Merle
I didn't think this book would make me so emotional, but it did! And that just shows me how amazing Dean Atta is with words. A book about topics I cannot relate to made me cry, because the author was able to make me emphazise with the protagonist at all times. We follow Michael, who is half Jamaican and half Greek-Cypriot, while he is growing up in London, realizing that he doesn't really fit in anywhere. We meet him when he is a small child and leave him when he is studying at university. During that time we see him grow, find his identity with his race/ethnicity, sexuality and gender roles. It's written in verse and the author chooses very beautiful words. It also includes some poems as well, and I loved them too. An impactful read about racism, being queer, and finding yourself. It also touches on internalized homophobia and internalized racism, and it was just overall a very eye-opening read. I also appreciate how The Black Flamingo is both used metaphorically for certain things touched in this book, but also literally. "Your ignorance may be innocent but the racism is real." “You are a full human being. It's never as simple as being half and half.”
