All Boys Aren't Blue

The book discusses consent, agency, and sexual abuse, alongside various other topics. It also describes two sexual encounters and statutory rape.{{Cite web|last=McDougle|first=Jonathan|date=18 November 2021|title=George M. Johnson isn't surprised their book is being banned: "America has always had an issue with anything that tells the truth"|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/book-bans-george-m-johnson/|website=CBS News|access-date=6 December 2021|archive-date=7 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207103646/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/book-bans-george-m-johnson/|url-status=live}}

Johnson was motivated to write All Boys Aren't Blue by Toni Morrison's maxim "If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it," which Johnson has tattooed on their right arm.{{Cite web |last=Mayer |first=Petra |date=May 2, 2020 |title='Give Them The Damn Information': Questions For George M. Johnson |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/05/02/848764750/give-them-the-damn-information-questions-for-george-m-johnson |website=NPR |access-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206203400/https://www.npr.org/2020/05/02/848764750/give-them-the-damn-information-questions-for-george-m-johnson |url-status=live }}

The "blue" in the title carries several meanings, being a color traditionally identified with masculinity and the color of police officers, who have disproportionately invoked violence against queer Black people. The title also pays homage to the character Blue from Queen Sugar, as well as the appearance of Black skin in Moonlight and the play it is based upon, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.

All Boys Aren't Blue received a starred review from Kirkus,{{Cite web|date=2020-01-23|title=All Boys Aren't Blue|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/george-m-johnson/all-boys-arent-blue/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-11|website=Kirkus Reviews|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123114034/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/george-m-johnson/all-boys-arent-blue/ |archive-date=2020-01-23 }} as well as positive reviews from School Library Journal,{{Cite book|title=All Boys Aren't Blue|url=https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S126C2238958|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-11|via=Chicago Public Library|isbn=9780374312718 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112053136/https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S126C2238958 |archive-date=2022-01-12 |last1=Johnson |first1=George M. |date=28 April 2020 |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) }} Booklist,{{Cite book|date=2020-03-01|title=All Boys Aren't Blue|url=https://www.booklistonline.com/All-Boys-Aren-t-Blue/pid=9730673|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924185806/https://www.booklistonline.com/All-Boys-Aren-t-Blue/pid=9730673 |archive-date=2020-09-24 }} and Publishers Weekly.{{Cite web|title=Children's Book Review: All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-37431-271-8|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-37431-271-8|website=Publishers Weekly|access-date=2021-12-06|archive-date=2021-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201858/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-37431-271-8|url-status=live}}

Kirkus called the book "[a] critical, captivating, merciful mirror for growing up Black and queer today."

Publishers Weekly noted, "Though at first glance the book lacks the synthesizing call to action that "manifesto" would imply, its "be yourself" message remains a radical stance for doubly marginalized individuals." They continued to say, “In a publishing landscape in need of queer black voices, readers who are sorting through similar concepts will be grateful to join him on the journey,” and called it "a balm and testimony to young readers as allies in the fight for equality."

The New York Times called it "[a]n exuberant, unapologetic memoir infused with a deep but clear-eyed love for its subjects."

HuffPost wrote that it was "an unflinching testimony that carves out space for Black queer kids to be seen."{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/george-m-johnson-book-all-the-boys-arent-blue_n_5ea70d5cc5b6a30004e62a79|title=George M. Johnson's New Memoir Reminds Us That 'All Boys Aren't Blue'|date=April 28, 2020|website=HuffPost|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201858/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/george-m-johnson-book-all-the-boys-arent-blue_n_5ea70d5cc5b6a30004e62a79|url-status=live}}

Bitch Magazine said that "All Boys Aren't Blue is a game changer."{{Cite web |last=Dionne |first=Evette |date=January 3, 2020 |title=17 Memoirs Feminists Should Read in 2020 |url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/bitchreads/most-anticipated-memoirs-2020 |website=Bitch Media |access-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201908/https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/bitchreads/most-anticipated-memoirs-2020 |url-status=live }}

Kirkus named All Boys Aren't Blue one of the best young adult biographies/memoirs of 2020.{{Cite web|title=Best YA Biography and Memoir of 2020|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-lists/best-ya-biography-and-memoir-of-2020/|access-date=2021-12-06|website=Kirkus Reviews|language=en|archive-date=2021-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206220309/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-lists/best-ya-biography-and-memoir-of-2020/|url-status=live}} The New York Public Library{{Cite web|last=Pullen|first=Emily|date=November 24, 2020|title=Introducing NYPL's Best Books of 2020|url=https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/11/24/introducing-nypls-best-books-2020|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-06|website=The New York Public Library|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124141136/https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/11/24/introducing-nypls-best-books-2020 |archive-date=2020-11-24 }} and Chicago Public Library{{Cite web|title=Best Teen Nonfiction of 2020|url=https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/list/share/200121216/1769527119|access-date=2022-01-12|website=Chicago Public Library|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-01-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112054903/https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/list/share/200121216/1769527119|url-status=live}} also included it in their list of the top ten books of 2020 for young adults.

