Reviews

My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson

chattycathy55's review against another edition

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5.0

My favorite book this year. I was a bit reluctant to read it. Gay man in the 80’s book thought it might be too depressing. It is written as if it was a memoir and includes copious cultural footnotes. Which taught me things like AIDS was in this country by the late 60’s. It included the main character Trey getting involved in Act-Up and talked about that group starting up.my only criticism is I wanted more. I hope there is a sequel. Highly recommend.

mattrog's review against another edition

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5.0

A brutally honest look into the life of a black gay man who navigates New York City in the 80s and 90s. The AIDS Crisis, politics, activism, sex, shame, history, and culture are all tied together in a powerful storyline.

kacimtaylor5's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

leonroslyn's review against another edition

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5.0

a fast-paced coming-of-age story
journey of a young gay Black man in the mid-1980s
during a time of political and social upheaval.

PHEWWW. I listened to the audiobook and it was SO good.

loverbutch's review against another edition

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5.0

This is a phenomenal phenomenal book there’s little else to say.

paulhill53's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow, I just got swept up in this novel (I mean, how could you not read a book with a title like this?) and read it right through. No synopsis of this book could do it justice - but if you like it, you'll love it.

javielle's review against another edition

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3.0

DNF at 66%

the historical and fictional characters being mixed was just too much. I was hoping as a big fan of the activism in shows like pose that this would be a great way to immerse myself literarily, this was just too messy. I really wanted to love it :/

lprofio's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

dmartinez422's review against another edition

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5.0

I truly thought this was a memoir for about 25 pages. It reads like one. It’s sexual, it’s informative, it’s funny and heart breaking. You will learn so much but also feel like a friend is telling you about this era and how they lived through it.

torrieb's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75