Flamboyants

July 15, 2024
Johnson, author of the acclaimed memoirAll Boys Aren't Blue (2020), presents profiles of 12 notable queer Black people from the Harlem Renaissance. This work introduces readers to figures including Langston Hughes, Ma Rainey, Zora Neale Hurston, and Countee Cullen. Johnson laments growing up learning about "white heterosexual men" who were presented as "our saviors." They explain that "as a Black queer child, I had the right to know that Black queer people existed before me....They paved the road for me to walk on. Yet that road was hidden from me and so many others." This book shines a light on Black figures from "one of the queerest historical periods," honoring the legacies of these musicians, artists, and authors and offering their lives as representation for the present generation. Throughout the biographies, mostly about five pages in length, Johnson weaves their own personal narrative, drawing parallels between the historical figures and society today. These elements frequently contribute additional layers of depth and relatability, as, for example, with their description of the impact of Josephine Baker's internalized homophobia on her gay son and Claude McKay's rejection of elitism within Black nationalism. Johnson's own poems are interspersed throughout, further illustrating their passion for this history. Double-page spreads featuring Palmer's vibrantly colored portraits open each narrative, adding further life to the subjects. A sincere and beautifully illustrated ode to queer Black figures who shaped the Harlem Renaissance. (sources/recommended reading)(Nonfiction. 14-18)

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August 1, 2024
Grades 7-12 Punctuated with vibrant paintings and expressive poetry, Johnson (All Boys Aren't Blue, 2020) explores the queerness of Black Americans who have contributed to modern culture, while connecting how their actions and sacrifices impacted the author as a queer Black person. Johnson explains the shortcomings of how Black excellence is taught in our modern society, highlighting how the omitted details can allow modern people to connect to the stories of these figures. Johnson shows that it is essential to give Black queer people opportunities to see themselves in historical figures, especially those who have had essential details of their lives snuffed out by a conservative worldview. Figures mentioned include Langston Hughes, Josephine Baker, and Zora Neale Hurston, alongside several others; each of their stories is told with special attention to what has been historically erased or left out. Through divulging details about how queerness affected their lives, Johnson paints pictures of important people who should serve as a beacon to Black queer people, as they do to the author.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from September 23, 2024
Johnson (All Boys Aren’t Blue) combines incisive prose commentary, skewering verse, and revealing memoir in this collection of abridged biographies of Harlem Renaissance–era Black queer luminaries. In an inviting, conversational voice, the author chronicles the intersectional oppression often faced by these icons, whose present-day remembrances “often leaves out their queerness.” Countee Cullen, a poet and an early mentor to James Baldwin, “had to process questions about his sexuality while also being a leader in a heteronormative society.” Featured alongside Cullen are figures who found ways to publicly embrace their sexuality despite the potential for social or legal consequences, such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, who were purportedly very open regarding their relationships with women. Johnson expertly critiques the racism and homophobia experienced by the subjects outside the Black diaspora; he additionally dissects oppressions exerted within the community, as when reportedly bisexual entertainer Josephine Baker banished her son Jarry from her home upon discovering he was gay. Palmer (The Legend of Gravity) combines background textures resembling subway maps and skyscrapers with canvas portraiture to produce graphic and hyperrealistic imagery that harkens to the Harlem Renaissance while maintaining contemporary appeal. Ages 14–up.

Starred review from December 30, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Johnson's voice fills a void in teen literature, and his newest collection of essays about Black and queer folks from the 1920s unequivocally belongs on shelves across the country. A complement of art from Palmer and Johnson's text profiling these individuals speaks to erasure of their sexuality or their race in the culturally rich time of the Harlem Renaissance. Yet the book is more than a collection of biographies, because Johnson provides his perspective on who they were and how he sees himself through their lives. Deeply moving, the book rewrites history and biography, giving space to knowing the full lives of people, such as Josephine Baker and Zora Neale Hurston. Johnson's creative approach adds an alternative to traditional nonfiction for teen readers that blends commentary and research. This mash-up gives space to think about how people have affected history but also what made it into history books-and who was left out, and why. Contemplative and equally vibrant, each essay is unique, and as a whole, the book shines as an untold history of famous individuals. Read individually or separately in one sitting or spread out, the valuable perspective serves more purpose than just being shared in February and June. VERDICT There is no question, this must be purchased, read, and shared.-Alicia Abdul

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