In this second memoir, Johnson pays homage to his grandmother who played an integral role in his character and growth. Rather than focus on the traumas of growing up different, the author highlights the familial love and joy of his childhood. The devotion of black women to raising their young ones is at the center of this narrative, demonstrating their grit and strength. Akin to All Boys Aren’t Blue, he testifies on the power of acceptance and understanding when it comes to young people and their identities. Though it is a story about family and brotherhood, it also illustrates the reality of a black kid grappling with their gender identity.
It charts Johnson’s relationship with his brothers and cousins as they shield and show him love all through. Growing up as an effeminate boy he had to deal with the pressures of societal expectations and toxic masculinity. But in their household, it was all joy and love fostered by the matriarch who let them be themselves at all times. Moreover, the life lessons and wisdom that she taught and conveyed to the young boys, nurturing decent and moral individuals. The story is dedicated to all black mothers and matriarchs raising families by themselves due to unavoidable circumstances. While Johnston explores these sacrifices in a family, he showcases the vulnerable state they are in away from home. Most importantly, he addresses the nature of boyhood and brotherhood in a social climate that hardly favors black males.
This personal story aims to tell black queer teens that they are not alone in their journey of finding who they are. It is directed at families raising children in that it is significant to nurture the spirit rather than try to change the child. Publishers Weekly wrote, “Johnson’s memoir memorializes the legacy of their grandmother—and all of the Black grandmothers who have built the foundations necessary to ensure that their families would not only survive but flourish.”
