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Rock Banned Book Club: "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson

Co-presented with the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights

PGCMLS and PGCOHR host a monthly book club to explore the top 10 challenged books of 2022. This month's discussion features "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson.

About "All Boys Aren't Blue"

In a series of personal essays, a prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. 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. All Boys Aren't Blue is his debut. (Source: iamgmjohnson.com)

About George M. Johnson

George M Johnson is an Award-Winning Black Non-Binary Writer, Author, and Executive Producer located in the LA area. They are the author of the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Young Adult memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue discussing their adolescence growing up as a young Black Queer boy in New Jersey through a series of powerful essays. The book was optioned for Television by Gabrielle Union. As a former journalist, George has written for major outlets including Teen Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, NBC, and Buzzfeed. In 2019 was awarded the Salute to Excellence Award by the National Association of Black Journalists for their article “When Racism Anchors your Health” in Vice Magazine. George was listed on The Root 100 Most Influential African Americans in 2020. The Out 100 Most Influential LGBTQ People in 2021. And in 2022 was honored as one of the TIME100 Next Most Influential People in the World. Their second memoir WE ARE NOT BROKEN was released in September of 2021. It received the Carter G. Woodson Award which recognizes books that “accurately and sensitively depict the experience of one or more historically marginalized racial/ethnic groups in the United States”. The book also received the Nonfiction Honor Book in the YA category from the International Literacy Association. In 2021 they wrote and Executive Produced the Dramatic Reading of All Boys Aren’t Blue starring Jenifer Lewis and Dyllon Burnside which received a 2022 Special Recognition Award from GLAAD. George is also a proud HBCU alum twice over, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. (Source: iamgmjohnson.com)

NOTE: The author will not be present at this event.

September 13, 2023 - "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson
October 11, 2023 - "Lawn Boy" by Jonathan Evison"
November 8, 2023 - "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie (Accokeek Library)
December 13, 2023 - "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins
January 10, 2024 - "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Perez
February 14, 2024 - "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison (Spauldings Library)
March 13, 2024 - "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas
April 10, 2024 - "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews
May 8, 2024 - "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
June 12, 2024 - "This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson