We Are Not Broken

By: George M Johnson

Narrated by: George M Johnson

George M. Johnson, activist and bestselling author ofAll Boys Aren't Blue, returns with a striking memoir that celebrates Black boyhood and brotherhood in all its glory.

This is the vibrant story of George, Garrett, Rall, and Rasul -- four children raised by Nanny, their fiercely devoted grandmother. The boys hold one another close through early brushes with racism, memorable experiences at the family barbershop, and first loves and losses. And with Nanny at their center, they are never broken.

George M. Johnson capture the unique experience of growing up as a Black boy in America, and their rich family stories -- exploring themes of vulnerability, sacrifice, and culture -- are interspersed with touching letters from the grandchildren to their beloved matriarch. By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this personal account is destined to become a modern classic of emerging adulthood.

Critic reviews

"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!"—Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin

"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 be not only healing, but life-changing."
—Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys

“We Are Not Broken feels like a long conversation, like those that spill into the early morning. It is intimate. Revelatory. Powerful. George M. Johnson centers Nanny in this memoir, charting the importance she played not only in their life, but in the life of a sprawling, loving, and deeply complex family. Seen through their eyes (and some deeply touching letters from others), it’s the story of a brilliant Black woman and the invaluable lessons she taught all those who knew her. A must-read journey."
—Mark Oshiro, award-winning author of Anger is a Gift

Excellent Read

This is the first book I have listened to from this author. Amazing story telling! I loved the nannieism. You will get it when you read the book. So many truth’s. I highly recommend this book.

A Love Letter To Nanny

This book is dedicated to the memory of the author’s grandmother. I enjoyed hearing about how deeply she loved her family. The letters that the grandchildren wrote to their grandmother were a nice touch. This book is a really sweet tribute.

Wow!

What terrific story! I would recommend this to everyone, especially us white people! A great author!

Amazing

I didn’t know George M Johnson wrote another book and I’m glad I was able to find it ! His first was amazing and this one was just as good. Heartfelt , funny , and truthful. Loved it from the start. Way worth the credit

Transparent & Healing Work

Throughout the book, the queer black boy within felt seen. I’m grateful to have representation that acknowledges all of me. Having recently lost my grandmother, I was able to reconcile my grief with a peace that is keeping me. Great work!

Feeling Seen

These words and stories have helped me feel like my growing up Black and Queer wasn’t done in a cylinder. I feel so seen and in a way, validated.

Excellent Book!!

The book was selected for a book club that I participate with at work, it was very intriguing and enlightening.

Wonderful!

This was a wonderful book and great supplement to George M. Johnson’s ‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’.. I hope the wisdom and insight shared through these histories are able to be gotten by those who need it.

Nannyisms

Great narration, stories remind me of growing up with two older brothers and having a close knit family. Great memories and great Nannyisms. Thank you for sharing your families lineage through your words and descriptive imagery.

George Johnson's exploration-Love and Resiliance

In We Are Not Broken, George M. Johnson crafts a memoir that is both intimate and expansive. Through his family's story, he expresses powerful themes of faith, resilience, and pain. Small details in life take up a powerful meaning. Johnson expressed his lessons and teachings through "Nannyisms," a way of guiding the conversation/story into a particular theme. The narrative's structure is amazing; Johnson places letters, like Rall's heartfelt note to Nanny, in the middle of chapters. This element brought an emotional side that truly pushed me as a reader to delve deeper into the book and its lessons about racism, sexism, and hatred, etc.. Tangents about gender roles (Ch. 2, p. 27) highlight how patriarchy harms Black children, especially boys policed for femininity. Themes of power repeat in corporal punishment (Ch. 3, p. 47), exposing how “whoopings” become tools of control masquerading as love. Johnson insists: love never needs violence, truly a heartwarming message. The memoir also addresses lessons of survival, such as the "talk", how Black children are supposed to navigate racism. The middle section of the novel is truly heartwarming and at times shocking, told through familial interactions of the author's youth. If you want to avoid spoilers, stop reading now... the next sentence is to make sure you understood the previous. Stop reading to avoid spoilers. Loss haunts the later chapters: Lil Kevin's death (Ch. 12, p. 184) and Nanny’s battle with cancer (Ch. 13, p. 195–209). While sad, these chapters in a sense bring the book home, full circle, with Nanny's death while permitting her teachings to evolve in everyone she left behind. Still, Johnson closes with healing: “Because of you, we are not broken.” (End of Ch. 13). The memoir affirms the magic of small moments, showing that love and memory can bind a family together even through heartbreak.