Flamboyants by George M. Johnson: Review

I’ve been reading some great nonfiction this month, so I thought I’d keep the ball rolling with my review of Flamboyants. You can also check out my IG Post. Enjoy!

Title: Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known
Author: George M. Johnson
Illustrator: Charly Palmer
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Pub Date: 09/24/2024
Genre: Nonfiction
Edition: Bound Manuscript

Description

From the New York Times–bestselling author of All Boys Aren’t Blue comes an empowering set of essays about Black and Queer icons from the Harlem Renaissance.

In Flamboyants, George M. Johnson celebrates writers, performers, and activists from 1920s Black America whose sexualities have been obscured throughout history. Through 14 essays, Johnson reveals how American culture has been shaped by icons who are both Black and Queer – and whose stories deserve to be celebrated in their entirety.

Interspersed with personal narrative, powerful poetry, and illustrations by award-winning illustrator Charly Palmer, Flamboyants looks to the past for understanding as to how Black and Queer culture has defined the present and will continue to impact the future. With candid prose and an unflinching lens towards truth and hope, George M. Johnson brings young adult readers an inspiring collection of biographies that will encourage teens today to be unabashed in their layered identities.

Review

The title Flamboyants is genius. I didn’t know a lot about the important figures of the Harlem Renaissance before reading this book, but it made me eager to dive into some of the histories and work that I’ve been missing out on.
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This is a great introduction to the period for teens as it gives them an overview of who the figures were while also giving them the freedom to explore the figures’ works themselves with suggestions by Johnson of pieces/songs/etc that resonated with them.
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I’ve read Johnson’s two previous books, and this one contains the same amount of sincerity, humor, and wisdom. They don’t shy away from describing the reasons some of these talented individuals weren’t able to fully express themselves and their queerness. And I loved the way Johnson weaved their own story and opinions into the biographies.
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Palmer’s art is also absolutely stunning, and adds so much to the book. Would definitely recommend this book for teens and adults alike.
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*Thank you to Fierce Reads for sending me an early copy. All opinions are my own*

Author

George M. Johnson (they/them) is an Emmy nominated, award-winning, and bestselling Black nonbinary author and activist. They have written on race, gender, sex, and culture for Essence, the Advocate, BuzzFeed News, Teen Vogue, and more than forty other national publications. George has appeared on BuzzFeed’s AM2DM as well as on MSNBC. They are also a proud HBCU alum twice over and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Their debut memoir, All Boys Aren’t Blue, was a New York Times bestseller and garnered many accolades. It was the second-most banned book of 2022 in the United States, according to the American Library Association. For their work fighting book bans and challenges, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) honored George with its Free Speech Defender Award, and TIME Magazine named them one of the “100 Next Most Influential People in the World.” While writing their memoir, George used he/him pronouns. Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, they now live in Los Angeles, California.

Where to Buy

Bookshop | B&N | Amazon