The Black Flamingo
Author; Dean Atta. Date: 2019.
ISBN: 9781444948585.
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books.
Genre: In-Verse.
Reading Level: Grades 9-12.
Awards: Stonewall Book Award 2020.
Trailer: Not half Greek Cypriot, not half Jamaican, not a fraction. A full, beautiful, proud Black Flamingo.
Born on Halloween 1999 in London, Michael was given his father's last name even though his father wasn't much of a father at all. Michael was born of two worlds: the world of his Jamaican family on his father's side and the world of his mother, a Greek Cypriot woman who raised him. These two worlds do not function to split Michael apart, but instead come together to make a special world all for him. A world where he is the Black Flamingo: stunning, unique, and bold.
Michael knew from an early age that he was gay. Playing "chase and kiss" on the playground, he never wanted to chase after the girls. Instead, he wanted to slip behind a tree and give one of the other little boys in class a kiss. That's not to say that Michael doesn't like girls, no. In fact, when he moves to his new Catholic school a girl, Daisy, quickly becomes his best friend. In high school Michael begins the long journey to find out who he is, what he will do, and what types of people he might do it with. He tries, and LOVES, theater. He finds a couple of boys who spark his interest, but he's one of the only "out" gay people at school. In college, Michael is able to embark on even more journeys of self discovery. He goes out to gay clubs, he joins groups at school, he makes new friends, and, most importantly, he finds a way to express his Black Flamingo-ness to the world through the fabulous art of drag.
Created By: Like the main character in The Black Flamingo, Dean Atta is a London native whose identity is settled at the intersection of Jamaican and Greek Cypriot (Epic Reads, 2020). Atta is a writer through and through. He has written poems, books, books in verse, articles, you name it and Dean has done it. Not only has he done it, but he has probably been awarded for whatever he did as well. According to his website, Dean has, " won the American Library Association's Stonewall Book Award, CILIP Carnegie Shadower's Choice Award, West Sussex School Librarians' Amazing Book Awards, What Kids are Reading Quiz Writers’ Choice Award and was shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Reader Award, CILIP Carnegie Medal, Jhalak Prize, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and The Bookseller's YA Book Prize" (Atta, n.d).
Without further ado, the original Black Flamingo himself, Dean Atta:
Analysis: Let me make one thing abundantly clear: in this collection we celebrate Black/Queer joy, okay? And that is really what this book, The Black Flamingo, is all about. It's about the journey of self-discovery, the friends we make along that journey, and the joy that we experience when we feel we've found ourselves (or just something we like to do/say/eat/whatever). Going into books about Queer people I always wonder how rough it's going to get. I wonder if the book will include violence, and if so how graphic, I wonder if it will include self-harm or suicide, I wonder if the pain the Queer characters experience will look like mine or be a new pain for us both to experience. For a lot of Queer people, our identities are all wrapped up in pain and violence and negativity. We come from homes or places that don't accept us, we come across people who want nothing more than to punish us for who we are, we internalize the hatred directed at us until, sometimes, it becomes too much to bear. While that pain is such a real part of the Queer experience there is also so much love and joy and happiness that is intrinsically part of our identities. What struck me about The Black Flamingo was how much emphasis was put on the positive aspects of the Queer experience as opposed to the painful experiences. While there are some characters who participate in homophobia, the majority of the characters in this book are celebrating Queerness. I felt overwhelming joy while reading this book because it so perfectly highlighted all the wonderful parts of being true to yourself.
Based on some of the Goodreads reviews it's clear that some people assume that poems have to rhyme to be legitimate poetry. That, my friends, is not the case. Poetry doesn't have to rhyme. Poetry doesn't have to do anything, really. That's what makes it so awesome. Most books that are the same length as The Black Flamingo but not written in verse would include a significant amount of visual setting and character descriptions. Due to the in-verse nature of this book the reader learns more about the character's emotions rather than the setting. This presents a unique opportunity to create your own world and setting!
In the Library: I would love to use The Black Flamingo to inspire some rad art projects. I would prompt participants to create an artistic interpretation of an animal they feel represented by. In native cultures this is sometimes called a "spirit animal" but to avoid appropriation I would just call it the animal version of yourself or your Patronus. Additionally, I would encourage students to use found objects to decorate their animal art.
Potential Issues: This book is so lovely and positive there would be no legitimate complaints to be made about the story or the way it's written. If there were any complaints based in homophobia they would be referred to the collection development policy.
Reason for Inclusion: This book is a wonderful, joyous exploration of Queerness, drag, poetry, and friendship. Really, there is not much more one could ask for out of a book. I wanted to include something that discussed Black experiences outside of the U.S., and this book was a great way to do that!
Sources:
Atta, D. (n.d) Dean Atta. https://www.sites.google.com/site/deanatta/home
DeanAtta. (2018, April 1). The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta | Directed by Lisa Cazzato Vieyra. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UdejBoQ1v8&t=52s
Epic Reads. (2020, May 26). Poetry from the Black Flamingo | Dean Atta Live Performance. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfl6JIIA6hA
The Black Flamingo. (n.d.). Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41020406-the-black-flamingo
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