thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
3.0
despite being for younger readers, the memoir deals w/ some heavy themes and subject matter - albeit realistic and necessary ones - and it's unsurprising why many scared and prejudiced adults are averse to the book and have been trying to ban it.
while there are certain impactful and memorable lines thruout, i find the writing juvenile at times, perhaps bc of its younger target audience. the overall book also seems a lil scattered, not as cohesive as it could be, and the ending too abrupt imo. nevertheless johnson's memoir is an important one that sheds light on the plight of a group of marginalized voices.
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, and Homophobia
Moderate: Violence, Medical content, and Child abuse
Minor: Death and Transphobia
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
dannothedino's review
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Cancer, Medical content, Outing, and Transphobia
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Slavery, and Police brutality
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
amazelan's review against another edition
3.5
mais ça c'est que la forme, parce que le fond est vraiment bien, il est important. on a besoin d'autobiographies de personnes LGBT+, de personnes LGBT+ racisé.es, on a besoin d'entendre les histoires des personnes qui nous ont précédées.
et je pense -j'espère- que c'est un de ses livres qui aidera les + jeunes d'entre nous à se sentir vu.es et moins seul.es.
il est rempli d'emotions, mais surtout d'espoir, et l'espoir est si important dans la communauté LGBT+.
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Bullying, Sexual assault, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Cancer, and Medical content
Minor: Police brutality, Murder, and Slavery
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
alexisthecrow's review
5.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Grief, Medical content, Racial slurs, Death, Drug use, Bullying, Cancer, Sexual content, Racism, and Outing
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
5.0
I came away from this read in awe of the gift Johnson is giving young readers, the trust and respect afforded them. That this is one of the most banned books in the United States underscores exactly how rare this level of trust and respect is given young people, particularly young people who identify as LGBTQIAP+. Johnson so clearly navigated their own life without a roadmap and is committed to ensuring others like them don't feel similarly confused and alone.
It's important to note that this DOES entail on-page trauma. I do NOT think this limits its accessibility or appropriateness for young adult readers. I caution ANY reader to be sensitive to content warnings and give themselves grace in what they choose to read. It's appalling, though, that this book has been so frequently banned on these grounds, as though teens are incapable of reading about things they are *already experiencing.*
I would recommend this to any reader, but feel it's particularly powerful for those who work with young people (or are parents to teens).
Graphic: Homophobia, Deadnaming, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Incest, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Medical trauma, Death, Outing, and Medical content
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
grboph's review
5.0
Graphic: Death, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Incest
Moderate: Chronic illness, Alcohol, Drug use, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Medical content, Cancer, Outing, and Mental illness
Minor: Addiction and Injury/Injury detail