"The Black Flamingo" by Dean Atta follows the journey of a mixed-race gay boy named Michael as he navigates his identity from childhood to young adulthood. Set against the backdrop of a world that often feels unwelcoming, Michael finds solace in his passion for drag performance, which becomes a powerful form of self-expression. As he embraces his authentic self, he learns to celebrate his heritage and sexuality, ultimately transforming into the magnificent Black Flamingo. With lyrical prose and vibrant illustrations, the story explores themes of acceptance, resilience, and the importance of embracing one’s true identity. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is the winner of numerous awards

This book is aimed at children at US 9th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 13-17 years.

There are 416 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2021 by Balzer & Bray/Harperteen .

Named as one of the most influential LGBT people in the UK by the Independent on Sunday and "one of poetry's greatest modern voices" by Gay Times, poet Dean Atta's work has appeared on BBC One, BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service and Channel 4, often dealing with themes of gender, identity, race and growing up. Dean regularly performs across the UK and internationally. He is a member of Keats House Poets Forum and Malika's Poetry Kitchen, as well as a Tutor for Arvon and Poetry School. Dean's debut poetry collection was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize. His latest book, The Black Flamingo , follows a mixed-race gay teen as he spreads his wings at university as a drag performer; a bold story about embracing your uniqueness and finding your inner strength.