We Are Not Broken

"The stories in this book are full of joy, love, humor, and pain...Through this love letter to the matriarch of their family, Johnson highlights all the ways the world tried to break them but didn’t succeed."

"Love—deep, soulful, clarifying love—shines in George M. Johnson's writing like sunlight passing through a church's stained-glass windows. Their storytelling and the mission that propels the telling is always right on time."

"This sequel to All Boys Aren't Blue poignantly recalls author Johnson's childhood...Johnson, who grew up identifying as a gay, effeminate teen boy, shares how they always felt protected and loved within their family. There's not a lot of current literature that explores stories of young, Black, gay men. This accessible and reflective memoir helps fill that gap."

"George M. Johnson has done it again — they have written a beautiful book that will take up a honey-sweet and sun-warmed residence in my soul for a long time to come. We Are Not Broken is a gorgeous love letter to Black matriarchs who give everything to love, care for and protect their children. It’s about the importance of family and the unbreakable bonds that supersede blood and last far longer than a lifetime. While society constantly villfies Black boys before they can even reach puberty, We Are Not Broken shares stories about how love, care and the freedom to be soft and vulnerable can…

“George Johnson writes emotions the way the greatest writers write characters. I've literally never read a book that made me feel so many layered emotions I'd forgotten or was afraid to accept. This is lush luxurious art doing hard messy heartwork.”

"A deeply impactful account of intergenerational love that reveals the power of accepting young people exactly as they are while encouraging them to be ever more themselves. George Matthew Johnson has done it again!"