Thank you to Button Poetry and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available October 13th

I've been a long time fan of Javon Johnson after hearing his poetry on Button Poetry's Youtube channel, so I was really looking forward to reading "Ain't Never Not Been Black". And whew, what a wonderful collection. Johnson does not shy away from addressing Black pain, especially in the conversation he has with his nephew in the car. What grounds this collection, though, is Black love - the deep love Johnson has experienced from the women in his family, the deep love he shows for his community day in and day out, the deep love that has the ability to protect and repair the tattered holes in American society.

Javon Johnson is one of my favorite poets. I highly recommend listening to some of his spoken word poetry on Youtube, he is a powerful and wonderful performer.

Having just finished Ain't Never Not Been Back, I feel like I'm reeling. Such a powerful collection from a strong poetic voice. It's unlike most poetry I've read lately in that it majors in abject strength of tone as opposed to aiming for a romantic, slightly ambiguous poetic voice (I liked that it did this). This is not to say there aren't soft moments, because there absolutely were. Additionally, I don't come across many poetic collections by Black males in the modern age, and I was thrilled to see this work offered because I think that's an area of artistic representation we NEED. It was a great work, and one that inspired me to both think and act differently.

‘Ain’t Never Not Been Black’ is a profound and passionate collection of poetry. Javon Johnson’s poetry is personal and goes through his life experiences and observations as a black man in America, raised in South Central in Los Angeles where life and violence are precarious. His poems are captivating and, at times, gut-wrenching. I can feel his anxiety and fear of police and threat of other people. Despite the heaviness of daily life, he finds joy in small moments. Johnson deftly illustrates the sheer excitement of young love and tender moments bonding with family. Other poems describe tragedies faced by communities and the dark shadow incarceration leaves on so many families. I highly recommend this beautiful and compelling poetry collection.

Thank you Button Poetry and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Thanks to #Netgalley for making this book available to me.
To me 'poetry' is synonymous with 'truth', a poet relinquishes his or her truth to the lines they write. Javon Johnson has done a perfect job of capturing his truth, the life he has lived in a black body since he was young. the way he is perceived and in turn the way he assumes responsibility for various events that have occurred in his life.
I really enjoyed this collection and one that really stood out to me was "ON HEALTHY MASCULINITY"
when you are young, you are told to be strong and to be a man but you are never told how much is strong and how much a man really is. You are meant to figure this all out on your own as a child. assuming you figure it out and you create the balance within yourself, knowing that feminity is inherently in every 'Man', you are assumed to be a weak man. However, that too is not explained, what makes a weak man and how weak must a man be to be labeled 'a weak man'.

The exploration of life, race, and masculinity definitely puts this collection high on my list. I hope you check it out

Very very good. I loved this book, the poems are touching and I think I will remember some of them for a long time. I’ll buy this book for me and recommend it to friends.

AIN’T NEVER NOT BEEN BLACK is a smart and searingly beautiful collection of poetry that encompasses so much of what it means to be Black and live authentically in the US today. I’ve never read a book of poetry chronologically, but from the very first poem ‘Untitled, Or Fear of Giving this a Name,’ I felt both deeply understood and deeply moved by Johnson’s command of language and his powerful, gut-wrenching imagery. The complexities of Black life are explored so intricately that at any moment during the book I could cry, scream, cheer, clap my hands, laugh out loud, or any combination of all simultaneously.

Gripped me from the first page. This account of one man (and his immediate family's) black experience is to-the-point, powerful in its clarity and sparseness.

I normally rush through poetry books, but I found myself savoring this one. I wanted to feel, then to dissect the author's words. Peeking into this author's life felt like a privilege. Johnson deftly bridges the gap between art and advocacy.

This book broadened my perspective on the world in a way I am just now learning to accept. (Considering others' viewpoints shouldn't have to be a muscle you must exercise.) I felt Johnson's pain, anger, and was made keenly aware of his worldly observations. I would put this book on the level of performance art--it forces you to look at your own actions and biases to reevaluate how you see the world.

I would highly recommend this book of poetry to any of my family, friends, and acquaintances looking to expand their own viewpoints or those who happen to enjoy poetry.

Ain’t Never Not Been Black is a raw and emotional poetry collection detailing the experiences of racism on black bodies, particularly black men. Javon Johnson does not hold back and is direct with the pain he and others experienced. Reading this collection will have you flowing through a wide range of emotions - from laughter to rage. It’s heartbreaking. Johnson used intentional sentence structure and unfiltered language to truly express his sentiments. These writing choices can feel shocking and jarring, but it added to the beauty of his poetry and to the depth of his words. It is a must read for those who love poetry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing me with a digital copy in advance for an honest review.

WOW this was powerfull.

I've been sick of poetry books for a while, because I never found one that didn't have cliché phrases like "you're worth it", "everything will get better", "burn those who are bad for you" etc. etc.

And then I discovered this book ........

Certainly one of the best I've read. It made me think of several things about today's society and privileges and the struggle of the black population.

The highlight of the book is the poem "A Lesson in Proper Sentence Construction", written in a genius way.

