All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto

"All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto" is a critically acclaimed young adult non-fiction book written by George M. Johnson, a Black queer nonbinary journalist, author, and activist. Published in 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Books for Young Readers), it is structured as a series of personal essays that blend memoir with social commentary. Johnson uses the term "memoir-manifesto" to describe the work, which draws directly from their lived experiences growing up as a Black queer boy in Plainfield, New Jersey, and Petersburg, Virginia, during the 1980s and 1990s. The title challenges stereotypes of Black masculinity, emphasizing that not all boys fit the rigid "blue" mold of traditional boyhood. The book is written in an accessible, conversational style with a raw, unfiltered voice, making it resonate with teens and young adults while sparking broader conversations on identity.