trey was going through. The journey to finding yourself is messy and along with shedding light on the politics of the time period and the injustices that are still faced by marginalized groups today my that is my biggest takeaway from this book. No matter how much we have to sacrifice or feel that we are struggling we need to continue to stand up for what we believe in and continue to learn and grow each day.
There is so much in this story that I am struggling to put into words and with that all I can say is please read this book. It is educational and emotional and even sordid at times but it will leave you thinking and impacted. A very important read so that we can remember how far we have come and how far we still need to go when it comes to righting injustices and fighting for equality in America.
**Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic
schopenhauers_poodle's review against another edition
fast-paced
- 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
Historical fiction is one of the hardest genres to pull off successfully, in my opinion. This book did not succeed. It was a struggle for me to finish reading and I came close to DNF'ing.
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:
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Outing
caprivoyant's review against another edition
In the world right now, I feel a sense of duty to bear witness. To me, that also means to follow the lead of people who are more knowledgeable than me and to use my voice to speak up and amplify others'.
This book felt like bearing witness of a different sort. It felt like an ask to watch the suffering the US government has always caused through the eyes of one Black, gay man living in NYC at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
It wrestles with humanity and morality. It showcases different opinions on how progress really happens.
I don't give books star ratings, usually, but I can tell you that this one will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommend it. Especially if you have a bookclub of empathetic or progress-minded people. I imagine great discussions could come after reading this one.
⚠️ Additional content warning to those listed below: assisted suicide
This book felt like bearing witness of a different sort. It felt like an ask to watch the suffering the US government has always caused through the eyes of one Black, gay man living in NYC at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
It wrestles with humanity and morality. It showcases different opinions on how progress really happens.
I don't give books star ratings, usually, but I can tell you that this one will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommend it. Especially if you have a bookclub of empathetic or progress-minded people. I imagine great discussions could come after reading this one.
⚠️ Additional content warning to those listed below: assisted suicide
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Police brutality, and Medical content
emziesreads's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
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? It's complicated
3.75
Overall, I enjoyed this story of a young Black queer boy coming of age around the time of the AIDS crisis. Each chapter is presented as a lesson with the final paragraphs being a reflection and lesson on the particular episode in Trey's journey. This narrative style didn't work for me as it took me out of the story. The history lessons were interesting but felt more like Newsom wanting to lecture his reader rather than tell Trey's story.
It seemed like Newsom was on a mission to name check every prominent gay/queer or suspected gay/ queer person from history. It became a bit Forrest Gumpty - Trey's slumlord just happened to be Fred Trump?
This is a story that needs to be told but it felt at times less could be more.
It seemed like Newsom was on a mission to name check every prominent gay/queer or suspected gay/ queer person from history. It became a bit Forrest Gumpty - Trey's slumlord just happened to be Fred Trump?
This is a story that needs to be told but it felt at times less could be more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
emilytasaka's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
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, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, and Slavery
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: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic