Summary

The memoir begins with an Author’s Note outlining the subject matter and main characters - the author and his three brothers, as well as his grandmother called Nanny. The author also flags for the reader that there are “heavy messages” in the book including racist and homophobic words and how to address them when reading (vi). The author’s note ends with the line, “Many Black men were once Black boys, and this is our story of survival in a world that has rarely seen our beauty” (vii, author).

The introduction begins with a quote from Malcolm X, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman. - Malcolm X” (ix). Johnson starts by explaining as a Black and Queer...