This was a very educational essay that was fun to listen to and designed to get the reader thinking.

Johnson talks about the Harlem Rennaissance and the queer black people who made it happen. He mentions that this period of history was rarely talked about in public schools, and then only for a day or two during Balck History Month, and certainly with no mention of queer people. However, these brave pioneers have meant a lot to a lot of people, including Johnson. He shares their stories with us and encourages his listeners to do their own research, into the Harlem Rennaissance, other queer identities, or whatever else makes them feel inspired.

✨ Review ✨ Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known written and narrated by George M. Johnson

Thanks to MacMillan Audio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Johnson is back again and this time with a reflection on the Harlem Renaissance through a queer lens. Johnson asserts that queerness was not only visible in the black scene at this time but essential to the lives and thinking of many of the greats including Zora Neale Hurston, Josephine Baker, and Langston Hughes, and many people you might not have heard of before. Through these fourteen essays, Johnson mixes his own experiences with the writing and art of these black queer greats, asserting the importance of representation and intersectional thinking. This was truly a joy to listen to!

🎧 Honestly I'd listen to George M. Johnson read me grocery lists. He knocked this out of the park. Absolutely incredible!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA nonfiction, essays
Length: about 2.5 hours
Reminds me of: All Boys Aren't Blue meets Gay New York
Pub Date: Sept 24, 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ Queer + Black non-fiction
⭕️ YA writing (adults can still get a lot from this too!)
⭕️ The Harlem Renaissance

Thank you to NetGalley; Macmillan Audio; Macmillan Young Listeners; Farrar, Strauss and Giroux; Charly Palmer (illustrator), and George M. Johnson for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Flamboyants in exchange for an honest review.

Flamboyants is a nonfiction about queer black people from the Harlem Renaissance. It highlights some iconic names discussed in history or English class, but does that mean they touched upon any of the queer aspects, especially in a high school class? No, probably not.

The audiobook is spectacular and is narrated by author George M. Johnson. It also adds some jazz and blues flare that you don't get in the physical book. An order of the audiobook should also provide a PDF. This is one of those books that would be better as the print version, as each portion has a lovely painted illustration by the phenomenal Charly Palmer (as the cover example).

This collection provides essays about key Harlem Renaissance artists (writers, singers, painters, etc.) who were queer. A couple people to note that one may recognize are Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Zora Neale Hurston, to name a fraction. Johnson offers some inspired poetry that provides and eloquent beat as transitions between the essays. The essays are thorough and explore evidence of the queen lives that these people had, but were unable to "come out" because of the time period, as well as already being a minority based on skin color or gender.

One of the aspects of this novel that sticks with me the most is Johnson, who gives credit to who coined the term of "inviting in" instead of "coming out." This idea really resonated with me in the regard that I have many LGBTQ friends and students, and if they choose to share with me, I am then "invited in" to that part of themselves that not everybody gets to know. It's special and a term that needs to be used moving forward.

Johnson has shared a masterpiece of poetry and essays to share the histories and experiences of queer blacks from the Harlem Renaissance. This is a great book for the classroom and to even integrate information into lessons (depending on where you teach of course). This is a great book to make a gift of for GSA's for Black History Month too. This year we painted any queer black people we admired. Next year, I know I'll be painting George M. Johnson and buying a copy of this book for every student in the group.

It feels insufficient to call this merely a book. Combine the audiobook and the actual physical book (which I got from my library), and it becomes an experience of awe and inspiration.

Acclaimed author George M. Johnson (All Boys Aren't Blue) wrote this collection to educate young adults (and adults like me!) about Black queer artists from the Harlem Renaissance. In the intro, he discusses how these artists have been doubly ignored because of their identities and race and how he wants to shine a light on them since they've been ignored by traditional curricula.

Short-and-sweet, each chapter highlights a different person, from Josephine Baker to Langston Hughes to Aliane Locke to Zora Neale Hurston. Paired with Charly Parker's stunning images, the actual physical book is informative, enlightening, and visually stunning. If you listen to the audio, it's an extra treat. George reads it himself and brings passion and verve to the narration.

I really liked this book! George doesn't hold back when it comes to calling out history and society for muting the talent and achievements of these people. He also takes care to discuss the nuance of how even some of these "flamboyants" weren't accepting of certain genders or race (Josphine Baker, although bisexual, treated her gay son differently than the rest of her children).