All Boys Aren't Blue has frequently been censored because it includes explicit sexual content and profanity.{{Cite web |last= |date=2013-03-26 |title=Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists |url=https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=American Library Association |language=en |archive-date=2017-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728055307/http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 |url-status=live }} In 2021, the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom named it the third most banned and challenged book in the United States of the year; it was the second most challenged book in 2022{{Cite news |last=Pendharkar |first=Eesha |date=2023-04-24 |title=These Were the Most Banned Books in 2022 |url=https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/these-were-the-most-banned-books-in-2022/2023/04 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424121813/https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/these-were-the-most-banned-books-in-2022/2023/04 |archive-date=2023-04-24 |access-date=2023-04-24 |work=Education Week |language=en |issn=0277-4232}}{{Cite web |last=Albanese |first=Andrew |date=2023-04-24 |title=ALA Releases Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022 |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/92111-ala-releases-top-10-most-challenged-books-of-2022.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425102915/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/92111-ala-releases-top-10-most-challenged-books-of-2022.html |archive-date=2023-04-25 |access-date=2023-05-01 |website=Publishers Weekly |language=en}} and 2023.{{Cite web |last= |date=2023-04-21 |title=Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2023 |url=https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=American Library Association |language=en |archive-date=2017-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728055307/http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Schaub |first=Michael |date=2024-04-08 |title=ALA Reveals Most Challenged Books of 2023 |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/ala-reveals-most-challenged-books-of-2023/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en |archive-date=2024-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408165555/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/ala-reveals-most-challenged-books-of-2023/ |url-status=live }} It was the most challenged book of 2024.{{Cite web |last=Limbong |first=Andrew |date=2025-04-07 |title='All Boys Aren't Blue' tops the ALA's list of most challenged books |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/04/07/nx-s1-5354808/banned-books-library-most-challenged |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=NPR |language=en }} School boards in at least ten states have removed the book from their libraries.{{Cite web|last=Garrison|first=Mark|date=December 5, 2021|title=Conservatives Target Queer, Black Memoir, 'All Boys Aren't Blue'|url=https://www.starobserver.com.au/news/all-boys-arent-blue/207606|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201900/https://www.starobserver.com.au/news/all-boys-arent-blue/207606|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Cooper|first=Alex|date=November 9, 2021|title=Conservatives Fight to Ban This Black, Queer Memoir State-By-State|url=https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/2021/11/08/all-boys-arent-blue-george-johnson-ban-school-removed|website=www.advocate.com|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201858/https://www.advocate.com/exclusives/2021/11/08/all-boys-arent-blue-george-johnson-ban-school-removed|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Perez|first=Suzanne|date=2021-11-09|title=Goddard school district orders 29 books removed from circulation|url=https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-09/goddard-school-district-orders-29-books-removed-from-circulation|access-date=2022-01-25|website=KMUW|language=en|archive-date=2021-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112022924/https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-09/goddard-school-district-orders-29-books-removed-from-circulation|url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Advani |first=Reena |date=2022-10-25 |title=Banned Books: Author George M. Johnson on the need to tell all people's stories |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/10/25/1130433140/banned-books-all-boys-arent-blue-george-johnson-lgbtq-ya |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=NPR}}

In 2021, Flagler County School Board member and retired teacher Jill Woolbright filed a criminal complaint against the Superintendent for carrying the book, objecting to mentions of masturbation and oral sex.{{Cite web|last=Woronoff|first=Brent|date=November 10, 2021|title=School Board member Jill Woolbright turns to Sheriff's Office over 'obscene' book at schools | Palm Coast|url=https://www.palmcoastobserver.com/article/school-board-member-jill-woolbright-turns-to-sheriffs-office-over-obscene-book-at-schools|website=Palm Coast Observer|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201908/https://www.palmcoastobserver.com/article/school-board-member-jill-woolbright-turns-to-sheriffs-office-over-obscene-book-at-schools|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Gollon|first=Chris|date=November 15, 2021|title=A Full Breakdown of Jill Woolbright's Efforts to Remove 'All Boys Aren't Blue' from School Libraries|url=https://askflagler.com/a-full-breakdown-of-jill-woolbrights-efforts-to-remove-all-boys-arent-blue-from-school-libraries/|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201900/https://askflagler.com/a-full-breakdown-of-jill-woolbrights-efforts-to-remove-all-boys-arent-blue-from-school-libraries/|url-status=live}} The Flagler County Sheriff's Office found that the content of the book was not a violation of law and did not warrant further investigation. The removal of the book prompted student protests.