Poetry is nearly impossible for me to review. This collection of poetry is real and heart wrenching. The author speaks of his own experiences and there is a lot of insight in what it means to be a Black man in the world. It is definitely vital to read this for those who are interested in Black voices and poetry.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for sending me an arc!

Opposite of the author, I "aint" never been black. I was intrigued by and drawn to the book by the title. "Ain't Never Not Been Black" is not how I speak. It took me a couple of glances to read it correctly in my mind. I didn't know what to expect to find on the pages inside

I was gripped by the truth and the art written in these pages. I read each poem once, twice, and then again to my husband or my child to discuss the real life implications of his words. I am a better for recognizing the truth in these pages. There are a couple poems that I can relate to, strongly, but most serve as an open door to a life I knew about, but have not stepped into.

Black Culture for most is limited - having been received through 90s rap music, music videos, images of Black worship services - a little Kirk Franklin, clothing styles and flat billed ball caps. But, this is not Black Culture. It is not the streets of Oakland, like described in one poem. Or the corner store. Or mom's cooking. Or the gathering of uncles, aunties, nieces and nephews. It is not the message "5-0, we gotta hide" told to you by your 5 year old nephew. It is not the danger of walking the streets in the middle of the day.

"Wishing Well" was a poem that hit me hard. Cut straight to the depth of a mom's heart, but deeper when considered from this other perspective.

Thanks to the author and to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The best way to understand me is
to have my mother's cooking,
too much spice for most people
to stomach, but I like it that way."

"Not too famous though.
Don't want to be a hashtag.
No twitter coffins."

Wow. Javon’s writing is immaculate, smooth, ever shifting. The flow from one poem to the other is like a melody, his words are the song. The poems show his love for his mother, his niece, for Blackness, its joy and its pain. .

Ain't Never Not Been Black was a relevant and moving poetry collection offered up from Johnson to readers as a raw, emotional, direct, and own-voice experience of Black life, identity, and the deep-rooted impact of racism in America on Black bodies. This collection of poems was insightful and read like a memory skipping memoir of events and experiences that begged to be shared with the world and are likely, not isolated. I appreciated how Johnson did not shy away from difficult or sensitive subjects, ultimately this leads to a more profound and deeply felt reading experience.

I find it difficult as a white woman with privilege to review this work, to not center myself in how this collection made me feel. I believe these were stories, experiences, and words I needed to hear and will be with me as I continue to learn and unpack biases, structural and systemic privilege and work towards being firmly anti-racist.

I want to thank Javon Johnson for offering up his experiences, words, emotions, and bearing to us the reader so we may grow and understand beyond our lense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing me with a digital copy in advance for an honest review.

This was a very insightful read. It was very short and easy to get through, but at the same it's very educational. I think this is an important book that a lot of people should read to have an insight and the lives of POC. This book teaches a lot about racism, and I think that's very important.
There are some short poems, but also longer 'essays' but I think there's a nice interplay between them.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of poetry was so incredible and through provoking. I was sat thinking about it for hours after i’ve finished it. “Ain’t Never Not Been Black” is a collection of poetry following the themes of race. The fear a mother’s has when their child leaves the house for the day afraid of what will happpen to them. A comparison of gentrification, Malcom X and a conversion with his daughter, an uncle and a nephew in a car and a mother reflecting on two boys paths and how they could have been very different.

Cuz he’s black was the poem I enjoyed the most it really hit me the innocents we have as children a young boy unaware of the struggles he will come to race when he is older.
this was thought provoking and a fantastic set of poems to get a conversation going especially with everything going on at the moment. 5/5 recommend everyone to read.

I found Javon Johnson’s, “Ain’t Never Not Been Black” to be a riveting, impactful, relevant, and engaging collection of poetry that resonated with me on so many levels. Given the current social and political climate in this country so many of the poems heavily hit home. It was as much a collection about the Black experience in America as it was an ode and a call for social justice and peace. He was not by any means shy to talk about the sensitive subjects and that is ultimately why I was so engaged with every piece.

Instantly I was intrigued by the title and the cover art as this is my first book read by this author. I definitely recommend this to those who enjoy modern poetry and those who are interested in social justice and change. I am looking forward to reading other works by the author.

Thank you for providing this digital copy in advance for an honest review!

“You cannot kill Blackness; too much of it is wrapped in unshakable joy.”

It sounds cliche to say I don’t have the words but I honestly don’t have the words. Every poem in this book is breathtaking. Every sentence, every word intentional and bursting with meaning. I’m in awe. I feel incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to read this.

I have already pre-ordered it and encourage everyone to do the same.

Even though this collection was rather short, it was such a moving and powerful poetry collection. The author speaks of personal experiences regarding racism and black-identity. It was an educational and insightful read for me and I certainly believe more people should read it too. It won't take up much of your time but what you take away from it is very valuable. Important topics like this can't be discussed enough in my opinion. Not until we can say that racism is not present in the world anymore. I only gave this collection 4 stars instead of 5 because I sometimes felt like I wasn't actually reading poetry but more like a text with a unique format.