An Indie Bestseller
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year
"A triumphant." –
Shelf Awareness, starred review "Johnson's voice fills a void in teen literature, and their newest collection of essays about Black and queer folks from the 1920s unequivocally belongs on shelves across the country... There is no question, this must be purchased, read, and shared." -
School Library Journal,
starred review "Flamboyants is not merely a much-needed history lesson, and it's certainly not standard biographical fare. Johnson puts these figures in conversation with each other and with the present, enriching each essay with personal anecdotes delivered in a witty, conversational tone, and with cultural criticism that draws a direct through line from the Harlem Renaissance to Black queer culture today... Flamboyants suggests that we must see those who came before us as whole people to have any hope of making sense of our present." –
BookPage, starred review "Johnson (All Boys Aren't Blue) combines incisive prose commentary, skewering verse, and revealing memoir in this collection of abridged biographies of Harlem Renaissance-era Black queer luminaries.... Palmer (The Legend of Gravity) combines background textures resembling subway maps and skyscrapers with canvas portraiture to produce graphic and hyperrealistic imagery that harkens to the Harlem Renaissance while maintaining contemporary appeal." –
Publishers Weekly, starred review "A sincere and beautifully illustrated ode to queer Black figures who shaped the Harlem Renaissance." –
Kirkus "Punctuated with vibrant paintings and expressive poetry...Through divulging details about how queerness affected their lives, Johnson paints pictures of important people who should serve as a beacon to Black queer people, as they do to the author." –
Booklist
