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    All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto
    All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto
    All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto
    Audiobook5 hours

    All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto

    Written by George M. Johnson

    Narrated by George M. Johnson

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    This program is read by the author.

    In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson's All Boys Aren't Blue explores their childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia.

    A New York Times Bestseller!
    Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, Today Show, and MSNBC feature stories

    From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.

    Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren't Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson's emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults. (Johnson used he/him pronouns at the time of publication.)

    Velshi Banned Book Club
    Indie Bestseller
    Teen Vogue Recommended Read
    Buzzfeed Recommended Read
    People Magazine Best Book of the Summer
    A New York Library Best Book of 2020
    A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2020 ... and more!

    A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateApr 28, 2020
    ISBN9781250247896
    Author

    George M. Johnson

    George M. Johnson (they/them) is an Emmy nominated, award-winning, and bestselling Black nonbinary author and activist. They have written on race, gender, sex, and culture for Essence, the Advocate, BuzzFeed News, Teen Vogue, and more than forty other national publications. George has appeared on BuzzFeed’s AM2DM as well as on MSNBC. They are also a proud HBCU alum twice over and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Their debut memoir, All Boys Aren’t Blue, was a New York Times bestseller and garnered many accolades. It was the second-most banned book of 2022 in the United States, according to the American Library Association. For their work fighting book bans and challenges, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) honored George with its Free Speech Defender Award, and TIME Magazine named them one of the “100 Next Most Influential People in the World.” While writing their memoir, George used he/him pronouns. Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, they now live in Los Angeles, California.

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    Reviews for All Boys Aren't Blue

    4.5/5

    847 ratings37 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a powerful and necessary book that explores the black, queer experience. It tackles tough topics such as identity, racism, and homophobia, while also celebrating love and family. The author's candid and honest writing resonates with readers, who appreciate the relatability and authenticity of the memoir. Many readers express gratitude for the courage and impact of this book, and recommend it to both young adults and parents. Overall, 'All Boys Aren't Blue' is described as beautiful, inspiring, and a must-read for anyone seeking understanding and diversity.

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Honest, raw, real and beautiful truthful! I am so thankful this has been written!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Book trigger warnings:

      deadnaming, sexually assault, HIV/AIDS mention, hate crime, incest

      ---

      I'm not the target audience, I'm a Black Queer women in her early thirties. This book is for YA as far as I can tell, so my opinion is below even though I'm not the target audience. Read it with a grain of salt.

      I really wanted to like this a lot more than I did but I had so many issues with this memoir. There were some really okay parts that I liked, like the informational bits. There were a lot of things a lot didn't like, like the weird non comparisons the author makes throughout the book. I didn't like how this book felt like the author was writing into a journal. It didn't really feel all that polished.


      The audiobook narration was alright but very stiff. The only time the author had emotion in his voice in the audiobook was when he thanked his college friends and brothers for supporting him. Other than that his narration was very dry and flat.

      The cover of this book is stunning.

      The author credits Nina Simone when mentioning the controversial song, Strange Fruit, but the original singer was Billie Holiday. This was a small thing that irritated me.

      TW - CSW (childhood sexual assault)

      So, chapter 11 was hard to get through because he talks about being sexually assaulted as a child by one of his relatives (I can relate). He says that being assaulted helped him figure out his sexuality and I'm not sure how to articulate the way I feel about the statement, but I don't have a good feeling about it. This chapter was basically about the author forgiving his abuser and this chapter sort of felt like an argument in favor of forgiving one's abusers. I do like how at the end of the chapter he says that survivors are never obligated to forgive their abusers, but without that little section at the end saying this, it feels as if this chapter was just pushing for survivors to forgive their abusers. The abuser is definitely centered in this chapter. Also, the author felt like he was journaling about his sexual assault so be aware.

      At one point the author dead names his deceased trans cousin, Hope. I didn't like that at all, we as readers didn't need to know Hope's deadname. In one of the earliest chapters he talks about the importance of using one's desired name. I don't understand why he didn't cover not using one's deadname. (a non comparison) In the same chapter he says that when he was younger he found out that his family had been calling him by his middle name (Matthew) and not his first name (George). The author goes on to compare his name situation to that of trans folk who change their names and want to be referred to as their given names and not their deadnames. His name situation was not similar enough to trans people choosing new names for him to compare the two. This section was really uncomfortable because he was trying to make a connection that wasn't really there.

