Banned Books Week: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

Every year leading up to Banned Books Week, I like to read at least one new to me book from the previous year’s top 10 banned books list. This year I chose number three on the 2021 top 10 list, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson because it caused quite a stir in my neck of the woods last school year. Parents in several school districts in my area called for it to be pulled from school library shelves based on a handful of sexually explicit passages that were taken entirely out of context. Back when the excerpts from the book were floating around, I too, was a little uncomfortable reading them (not enough to call for its ban though!), but after reading this book, it makes total sense why they were included. All Boys Aren’t Blue is a memoir of Johnson’s coming-of-age experience while being both Black and queer. Of course, there is sexual content in it! None of it is gratuitous. And oh my gosh, reading their story will be so helpful for all the other Black and queer folks out there who might feel alone and confused like they did growing up.

Honestly, I think most of these parent groups want all LGBTQ books out of school libraries, whether there is sexual content or not, and will use any excuse for why a particular LGBTQ book is not appropriate. Ironically, some of these people are parents to LGBTQ youth who are not out to their homophobic parents and could desperately need the books their parents are trying to ban.

I’ll have a full review of All Boys Aren’t Blue up later this week but spoiler alert….it gets five stars!