All Boys Aren't Blue

All Boys Aren't Blue received a starred review from Kirkus,[6] as well as positive reviews from School Library Journal,[7] Booklist,[8] and Publishers Weekly.[9]

Kirkus called the book "[a] critical, captivating, merciful mirror for growing up Black and queer today."[6]

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."[9] 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."[9]

The New York Times called it "[a]n exuberant, unapologetic memoir infused with a deep but clear-eyed love for its subjects."[2]

HuffPost wrote that it was "an unflinching testimony that carves out space for Black queer kids to be seen."[10]

Bitch Magazine said that "All Boys Aren't Blue is a game changer."[11]

Kirkus named All Boys Aren't Blue one of the best young adult biographies/memoirs of 2020.[12] The New York Public Library[13] and Chicago Public Library[14] 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 LGBTQIA+ content and profanity; it is also "considered to be sexually explicit."[20] 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,[20] and it was the second most challenged book in the 2022 list.[21][22] School boards in at least ten states have removed the book from their libraries.[4][23][24][25]

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.[26][23][27] 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.[23] The removal of the book prompted student protests.[23]

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.[28]

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,"[29] 42% of which “feature LBGTQ+ characters and or themes.”[30][31] 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"[32]
• The material "is patently offensive in the description or depiction of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, sadomasochistic abuse, or excretion"[32]
• The material, on the whole, "does not have serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value."[32]