Boy in Jeopardy

by Ryan Douglass

With unflinching honesty and emotional clarity, BOY IN JEOPARDY catalogs a queer Black millennial's journey through relationships, self-destruction, sex, love, and self-acceptance.

Genres: Poetry, LGBT

38 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Ryan Douglass is a queer author and poet from Atlanta, Georgia. He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Taking of Jake Livingston, and his short fiction appears in All These Sunken Souls and Night of the Living Queers. His poetry is featured in Poemhood: Our Black Revival and He/She/They/Us. When he’s not writing, he’s probably baking something sweet or making a playlist for a story he hasn’t written yet.

Reviews

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

we african remnants, we're pendulum of choices, we're running out of breath or silencing our voices.

Lovely, atmospheric, really gripping. Thoughts on being black and gay and how that intersects, but also a lot of meaningful reminiscences on relationships and family and sex. Beautifully written, with some really striking pieces of verse. A few of the pieces had a cadence that reminded me of rap; all of this just flowed so well. Hugely enjoyable, all in all.

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ * · Rating 4 out of 5]

didn't expect anything less than absolutely amazing!

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s something mad significant about a dear friend able to write your soul—yours, the soul of a writer—better than your wildest imaginings. Everything written here, Ryan Douglass proves, is worth close intimate examination. No dark corners of the soul garden go untended by this poet.

Very Dr. Seuss meets Langston Hughes meets 2Pac.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this collection. I feel like I could relate to aspects of it. Especially just with the intersections of being Black and Gay. Several of the poems in this collection hit on some things I've experienced. I loved how the poems took the form that was needed for them. I love when a collection is varied in the poem forms it uses and utilizes forms well and I feel like that is accomplished here.

Some of the Poems that stood out for me the most and I will be going back to are :

"pink boy "
"Open letter to a Lost Friend"
"Teena".

"no" - I need someone to read this to me like a slam poem tbh.
"..." What a way to end the collection. I reread this so many times.

"Dad".Mentioning this one last because hit a little too close to home. I've written a similar poem in a poetry course before about my own experience with my father but not nearly as hitting as this one was for me. Had to take a long break after reading that one.

I appreciate Douglass giving us their perspective throughout this collection.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moods:

* “i rise when it’s dark out and protest my light switch”


* “off-kilter outlaw, swinging & free—he who hangs where he hangs cos it’s where he wants to be.”


* “boy who turned power ranger into barbie doll”

* “be bold and loud. be sight. be taste. be sound. resound. pound upon your bars and gates. make every voice that stops you break. spread your brown-bird arms wide as wings over a canopy. expand and demand that your body be expressed. that every eye and ear erupt until you find a place to rest.”


Pink boy. Broke my heart. Whew. I have to take a deep breath just thinking about it. So many of us really grow up with so much violence. I hope one day we will all “find a place to rest.” A place of peace. A place where we can just be. A truly lovely book of poetry. I appreciate the vulnerability.

[Nolan Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never been much of a poetry reader, but I really enjoyed this. Ryan’s prose and ability to weave together experiences in the beautiful way he does left me in complete awe. The poems are thought provoking, lyrically written and stick with you after reading them. My personal favourite was “open letter to my brother” and “pink boy”.

Hope to see more from Ryan and can’t wait for Jake in the Box!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a stunning collection (and cover too!). Powerful but engaging enough to read in one sitting, and touches on so many vital topics. Would recommend for those who love Danez Smith, Saeed Jones, and Hanif Abdurraqib. Ryan Douglass a bright future in poetry beyond this book, and I’m excited to check out his forthcoming YA novel.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the short length, I found myself taking two days to read this collection. Each poem was so heavy and full of meaning to sit with, I couldn’t possibly read through all of them in one go. The writing comes across as raw and incredibly private. I can’t imagine the courage it took to write these thoughts and publish them for the world, but I’m grateful the author chose to do so.

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some wonderfully striking pieces in this collection about Douglass' experiences navigating life as a black man and also a few memorable lines regarding how growing up gay and black intersect and have shaped his experiences.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful

A fascinating and powerful poetry collection. The Letter to my Brother and one to author’s father (I’ve forgotten title) both were especially impactful and powerful.

[Sav’s Sea Shelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

this one really took my breath away. absolutely beautiful and brilliant!

[Leann J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 stars

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, thoughtful. Heartbreaking at times as well as empowering!

[Alison Sea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked this. It covered topics of growing up and self acceptance. It was a really quick read, and I liked the different styles of poems that are included.

[UmlautHerper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Quick Dash of Poetry

This was a quick read to get through but plenty of interesting things to contemplate in the poems that I would enjoy coming back to

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning, lyrical poetry that packs a punch. It begs to be read aloud in front of a crowd. I highly anticipate reading anything else that Ryan Douglass writes.