I don't know where to begin. This is such an important book. It shows the struggles of Black people in the past and nowadays. No one should live in fear just because of their skin colour. My eyes teared up while I was reading some of the poems; although it is extremely sad, this is a powerful book I believe everyone should read. Rating: 5/5 stars.

I adored this, it's completely opened my eyes. I have never read a book quite like it. Would highly recommend.

I am never disappointed by the books that Button Poetry publishes, and Javon Johnson’s collection is an impressive collection of poems that can be funny, heartbreaking, brilliant and honest. Touching on his experiences and his life, these poems make for touching moments and bitter truths that is life for people of colour in the USA.

As this collection is interspersed with little moments such as ‘Black Famous’ these lighten the mood inbetween poems such as ‘The Last Conversation Between Malcolm X and His Daughter’ which is heartbreaking and honest and when you connect it to ‘On Healthy Masculinity’ or ‘Cuz He’s Black’ where he talks to his niece and nephew you see the reality and how much there is a need to be taught to simply survive - made ever more clearer with ‘On The Murder of Black Children’ - this collection has been put together so incredibly well.

A collection you should read more than once, the nuance and stories the poet tells throughout this collection of joy, anger and sadness are powerful throughout, poems such as ‘Black And Happy’, ‘Los Angeles’ and ‘Enough For Everybody Or My Grand Mother Was My First Philosophy Teacher’ are moment of that jump out with such light in a collection that delivers hard truths and frustration at the world the writers lives in.

A brilliantly put together collection of poems, Javon Johnson spills out his life and personality in these poems and it makes for an intense and incredible read from beginning to end.

Thank you to Button Poetry and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available October 13th

I've been a long time fan of Javon Johnson after hearing his poetry on Button Poetry's Youtube channel, so I was really looking forward to reading "Ain't Never Not Been Black". And whew, what a wonderful collection. Johnson does not shy away from addressing Black pain, especially in the conversation he has with his nephew in the car. What grounds this collection, though, is Black love - the deep love Johnson has experienced from the women in his family, the deep love he shows for his community day in and day out, the deep love that has the ability to protect and repair the tattered holes in American society.

Javon Johnson is one of my favorite poets. I highly recommend listening to some of his spoken word poetry on Youtube, he is a powerful and wonderful performer.

Javon Johnson writes about the treatment of black people, describing historic and current issues of racism, with both a broad and personal view. His writing flows with an easy rhythm and pleasing use of figurative language. He is at times angry and sad, always thoughtful about hurts, yet he also conveys joy in describing
relationships. An important book, as his words educate us and light up the things that matter.

Having just finished Ain't Never Not Been Back, I feel like I'm reeling. Such a powerful collection from a strong poetic voice. It's unlike most poetry I've read lately in that it majors in abject strength of tone as opposed to aiming for a romantic, slightly ambiguous poetic voice (I liked that it did this). This is not to say there aren't soft moments, because there absolutely were. Additionally, I don't come across many poetic collections by Black males in the modern age, and I was thrilled to see this work offered because I think that's an area of artistic representation we NEED. It was a great work, and one that inspired me to both think and act differently.

‘Ain’t Never Not Been Black’ is a profound and passionate collection of poetry. Javon Johnson’s poetry is personal and goes through his life experiences and observations as a black man in America, raised in South Central in Los Angeles where life and violence are precarious. His poems are captivating and, at times, gut-wrenching. I can feel his anxiety and fear of police and threat of other people. Despite the heaviness of daily life, he finds joy in small moments. Johnson deftly illustrates the sheer excitement of young love and tender moments bonding with family. Other poems describe tragedies faced by communities and the dark shadow incarceration leaves on so many families. I highly recommend this beautiful and compelling poetry collection.

Thank you Button Poetry and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Thanks to #Netgalley for making this book available to me.
To me 'poetry' is synonymous with 'truth', a poet relinquishes his or her truth to the lines they write. Javon Johnson has done a perfect job of capturing his truth, the life he has lived in a black body since he was young. the way he is perceived and in turn the way he assumes responsibility for various events that have occurred in his life.
I really enjoyed this collection and one that really stood out to me was "ON HEALTHY MASCULINITY"
when you are young, you are told to be strong and to be a man but you are never told how much is strong and how much a man really is. You are meant to figure this all out on your own as a child. assuming you figure it out and you create the balance within yourself, knowing that feminity is inherently in every 'Man', you are assumed to be a weak man. However, that too is not explained, what makes a weak man and how weak must a man be to be labeled 'a weak man'.