I think this would make a great addition to any high school history class to offer a often overlooked group of talented, inspiring artists.

This book was so delightful and educational! George M. Johnson's narrations and passion into his writing make this audiobook one that is impossible to put down. I learned so much through this book and cannot wait to add the physical copy to my home library and read over and over again.

The narrative on this audio came across as story more than a collection of essays.
This collection of essays could have Been twice as long. I’m sure of it.
As I’m sure there are several others with stories that need told. As it is this. Collection is a great piece of non fiction that I did learn from. It’s just crazy that the people (performers) we celebrate today are the same entertainers we once looked down on.

This book was as amazing as I expected and a whole lot more! Best selling author George M.
Johnson is back with another incredible book.
Flamboyants is a collection of essays and biographies showing how American culture has been shaped and impacted by Black and Queer culture. Through the biographies of an influential group of icons from the 1920's Harlem Renaissance, Johnson shines a light on stories and histories that have been hidden and kept secret. These stories and lives are guiding lights to future generations of people who see themselves in these individuals. With icons like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Ma Rainey, Josephine Baker and many more we find fascinating stories of their lights and colors.
As all of Johnson's works, I read along and listened to the audiobook simultaneously. I love his audiobooks because they are narrated by him and he has such an engaging and soothing storytelling voice. So I highly recommend the audiobook.

This is a lovely collection of vignette style biographies of queer writers, performers, and activists from 1920s Black America. Johnson highlights some well known names and others who have not been remembered as universally to showcase how queer the Harlem Renaissance was and how while it has Harlem in its name the Renaissance existed well beyond the borough.

George M. Johnson narrates the audiobook themself and they do a fantastic job, though I've since seen the physical copies in stores that contain some incredible artwork so I will absolutely be picking up a physical copy too.

I think this work serves as an excellent introduction to the Harlem Renaissance and I love that resources like this exist for young readers and adults alike.

4.25 stars

This is a very enlightening read. It brings attention to many black icons from the Harlem Renaissance that were also, quite likely, queer. These are the stories we need to hear, but don't hear enough of them. These black and queer figures of entertainment history so often get overshadowed. This book highlights their real and meaningful stories. George M. Johnson also makes this a very personal story. They frequently talk about the intersection of black and queer identities and how these historical figures influenced and paved the way for them. I really enjoyed this, and the audiobook was especially good. George M. Johnson narrates, and each chapter has a musical intro that really sets the scene. This was an overall good read that was very informative, meaningful, and entertaining.

Great audiobook by a phenomenal author about Black, queer leaders from the past. I definitely feel like I would have appreciated it more if I was BIPOC and would recommend to folx looking to learn more about those topics.

(I received this ALC via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you.)

This was a very short but very informative and captivating read. I enjoyed the audio, the narration and learning about these people. I knew about some of them but I also learnt a lot. I do think I would have been better off reading this with my eyes though. It make me retain more information and I might buy a physical copy for that purpose.
But yes, I would definitely recommend this book, in any format.

I never know how to review non-fiction, but this one needs to be done. This book was so good. I learned so much about these people that I thought I had already known. I hope y’all pick this one up.

So the coolest part of this book is hard to pinpoint. I want to say its the colorful pages and the illustrations. Because Lordt they are gorgeous. But in reality, I really believe its the narration. It was narrated by the author who did an amazing job. I’m not a huge fan of non-fiction, but I can’t deny this one made me sit still and listen to this one non-stop. It was so good!

The subject itself was also very cool. I loved this because even though I knew some of these things, there were still things that I didn’t know. And that was amazing. So don’t ever let people tell you that you can’t be an adult that learns from YA books. Because Lordt knows I Googled a lot when I finished this book lol And really, this is something I never thought about, mainly because I’ve always been so upset that they always talk about the same Black people from history. But LGBTQ+ people deserved to know their heroes too, so I love that Johnson gave this gift to today’s teens.

This is a short one tho! Its only 2 hours and its a quick read! I hope that y’all pick this up. It’s good and short but hella informative. You don’t want to miss this one.

To start with one of my favorite quotes from Flamboyants, “We can’t make positive progress as Black queer folks, if we don’t tell the stories of Black, queer folks before us. Especially if those stories have been suppressed or told inaccurately.” Flamboyants serves as a reminder that queer people have always been here, and they were just as present during the Harlem Renaissance, as they were during any other moment in history. Flamboyants serves as a reminder that Black, queer history is American history, and that with their immense contributions, Black, queer people have shaped so many facets of our culture as we know it to be today.

