03 Sep / The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta [in School Library Journal]
*STARRED REVIEW
British-born to a Greek Cypriot mother and Jamaican father, Dean Atta established himself as a poet and performer in 2012. Here he gorgeously debuts as both author and narrator of his novel-in-verse in which his fictional stand-in, Michael Angeli, matures from an end-of-the-millennium baby of a single mother to a young university student finally finding acceptance and community.
In between, Mike struggles to understand his place in the world – of being mixed-race, fatherless, isolated, gay, and eventually drawn to his university’s Drag Society. His mother, younger sister, and many from his extended family remain constants: “To have a loving family/ is to feel afraid and yet believe/ you are going to be all right.” Like the black flamingo found on his mother’s Cyprus, “My difference was noted, not degraded.” As Mike learns to strengthen his voice – “Your ignorance/ may be innocent but the racism is real” – Atta reminds his readers, “Remember you have the right to be you.”
Verdict: Fans of outstanding POC poets creating resonating novels-in-verse – Elizabeth Acevedo, Nikki Grimes, Marilyn Nelson, Margarita Engle – will welcome this audio entry of Atta’s 2020 Stonewall Award-winning fiction.
Review: “Audio,” School Library Journal, September 1, 2020
Readers: Young Adult
Published: 2020