The Black Flamingo

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Upon conclusion, I know that was the correct decision for me. I definitely recommend the audiobook for other readers who may be apprehensive about a novel written in verse. No me ha gustado que el marketing que rodea el libro sea sobre 'un chico drag queen' cuando... no es así. De hecho, todo ese tema surge ya pasada la primera mitad del libro. Si tu máxima pretensión es esa... te vas a llevar una decepción. Por eso insisto en que es una historia que tiene muchísimo más que aportar que eso. Everyone should fill one section with writing or drawing about a character they’d like to know more about. The person leading the activity should time 60 seconds and let people know when their time is up. My experience with poetry, of any sort, is limited, and those experiences I have had, were not great. My mind just generally doesn't work that way.

This was such a beautiful read. In particular, I think it's worth mentioning that this novel is about Michael, for Michael, and ends with Michael. I loved the window into his internal thoughts...this was probably a direct result of the verse format. It felt so intimate. Oh, wow, my heart is so full. Dean Atta, this is exceptional; a work of art. Thank you for writing. When he joins the Drag Society, Michael begins to gain the confidence he needs to finally be the person he wants to be. These sections, particularly the final scene with his performance, were incredibly moving. Applause for days!

About Dean Atta

The plot doesn’t go very in depth as it is written in verse but I think that it was actually the best device to write the story, it focused on all the right parts. Fast paced and overall just an incredible journey that spans highschool through college which I didn’t expect but loved. The writing is powerful and straight to the point, we love to see it. Michael is half-Jamaican and half-Greek, and growing up in London during the 2010s. His Greek mother raises him and his half-sister surrounded with love and expectations. (One of the most important things to pull from Michael's earlier life is the importance of his mother's presence in his life—I loved its realness and its love.) Dean Atta's debut poetry collection, I Am Nobody's Nigger, was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize. His poems deal with themes of race, gender, identity and growing up, and have appeared on BBC One's The One Show and several times on BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service and Channel 4. Dean was named as one of the most influential LGBT people in the UK by the Independent on Sunday. He regularly performs across the UK and internationally.

I know you do lots of shows and performances. What can we expect to see and hear in one of your shows? When he gets to university, he’s ready for freedom, but he still feels out of place until he finds The Drag Society. It is there he learns exactly how amazing and fierce he is, how much the only person’s opinion that matters is his own, and that when you love yourself it makes it easier to love others and be loved by them. I’m not the best person to review the reflection of the drag aspect but I related to it a lot as a performer and I don’t know.... a person.

When it's time to go onstage, know that you're not ready but this is not about being ready … it's about being free. I don't have a clue what I'm doing but that's not going to stop me.” Uplifting and dazzlingly unique, this coming-of-age treasure explores identity and sexuality with an emboldening message to remember that “you have the right to be you”. Teach poems about things your students are interested in. Try to source poems about everything from football to flamingos, science to sibling rivalry, poems from around the world and translated from other languages. Invite them to bring in a poem that they like or to ask an adult in their life to recommend a great poem; make it relevant, make it interactive and make it intergenerational. After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.

That's the best way I can think to describe how this book made me feel. My apologies if that makes no sense at all. Michael is a mixed race gay teen who’s father left when he was young. We follow Michael from age six to nineteen as he navigates his identity and the stigma surrounding his skin colour and queerness. It isn’t until university that Michael discovers drag, though when he does its as if he can truly embrace who he is without scrutiny. There’s obviously been a lot in the media about LGBT education in primary schools. What are your thoughts about this and the subsequent protests that have arisen? Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks. Home > Flamingoes can migrate long distances, so it’s “definitely possible,” that the Cyprus sighting is actually the same bird, says Felicity Arengo, a conservationist at the American Museum of Natural History.this was so touching and relatable even though I’m not going through the same problems I just ❤️ so much love This book is all about identity and self-discovery. Why wasn’t belonging simple for Michael? How did he find the freedom to be himself? People could think about how identities are really complex and how things like racism make it even more difficult of people to explore their identity safely. Told with raw honesty, insight, and lyricism, this debut explores the layers of identity that make us who we are—and allow us to shine. El libro explora con temas como la identificación. ¿Es Michael lo suficientemente negro al ser una mezcla? ¿Tiene espacio en la comunidad negra o en la griega? O directamente: ¿Michael vive bullying por ser negro o por ser gay? Son preguntas que el protagonista se plantea, y cuyo arco es increíble. Como comento, aprendes junto al protagonista, y hay grandes momentos donde diferentes personajes intervienen en injusticias o en call-outs a Michael u otros personajes. Ese detalle me ha gustado porque creo que expresa muy bien la sociedad en la que estamos (y de la que Michael forma parte, habiendo nacido al filo de los 2000, o sea, Generación Z). Si hay un momento, aunque sea mínimamente racista o de homofobia interiorizada, se discute y se comenta.

In this uplifting coming-of-age novel told in accessible verse, Atta chronicles the growth and glory of Michael Angeli, a mixed-race kid from London, as he matures from a child to a man...The book's strongest asset is Atta's poetic imagery...[his] story uplifts as it informs and entertains as it affirms." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)I wanted to read it because of the subject matter, but I just wasn't sure if the format would work for me. He is me, who I have been, who I am, who I hope to become. Someone fabulous, wild and strong. With or without a costume on.”