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booksthatburn 's review for:

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
5.0
emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

THE BLACK FLAMINGO is a celebration of complex layered identity (specifically gay, Greek-Cypriot, and Jamaican) as Michael grows up, comes of age and, through drag, finally finds a place that fits all of him.

It leaves room for messiness, mistakes, and the strange meandering coincidences of life as we watch Michael grow up, exploring the facets of his identity and celebrating the intersections between them. It handles a lot of topics and nuance in a way that keeps the underlying messiness while reaching for something healthier and more whole with every page. There's a lot of growth in the secondary characters as well, even minor characters learn and change in meaningful and obvious ways by the time the story is over. 

I loved reading this and highly recommend it. 

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