All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

 

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson is a memoir about LGBTQ+ activist George. They wanted to write this novel to be able to share their experience with others and to also uplift young LGBTQ+ teens, specifically those in the black community. I really wanted to like this memoir, especially because it is written for a younger audience and it gives teens the chance to connect with someone within their own community. While it does do that, I really feel like it’s all over the place. The anecdotes in the memoir don’t connect to each other, Johnson often changes themes and styles in the middle of chapters, and overall it just feels rather aimless. Also, and I don’t mean this to sound insensitive, but it seems like the author is trying to dramatize events that don’t really carry that much meaning. They would often write about the most mundane things and try to sound wise and insightful, instead often falling flat and not quite reaching the reader.

One of the main themes of All Boys Aren't Blue is that Johnson does not fit in with the gender binary. They spend the majority of the book discussing how they had more friends that were girls, they gravitated towards traditionally feminine things, and how it was difficult for them to relate to men. This is a major plot point, yet the last few chapters of the memoir is about how they find their masculinity and finally feel as if they fit in with men which confuses me, considering the rest of the book.

I did not connect with this memoir, I felt like it still needed some editing and proof-reading. I feel that I would have enjoyed it more if Johnson just told their life story without trying to sound so insightful as it often comes across as insincere. Personally, I would still recommend younger audiences reading this and trying to find their own voice. Art is subjective and just because I did not find inspiration in this, does not mean others won’t. Overall, I’d rate this a 2/5.