jessspeake's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Incest, Homophobia, Racism, Bullying, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Grief, Alcohol, Deadnaming, Medical content, Outing, Transphobia, and Violence
Minor: Blood
strawberrytheauthor's review
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Alcohol, Sexual content, Transphobia, Blood, Cursing, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Death, Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Bullying, and Incest
Moderate: Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Minor: Child death
immovabletype's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Violence, Cancer, Cursing, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Deadnaming, Outing, Racial slurs, and Transphobia
Minor: Alcohol
peachani's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Incest, Homophobia, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Racism, Cancer, Cultural appropriation, Sexual content, Grief, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Deadnaming, Blood, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Outing, and Racial slurs
notartgarfunkel's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death, Sexual content, and Homophobia
Minor: Blood, Hate crime, and Police brutality
mme_carton's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, and Transphobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Outing, and Mental illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
matheo's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Transphobia
xoodlebooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Deadnaming, Vomit, Terminal illness, Racism, Racial slurs, Grief, and Cancer
Moderate: Blood, Death, Violence, Suicide, Medical content, and Hate crime
Minor: Child abuse
hmatt's review against another edition
3.0
From a stylistic perspective, I cannot stand memoirs that self-reference/break the fourth wall/"Dear Reader"-me. I lost count of how many chapters the author stated were "the hardest chapter to write" or similar.
When it comes to the content of the memoir: I felt uncomfortable in spots because it read as though the author has not unpacked or processed some of the trauma he describes. I understand that these were formative experiences and it would have defeated the point of the memoir to exclude them; but, as a reader, they were presented in... almost a casual way? A way that excuses or brushes off the traumatic nature of these experiences?
Spoiler
I also have extremely turbulent feelings about the author repeatedly, for an entire chapter, deadnaming and misgendering his cousin and then explaining it as "that was my perspective" or something equally BS.I haven't come across anything else in my limited reading that fills this specific genre/experience, so I guess I understand the higher star ratings from that lens? Read it, if you have a few hours. But maybe don't go into it with the expectation that this is a groundbreaking literary memoir.
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Misogyny
Minor: Drug use and Grief
Spoiler
There is a chapter that focuses on the author's cousin, who is trans, in which the author repeatedly and intentionally deadnames and misgenders them.spiritedfaraway's review against another edition
4.0
All Boys Aren’t Blue is a memoir-manifesto by journalist and LGBTPQIA+ activist George M. Johnson. They talk about their life from childhood to young adult and explore topics such as family, agency, and Black joy.
This is a powerful and, at times, heart wrenching book. It is thought provoking and deeply moving and is definitely something I’m going to continue thinking about for a long time.
This book will help so many people. It was crafted with such thought and care. There are many topics explored in this book that have the potential to be triggering, but Johnson talks about them all in their author’s note at the beginning of the book, so that you are prepared before starting.
They also bring up the fact that some of these things are seen as “too heavy” for teenagers, but that all of these heavy topics happened to them as a child, teenager and young adult. Teenagers, unfortunately, have to navigate some pretty awful things sometimes and Johnson wants those readers to have the space to be seen and heard in their pages.
Definitely go pick up a copy today, you won’t regret it!
“We all deserve more than just the ability to exist.”
Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Rape, Medical content, Hate crime, Death, Deadnaming, and Bullying
Moderate: Transphobia