The Black Flamingo (2019)-Dean Atta
This book is a good story that you’ve already heard
Content Warnings: homophobia, bullying,
Representation: Gay MC, Black MC, Mixed MC, drag queens, drag kings, bisexual, lesbian, trans minor character, gender nonconforming
Favorite Quote: “When it’s time to go onstage, know that you’re not ready but this is not about being ready, it’s not even about being fierce or fearless, it’s about being free.”
The Black Flamingo is a realistic YA fiction about a gay, mixed-race young boy growing up in England and coming into his identity. The book is written in a simple verse, making it a short, easy read. It’s written chronologically, following the protagonist Michael from early childhood into his college years, making the content matter of the book vary, but it is consistently YA.
The book opens with a familiar story of a young boy wishing for Barbies for his birthday and being gifted a toy “for boys” instead. The difference with this story is when Michael’s mom realizes he genuinely wanted a Barbie, she gets one for his next gift. Michael comes from a loving family in which his father is not present, but he is raised with his mom and younger sister.
He and his sister are each half Black, from different fathers, while their mom is White and from Greece. Michael struggles with his mixed identity, particularly as he is not raised by his Jamaican father so he feels disconnected from that side of his family, and on his mom’s side he lacks the language to communicate with her relatives in Greece.
The book also follows Michael’s crushes on boys growing up, and the bullying he faces for being opening gay as a young teenager. As he gets older he slowly finds more people who support him and he builds a community around him. Part of this community is a group of drag performers who take him under their wing to create his drag persona The Black Flamingo. He explains this persona to be a means of him being the version of himself he wants to be: completely free.
There are many points in the book that feel excessively on the nose and written to be easily consumable for a straight audience. It lacks in depth exploration of Michael’s experiences with his intersectional identities and tells a story that has been told time and time again. The minor exception to this is that it highlights the drag community, though in a fairly minor way. The poetry style also lacks the lyricism and vividness that reviews of this book would lead you to expect.