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George M. Johnson (writer)

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George Matthew Johnson (born 1985),[1] more commonly known as George M. Johnson, is an American author, journalist, and activist. A queer African American, they are best known as the author of the memoir-manifesto All Boys Aren't Blue (2020).

George M. Johnson
BornGeorge Matthew Johnson
1985 (age 38–39)
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
EducationVirginia Union University (BA) Bowie State University (MD)
Notable worksAll Boys Aren't Blue
Website
www.iamgmjohnson.com
For other uses, see George M. Johnson.

Early life and education

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Johnson spent their early childhood in New Jersey and later, Virginia.[1] They described their family as loving and affirming of Johnson prior to them officially coming out at age 25.[2][3] Johnson attended the HBCU Virginia Union University, where they became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.[4][5] They attended graduate school at Bowie State University.[6]

Career

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Johnson's writing has appeared in Teen Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, NBC, The Root, BuzzFeed, Essence, Ebony, them, and TheGrio.[4]

They gained wider prominence for their memoir-manifesto All Boys Aren't Blue (2020).[2] The book is a collection of coming-of-age essays describing Johnson's memories of growing up with particular focus on their Black, queer identity. The essays center pivotal experiences, including affirming relationships with family members, their understanding of masculinity, sexual encounters, and experiences of sexual abuse.[1] The book was selected for YALSA's Teens' Top 10 and the ALA Rainbow Book List, and received a starred review from Kirkus.[7] The Root included Johnson on their list "100 Most Influential African Americans in 2020."[8]

As of November 2021, All Boys Aren't Blue was one of the most frequent targets of book bans and challenges amid an "unprecedented" period of book banning according to ALA.[9] It was removed from libraries in eight states due to claims of "sexual obscenity" for its descriptions of queer sex and masturbation.[9] In response to the claims, Johnson stressed the sexual education value of the book and context for those descriptions, saying in a Time interview, "I am using my story to teach kids about the mistakes that I made the first time that I was having sex, so they don’t make those same mistakes. I am teaching kids about not feeling guilty when sexual abuse happens, and how to recognize sexual abuse...And how to fight back against those traumas that you can hold on to for so very long. So they’re leaving very, very important context out, intentionally of course, to try and say my book is pornographic."[9]

In 2021, they released a second memoir, We Are Not Broken, focused on Black boyhood and their grandmother, Nanny.[10] The book was named a secondary honoree for the Carter G. Woodson Book Award.[11]

Personal life

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Johnson is queer and non-binary.[4][5]

Works

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  • The (________) They Don't Teach You About College (2016)
  • All Boys Aren't Blue (2020)[12]
  • We Are Not Broken (2021)[13][14]
  • Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood (contributor) (2021)
  • Property of No State (2022)[15]
  • Stonewall, illustrated by Theo Lorenz (2022)[16]
  • Five Second Violation (2023)[15]
  • Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known (2024)[17]

Awards and honors

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Year Work Award Result Ref.
2019 “When Racism Anchors your Health" in Vice National Association of Black Journalists' Salute to Excellence Award Winner [18]
All Boys Aren't Blue Outstanding Books for the College Bound: Literature and Language Arts Selection [19]
2020 Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography Nominee [20]
2021 ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 [21]
YALSA's Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Selection [22]
YALSA's Teens' Top 10 Selection [23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Mayer, Petra (2020-05-02). "'Give Them The Damn Information': Questions For George M. Johnson". NPR. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  2. ^ a b "George M Johnson: 'Queer characters tend to die at the end of books'". the Guardian. 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  3. ^ Legal, Lambda. "George M. Johnson on Why Book Banning Erases Black Queer Lives". Lambda Legal. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  4. ^ a b c "GMJ Media Kit". GMJ. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  5. ^ a b Johnson, George M. (2020). All boys aren't blue : a memoir-manifesto (First ed.). New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-31271-8. OCLC 1098231312.
  6. ^ Glover, Sarah (15 July 2020). "George M Johnson on National Unrest: 'That Point of No Return'". NECN. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  7. ^ ALL BOYS AREN'T BLUE | Kirkus Reviews.
  8. ^ "The Root 100 - The Most Influential African Americans In 2020". The Root. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  9. ^ a b c Carlisle, Madeleine. "'I Was Writing the Book I Wish I Got To Have When I Was a Youth'". Time. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  10. ^ "Meet the writers on OUT's list of the most influential LGBTQ+ people of 2021". Literary Hub. 2021-11-01. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  11. ^ "Carter G Woodson". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  12. ^ McDougle, Jonathan (November 18, 2021). "George M. Johnson isn't surprised their book is being banned: "America has always had an issue with anything that tells the truth"". CNS News. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Children's Book Review: We Are Not Broken by George M. Johnson. Little, Brown, $17.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-7595-5460-3". Publishers Weekly. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  14. ^ "We Are Not Broken". School Library Journal. September 1, 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  15. ^ a b Caplan, Walker (2021-11-01). "Meet the writers on OUT's list of the most influential LGBTQ+ people of 2021". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  16. ^ Destito, Deanna (2019-08-23). "George M. Johnson to pen STONEWALL graphic novel for Tu Books". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  17. ^ https://www.queerty.com/george-m-johnsons-flamboyants-uncovers-the-heroes-of-black-queer-history-20240924
  18. ^ devano (2019-09-21). "Celebrating Excellence: The Winners of NABJ's Salute to Excellence & Their Work". National Association of Black Journalists. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  19. ^ "2019 OBCB Literature and Language Arts". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  20. ^ "All Boys Aren't Blue". Goodreads. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  21. ^ "The 2021 Rainbow Book List". Rainbow Book List. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  22. ^ "2021 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  23. ^ Serbekian, Michael (2021-11-04). "2021 YALSA Teens' Top Ten titles announced". American Library Association News and Press Center. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
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