If you’ve ever spent any amount of time learning about the Harlem Renaissance or Black history in general, there are likely some names that you’ll quickly recognize in this book. Langston Hughes, Josephine Baker, and Zora Neale Hurston are just a few of the featured trailblazers that I was already familiar with. This book also introduced me to so many others that I haven’t heard of before, such as Countee Cullen, Richard Bruce Nugent, and Claude McKay.

Through George M. Johnson’s wonderful storytelling, Flamboyants serves as a great introduction to some of the Black, queer folks who had a major impact during the Harlem Renaissance. It’s a quick, but very informative read, that will leave you wanting to do even more research on the writers, performers, and activists that were discussed. If you can, I highly recommend the audiobook because between Johnson’s narration, and the jazz music played between each essay, it made for a great listening experience.

Thank you to @netgalley & @macmillanaudio for an advanced listening copy, in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved this collection of essays!

George M. Johnson did such a lovely job narrating, and I loved the music played between each essay. For me, this was a mostly feel good (despite some heavier content) and informative collection that left me feeling like I'd really learned a lot about queer history.

I love learning more queer history, and thoroughly enjoyed this book! I think it's a great resource on a time period that when taught rarely includes the queer identities of many of the people who made it. I also found it really accessible and easy to get into! I found the music interludes fun as well.

I thought this was such a fabulous mix of essays and Johnson's own thoughts on the Harlem Renaissance. It was fascinating to learn about the Harlem Renaissance itself, but also what Johnson had to say about it all as well. I admired Johnson's All Boys Aren't Blue and We Are Not Broken and it was very fun to see their versatility in being able to story tell, inform, and comment on such important pieces of black and queer history. Johnson's narration was just frosting on the cake!

This was an excellent short nonfiction book about the Harlem Renaissance figures we know and love, and dissecting their relationship to queerness. I enjoyed reading this book a lot and I just wish it was so much longer!! It was also an excellent audiobook that had snippets of music from the artists discussed. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a short, informative, and queer read. 4.5 rounded up!

🌈Queer rep: historical figures - queer women and men, bi women and men, gay men, lesbian women, nonbinary person.

“Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known” by George M. Johnson is a wonderful overview of LGBTQ+ figures from the Harlem Renaissance. Some were familiar to me; others I had never heard of. This short book is full of Johnson’s observations, great quotes and rich history. I appreciated the definitions and how Johnson did not make assumptions about the reader’s knowledge. He is also a great narrator for the audiobook. This would be a great gift for young adults or adults who want to learn more about this history. The audiobook is also enriched by great musical clips. While I wish the book was longer, “Flamboyants” offers many people, books and music to learn more about and explore. Recommended. Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.

I love Johnson's writing. There's something about how he personalized his connection to the historical figures he wrote about that made me feel as if I were getting to know him better and was getting a glimpse of how he developed as a person.

My main critique is that this could have been longer. I wanted more, and before I knew it, I was done.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for the advanced listener copy. The narration, done by the author, is fantastic.

Four stars for bringing attention to historical figures in entertainment (in the Harlem Renaissance) that are both Black and likely queer, figures that deserve as much attention as their white and/or straight counterparts! An educational little book for younger readers, definitely.

What was distracting for me personally was that this book (which in audio was only a little over two hours), was as much about the author, their work and their personal feelings and connection, as it was about the people spotlighted in each chapter. (I listened to All Boys Aren't Blue last year so this isn't my first foray into Johnson's work-- but he does even reference this book of theirs in this little book also!). I would have rather the focus been about the people they were trying to showcase rather than what he liked about them, or how he has (had?) a non-profit and only came across one of these figures them while looking for a name for the award. I don't think I as a reader need to know all that about the author in a set of mini-biographies of other people? I think there was also a bit of poetry before each section, some of which was uncredited and some was self-credited.

What I did really like though was the bit of music before each entry, some of which being music from these people and from that era, truly gifts to hear in little snippets as they were, to further contextualize and draw us into the era a bit more. Love an audiobook that does little adjustments and additions to make the experience that much more fun!

In the end it's a good little book for younger readers but it could have used a little less self-insertion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for the ALC in exchange for review!