The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

    Meet Michael Angeli. Born in London on October 31, 1999, he is the mixed-race child of a Greek-Cypriot mother and a Jamaican father who abandoned the family when Michael was a newborn.

       When I picked up The Black Flamingo this morning. I had no idea how much Michael's journey of discovery and acceptance was going to move me as a reader. I had no idea how many times I would stop reading this book and marvel at its writing, reflect on his experience, and compare it to mine.   

    It started with the prologue: three brief poems that should be reread after reading the book for the first time; followed by a longer poem about Michael's father. Here is the first of those brief poems:

     The story is told chronologically with the book is divided into eleven chapters and an epilogue. Each chapter contains first-person poetic vignettes that allow readers to get to know Michael and his preoccupations as he grows older. 

In "Barbies and Belonging," Barbie becomes a symbol of gender and economic disparities. This chapter also explores some of the themes that are central to the book: the idea of being whole, half, or mixed. 

Next up is "Sandcastles," which is about making sandcastles with pebbles; about kissing games and playing house; about sleepovers with girls; and about making do with the money you have. In "Music and Stars" Michael changes schools and continues to explore his identity and has to start dealing with crushes and questioning his sexual identity. Catholic school also brings a new best friend, the bookish Daisy. New antagonists are introduced and I must say, I loved their names: Destiny, Faith, and Grace. 

Next we have "Coming Out" where Michael asks someone out in front of the guy's friends. Although it did not work out as planned, he did gain a new friend thanks to that incident. 

During "Sweet Sixteen" Michael decides to have anonymous sex with a guy he met on an app. My heart broke over and over during this scene. The next chapter is "Leventis," a Greek word that can mean handsome man, beautiful boy, or brave. Michael's mom takes the family (and Daisy) on a trip to Cyprus to meet the maternal grandparents. Issues of race and identity resurface as Michael faces his Greek heritage. It is in this chapter that Michael and the readers first meet the black flamingo.

Instead of talking about what is going on with Michael during "Show Business," I want to say that this chapter touches on why I decided to write about these books: representation matters. You see, this is the chapter where Michael watches the movie Moonlight. It is also the chapter where his mother takes the family to the West End to see the musical Kinky Books, which Michael did not know was inspired by the movie:

It is when he goes to the "University" that Michael is able to explore all the facets of his personality via the various clubs and organizations that are now available to him. This chapter gave me one of the quotes that moved me the most, It happened when Michael goes to the LGBT Society and a trans man ends his introduction with the words "I wish people would understand, some men have vaginas." I hope everyone understood that and more about our trans brothers and sisters. I'm tired of their senseless murders. Since I already made this paragraph heavy, I want to add that it is also in this chapter, as his uncle is driving him to Brighton, that Michael has his first encounter with being stopped by a police officer for driving while black.

A lot happens in "Drag." I don't want to spoil anything, but just know that Michael finds his tribe when goes to the Drag Society in the Student Union. He will learn a lot about his friends and  his acquaintances, but most of all, he will learn a lot about himself.

We get to see Michael's drag performance in "Glitter Ball," and how he dealt with a hater in "Just Be a Man." I cannot describe how satisfying these two chapters are without spoiling them, but my heart burst with pride and joy as I read. The book's epilogue is a poem titled "How to Come Out as Gay." The entire book is amazing but I absolutely love the ending. This is my first blog post, but you will soon learn I am an ending snob. This one did not disappoint.

Rating: All the stars!