11. All Boys Aren't Blue (Part 1: Why It's Banned)

We discuss ⁠All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson, which was the third-most-challenged book in 2021. First published in 2020, this memoir has received multiple starred reviews, was included on the American Library Association Rainbow List, and was adapted into a short film in 2021.

In this episode, we discuss why All Boys Aren't Blue has been banned. We also offer our assessment of its pros and cons. Please listen to our twelfth episode for a close reading of the book's characters, themes, and significance. 

Trigger Warning: we discuss the book's depiction of the sexual assault Johnson experienced when he was 13 and the history of sexual violence in young adult literature.

Some of the sources mentioned in this episode:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/all-boys-arent-blue-a-memoir-manifesto⁠

• ⁠https://www.npr.org/2022/10/25/1130433140/banned-books-all-boys-arent-blue-george-johnson-lgbtq-ya⁠

• ⁠https://www.theauburnavenue.com/george-m-johnson-interview⁠

• ⁠https://www.rainn.org/articles/sexual-assault⁠

• ⁠https://www.rainn.org/articles/sexual-assault-men-and-boys⁠

• ⁠https://ojs.latrobe.edu.au/ojs/index.php/tlg/article/view/545⁠

• ⁠https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1409&context=criterion⁠

• ⁠https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1175837.pdf⁠

• ⁠https://metoomvmt.org/get-to-know-us/history-inception/⁠

Thanks to Chris for our music and to Lizzie for our audio editing (for all of our episodes)! Please visit our website for a ⁠transcript⁠ of this episode.

If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠Patreon⁠. We appreciate your support!

Linktree: ⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠

Instagram: ⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠

Facebook: ⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠

Twitter: ⁠@RLibrarians⁠

Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians