I have heard that this is better in the physical form since it has additional pieces to help tell the story, but as an audiobook it was just... bad. It didn't hit me the right way and just felt disjointed rather than a narrative through poems and prose.

I am hit or miss with novels in verse, but this didn't feel like a novel written in verse at all. It just felt like half thoughts and sentences, with a mixture of personal essays in between.

I really liked Michael but I wanted to spend more time with him throughout his life instead of in bursts. I feel like we didn't get enough of a sense of his character or motivations because we hadn't been privy to a lot of internal thoughts or important milestones because of the way this was written.

I would also like to just point out a few things I noticed while listening: It's very important while writing a book about drag culture to include the difference between drag and being trans as they're vastly different. There's also instances where the story talks about trans issues (pronouns, gender identity, sex assigned at birth) and doesn't get it quite right. And while that's because Michael has had a lack of queer representation, I think it should still have been addressed in the text.

I do recommend giving The Black Flamingo a try even if it's not your usual type of read, but not in audiobook form at all.

LGBTQ+ and POC novel about friendship, racism, and self-acceptance told in alternating POV. Somehow these issues are all tackled in a super light-hearted way. Really fascinating writing style. The concept and plot of this story are wonderful and the characters feel alive.

There is so much love pressed into the pages of this book; not to sound cheesy, but this truly feels like a story that embodies love in all its forms. It is full of friends and sisters who support the protagonists, sometimes in their own, unconventional ways, but steady no matter what. The parents in this story are also loving and understanding, and it was refreshing to see both Lita and Chicky care so much for them too. And perhaps one of the loveliest surprises of this book for me was the romances, full of just so much… joy. They care so deeply for each other as friends and also yearn for each other, and some of the scenes genuinely made me feel butterflies over how sweet they were.