      In chapter 12, he mentions the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. I don't know why I thought this chapter was going to be profound, I thought maybe he had family who he lost in the attack or something. That's not what this chapter is about. It's literally about how he had a crush on a new boy at school. I don't know why he mentioned the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks and used it as a backdrop for him flirting with someone at school. The only thing the author says about the attacks is that everyone as his school was shocked the next day, (on Sept 12th) and that the day of there was chaos at his school. This was also an uncomfortable chapter because he just name drops September 11th, 2001 and it serves no purpose.

      ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Absolutely wonderdul. I cannot recommend it enough. it's one of the best books i've ever read, i'm so glad it exists, I'm so glad kids will have access to this story. Thank you to the author.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      This is a timely and a very important read! I highly recommend this book!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Truthfully this book deserves a 3.5, because it brings forward a perspective I wouldn't have gotten to hear about otherwise. But it absolutely DOESN'T deserve 4 stars. Not only is it clearly packaged to be consumable by white cis-het folks, watering down the queer experience to a point I almost lost the thread. There is also internalized transphobia in nearly every sentence of this book. I was so uncomfortable I could barely make it through, and had to put off listening to a chapter for two whole days before I was emotionally ready to process that level of transphobia. Overall I found this book to be deeply disappointing since I was looking for a deeper connection to my community. I had to force myself to finish it and I was relieved when it was over

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      an outstanding book
      simply no words to express how it made feel and how it educated me on diversity

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      I don’t feel right reviewing memoirs, especially not one like this—I am an entirely different person with entirely different life experiences. However, I will say that this is an unflinchingly honest book and I admire Johnson for putting everything out there. This is a great read for both Black Lives Matter and Pride. I would recommend this one.

      CW: racism, homophobia, transphobia, use of homophobic & racist slurs, violence, sexual assault involving a minor

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Feb 28, 2024

      A young adult novel that needs to be read by middle schoolers instead of being banned,,, kids need to read real stories like this so they can watch out for predators and not be afraid to speak and also encouraged to be themselves no matter what. This story is amazing with so many lessons. Great job MJ!!!!
    • 3/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      The book talked a lot about finding oneself and how every experience shapes us. It was a good book.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Brilliant, I am glad today teens get to read this book. I wish I had such an opportunity when I was a teen.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      This audiobook is perfect. This is such a powerful and necessary books.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Direct, honest, & real—every single word! A must read for ALL parents!
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Love love love! Thank you George and I can't wait to read your next book!
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      This is a MUST read. Seriously, if you don’t read anything else in 2021!
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      I already know this book will be timeless. George is an excellent and candid writer.
    • 4/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      A really interesting memoir about an amazing family. Great narration also.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      There's so much love in this book! The way George talks about his Nanny, and the letter to his brother, I'm mushy all over.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      With his voice so soothing, George gave me a really good look into his life , his family and love life. He touched on many things happening in society and taught me that truly "all boys aren't blue"
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Your truth was so transparent. Thank you for sharing the love.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      One of my new favorites. Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Inspiring. Authentic. It's all the feels in just the right amounts. Not just for young adults, although I wish this had been available when I was a young teen struggling with his sexuality. Highly recommended!
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      I felt like he was telling my story. so good <3
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      This truth is beautifully told!! It helped me hear some of the challenges the queer black community faces and better understand how staggering those disadvantages are. Although I am not black and don’t identify as gay, it has given me courage to define my own identity intentionally. I’m so glad this story was told!! I am privileged to have heard it.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Wonderful book about being queer and POC. Helped me a lot to understand and process the journey of being both things.
    • 3/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Emotions were real. I enjoy how author share the true emotions of human fears, needs, etc..
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Amazing. Impactful. Important. And very queer. Everyone should read this.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      Full of affirming humanity. I wish I'd had a book like this growing up.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      This book was amazing. It was light enough to be relatable, but deep enough to be real. 100% relatable
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      So so so beautiful, honest and important. I loved it.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      this was a beautiful story, and even better was that the author narrated ig themselves.
      5/5.
    • 5/5

      Sep 26, 2023

      I cried. Heartbreaking and beautifully told, All Boys Aren’t Blue really puts you in the author’s shoes