I Am Anaya Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

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.)—Goodreads

 

    All Boys Aren’t Blue   by George M Johnson

                                                                   A Memoir-Manifesto Y/A

                                                               A New York Times Bestseller!

 

Banned Book Club VI

Conservatives’ banning’s apropos of nothing
At twelve when he delt with this
shouldn't have to jump through hoops
should’ve been able to explore when a teen
But because of many conservative groups
The Ire excessive was the coming of age
Juvenile mistakes made in adult years
Denied the ability to pick up social skills
Sexual assault and sexual awaking
considered pornographic
Q**r’s  often live a second adolescents
This is a guide for the coming of age allies
States have taken off the shelves
Intersectional as his  life
Chapters are a collection, four acts 
referred to as “parts” in this guide
self-contained essay’s
The memoir progresses through Johnson’s life 
Two letters appear alongside 
the chapters for mother and brother
Conditioned to think what’s the truth
Indoctrinated in us
Stop crying,  racialized   
School bullies
The flee market incident
Institutionalized violence
Family structure marginalized  
Community –college fraternity
And black joy
Tells the truth 
A black and q***r boy’s experience
Gender identity
Toxic masculinity
Brotherhood

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Robert Gorelick March 17, 2025 at 11:40 AM Stay vigilant and keep prosecuting your battle against those with the gall to stifle free expression here in the USA. Those rights were hard fought and won with great effort. Ban closed minds--open controversial books. Fight the good fight! I Am Anaya March 18, 2025 at 2:19 PM Lest they're ripped from future generations, such a heart-wrenching thing that this nightmare regime and his followers have in store, for they don't know not what they do. Ty! Robert

Duke Beaufort March 17, 2025 at 6:38 AM Anaya, your poem and narrative describe the pain and toughness someone experiences for being different. It makes me think about how crushing society can be for people not in the mainstream. Our treatment and respect for people not like us really defines who we are. A book like this presents an insight into the human nature of those who lack compassion and tolerance. This is a book a good leader might suggest everyone read and study. I Am Anaya March 18, 2025 at 2:15 PM It has 4 Essays and is a memoir of the author's experiences as a black boy and queer, I think it's OK to use queer, he does. He stresses to us how his book can be helpful to those who relate as young as the age of 12 like him as a guide. Um it was a no brainer to post his book this weekend due to all the commotion of late on this very subject. Ty for your input Duke, take care.