In 2021, the Wentzville School Board in Missouri banned All Boys Aren't Blue, alongside three other books, from the district's high school libraries. Other books included in the ban were Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Kiese Laymon’s Heavy: An American Memoir, and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home.{{Cite web|last=Schaub|first=Michael|date=2022-01-25|title=Missouri School District Bans Toni Morrison Book|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/missouri-school-district-bans-toni-morrison-book/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=Kirkus Reviews|language=en|archive-date=2022-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125183134/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/missouri-school-district-bans-toni-morrison-book/|url-status=live}}

In 2022, All Boys Aren't Blue was listed among 52 books banned by the Alpine School District following the implementation of Utah law H.B. 374, “Sensitive Materials In Schools,"{{Cite web |date=2022-08-01 |title=Ban on 52 Books in Largest Utah School District is a Worrisome Escalation of Censorship |url=https://pen.org/press-release/ban-on-52-books-in-largest-utah-school-district-is-a-worrisome-escalation-of-censorship/ |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=PEN America |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805150751/https://pen.org/press-release/ban-on-52-books-in-largest-utah-school-district-is-a-worrisome-escalation-of-censorship/ |url-status=live }} 42% of which “feature LBGTQ+ characters and or themes.”{{Cite web |title=School District Removes 52 Books From Libraries |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/school-district-removes-52-books-from-libraries/ |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805150751/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/school-district-removes-52-books-from-libraries/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2022-08-01 |title=Ban on 52 Books in Largest Utah School District is a Worrisome Escalation of Censorship |url=https://pen.org/press-release/ban-on-52-books-in-largest-utah-school-district-is-a-worrisome-escalation-of-censorship/ |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=PEN America |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805150751/https://pen.org/press-release/ban-on-52-books-in-largest-utah-school-district-is-a-worrisome-escalation-of-censorship/ |url-status=live }} Many of the books were removed because they were considered to contain pornographic material according to the new law, which defines pornography using the following criteria:

• "The average person" would find that the material, on the whole, "appeals to prurient interest in sex"{{Cite web |last=Mullahy |first=Brian |date=2022-07-28 |title=Alpine School District pulls dozens of books from school library shelves |url=https://kutv.com/news/crisis-in-the-classroom/alpine-school-district-pulls-dozens-sensitive-materials-books-from-school-library-shelves-utah-state-legislature |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=KUTV |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805082032/https://kutv.com/news/crisis-in-the-classroom/alpine-school-district-pulls-dozens-sensitive-materials-books-from-school-library-shelves-utah-state-legislature |url-status=live }}
• The material "is patently offensive in the description or depiction of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, sadomasochistic abuse, or excretion"
• The material, on the whole, "does not have serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value."

All Boys Aren't Blue was adapted into a short film in 2021. The film was directed by Nathan Hale Williams and stars Dyllón Burnside.{{Cite web |last=Gardner |first=Chris |date=2021-01-28 |title=George M. Johnson Sets Filmed Reading of 'All Boys Aren't Blue' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/george-m-johnson-sets-filmed-reading-of-all-boys-arent-blue-4123871/ |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107002052/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/george-m-johnson-sets-filmed-reading-of-all-boys-arent-blue-4123871/ |url-status=live }}

All Boys Aren't Blue was optioned to be developed as a TV series by actress Gabrielle Union.{{Cite web|last1=Petski|first1=Denise|date=June 10, 2020|title=Gabrielle Union Options 'All Boys Aren't Blue' Memoir For Series Development With Sony TV|url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/gabrielle-union-options-all-boys-arent-blue-memoir-tv-series-development-1202955815/|access-date=December 6, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206201858/https://deadline.com/2020/06/gabrielle-union-options-all-boys-arent-blue-memoir-tv-series-development-1202955815/|url-status=live}}

== References ==

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.bklynlibrary.org/books-unbanned Unbanned Books, Brooklyn Public Library]

{{DEFAULTSORT:All Boys Aren't Blue}}

Category:2020 books

Category:2020 LGBTQ-related literary works

Category:American anthologies

Category:LGBTQ and multiculturalism

Category:LGBTQ literature in the United States

Category:LGBTQ young adult literature

Category:Race and society

Category:Young adult non-fiction books

Category:Censored books

Category:Farrar, Straus and Giroux books

Category:LGBTQ autobiographies

Category:Obscenity controversies in literature

Category:LGBTQ-related controversies in literature

Category:Censorship of LGBTQ issues