Hello friends, I hope you’re all having a good Thursday! Today I’m going to be reviewing Dean Atta’s novel The Black Flamgino.

The Black Flamingo by: Dean Atta: Michael has known all his life that he was different from everyone, but figuring out what makes him different is a journey he must take. From not feeling like he fits in with his Jamaican roots or his Greek roots, to feeling like he doesn’t fit in at the LGBTQ+ club at school, Michael finds himself on a journey of self-discovery. This novel was such a moving piece of work. The writing was stellar and just so strong and important. Not only were Atta’s words beautifully written and crafted together to make such inspiring poetry, the topic of the novel was hard hitting. This novel had so many elements and the way that Atta drew them all together was masterful. Seeing the main character grow and experience life, trying to figure out who he is was captivating. Watching him go from Michael, to Mikey, to Mike was such an underrated character development; it was something so subtle, yet so big. Not only did this story hit on racism in ways that people don’t often think about it, but it also hit on figuring out your queer identity and trying to understand what it means to be gay or transgender or both, which made for a really powerful coming of age story.