Fiercely told, this is a timely coming-of-age story, told in verse about the journey to self-acceptance. Perfect for fans of Sarah Crossan, Poet X and Orangeboy.
A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen – then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers – to show ourselves to the world in bold colour.
- Title: The Black Flamingo
- Author: Dean Atta
- Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
- Date: August 8th, 2019
- Genre: YA poetry, LGBT
Review: The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
It’s no secret by now that I love free verse fiction. If you’re new around here and you’re not sure what that means, it’s basically a novel made up entirely of free verse poems (i.e. poems that follow no set structure, rules, or rhyming pattern). Each page might be its own poem with a title, the whole book could read like one giant free verse poem, or it could still be split into chapters. It’s an interesting way to read, and I love it!
I recently read Black Flamingo by Dean Atta. I found out about this book at YALC and didn’t really know a lot about it, so when I found out it was another free verse novel, I was over the moon! I first came across Dean’s work when I read his poem in the Proud anthology, published by Stripes, so I couldn’t wait to read some more of his work.
(I also attended the poetry panel at YALC which Dean was a part of, and met him afterwards to get my book signed!)
Just as I expected, I adored The Black Flamingo. The story follows Michael, a half Jamaican, half Greek-Cyprian teenager who grows up coming to terms with his sexuality. Even as a kid, he knows he feels differently to his friends – and it’s only when he goes to university that he explores who he really is, and finds a whole new lease of life when he becomes his drag persona, the Black Flamingo.
The poetic nature of the book told the story beautifully, from the time when he wanted a Barbie as a kid but received an Action Man instead, to the hardships he faced with his family and friends on his journey to self-discovery.
As most verse novels are, this was a very quick read – I read it in just a couple of hours in total. Unlike works by verse fiction guru Sarah Crossan, the poems in this book don’t have their own titles, but are instead split into sections that follow Michael’s life. This made the book even faster to read for me, because I kept getting to the end of a section, realising how short the next one was, and reading that one too… until I finished the whole book. I just couldn’t put it down!
The story focuses on a whole array of themes including gender, sexuality, race, toxic masculinity, and explores the unique dynamics between family and friends who might not share the same views as Michael does. It also shows that with the right people around you, you can be whoever you want to be, and there’s no shame in being free.
Another thing that makes this book feel unique is the use of text messaging and notes throughout. Michael is a budding poet, so we see snippets of his poems written on notebook paper. These help you to understand what’s happening inside his head, and you can learn to understand his feelings just from the snippets of poetry that he writes.
There are also beautiful illustrations scattered throughout the whole book, and it makes the reading experience so much more interesting. It’s just such a stunning little book (it really is little – in terms of height, it’s shorter than most paperbacks) and I just love everything about it.
The book ends with a standalone poem (the same poem that was published in the Proud anthology), and it’s one of my favourite poems I’ve read. It’s called How to Come Out as Gay, and it highlights all the different ways to come out – but also the reasons why someone might not want to, which is totally fine too.
That’s exactly what this whole book shows: it’s okay to be you, because you can’t be anyone else. Own it. Be proud. Be free.
Being effeminate doesn’t make you gay.
Being sensitive doesn’t make you gay.
Being gay makes you gay.
If you’re unhappy in the closet
but afraid of what’s outside,
leave the door ajar and call out.
If you’re happy in the closet
for the time being,
play dress up until
you find the right outfit.
Be a beautiful thing.
Be the moonlight, too.
Remember you have the right to be proud.
Remember you have the right to be you.
– An extract from How to Come Out as Gay by Dean Atta
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