The exploration of life, race, and masculinity definitely puts this collection high on my list. I hope you check it out

Very very good. I loved this book, the poems are touching and I think I will remember some of them for a long time. I’ll buy this book for me and recommend it to friends.

AIN’T NEVER NOT BEEN BLACK is a smart and searingly beautiful collection of poetry that encompasses so much of what it means to be Black and live authentically in the US today. I’ve never read a book of poetry chronologically, but from the very first poem ‘Untitled, Or Fear of Giving this a Name,’ I felt both deeply understood and deeply moved by Johnson’s command of language and his powerful, gut-wrenching imagery. The complexities of Black life are explored so intricately that at any moment during the book I could cry, scream, cheer, clap my hands, laugh out loud, or any combination of all simultaneously.

Ain’t never not been black by Javon Johnson

I was provided with a review copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I had not read any works by Johnson prior to this book and that is something that I am going to rectify shortly.

This collection was short in page length, but long in effort and consideration. I feel like poetry has this public perception that because there are not as many pages, it’s less effort? I would argue that Johnson in his ability to finetune and finesse language down to a point means that he has expressed himself far more clearly than a prose author that uses 1000 pages.

As I read, I found myself needing to stop. To consider. To reflect. The beauty in his words, the power in his phrasing. He is masterful in his use of repetition to make arguments and his flow of words read like water.

When I write reviews I make notes as I go. My collection of notes on Johnson’s work merely consist of quotes that I found moving. I found myself wanting to take pictures of the pages and sending them to friends to share. I didn’t (as I was reading an ARC), but his words are so poignant right now the urge is strong.

His work covers topics and themes such as: black excellence and pride, fame, police brutality and murder, family, motherhood, anger, grief, “well-intentioned” white people, music, gentrification, and masculinity.

He moves stylistically between more formal stanza style poetry and other formats. This made it refreshing for the reader as you were aware that he was always going to take you somewhere new and be thoughtful about it. His expression was at times so raw my eyes watered reading about his pain in a physical and not just emotional sense.

I am an Australian white woman, so I cannot and refuse to comment on his experience as a black man in America as that is not my role. What I can say is that this book is deeply moving and will stay with you long after you finish. I read it on the day that it was announced that the police officers that shot Breonna Taylor will not be charged in relation to her death at their hands. Johnson’s work is a reminder and a rallying cry to stay angry and fight for change, but also to express your grief.

This is a book that has a lot of power when you first read it, but that power doesn’t fade upon rereading. It’s worth having on your shelf for that alone. I will be purchasing this collection as I wish to have a paper copy in my hands. I want to hold onto it, to dog-ear pages, to make notes and to consider. I suggest you do the same.

Gripped me from the first page. This account of one man (and his immediate family's) black experience is to-the-point, powerful in its clarity and sparseness.

I normally rush through poetry books, but I found myself savoring this one. I wanted to feel, then to dissect the author's words. Peeking into this author's life felt like a privilege. Johnson deftly bridges the gap between art and advocacy.

This book broadened my perspective on the world in a way I am just now learning to accept. (Considering others' viewpoints shouldn't have to be a muscle you must exercise.) I felt Johnson's pain, anger, and was made keenly aware of his worldly observations. I would put this book on the level of performance art--it forces you to look at your own actions and biases to reevaluate how you see the world.

I would highly recommend this book of poetry to any of my family, friends, and acquaintances looking to expand their own viewpoints or those who happen to enjoy poetry.

Ain’t Never Not Been Black is a raw and emotional poetry collection detailing the experiences of racism on black bodies, particularly black men. Javon Johnson does not hold back and is direct with the pain he and others experienced. Reading this collection will have you flowing through a wide range of emotions - from laughter to rage. It’s heartbreaking. Johnson used intentional sentence structure and unfiltered language to truly express his sentiments. These writing choices can feel shocking and jarring, but it added to the beauty of his poetry and to the depth of his words. It is a must read for those who love poetry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing me with a digital copy in advance for an honest review.

WOW this was powerfull.

I've been sick of poetry books for a while, because I never found one that didn't have cliché phrases like "you're worth it", "everything will get better", "burn those who are bad for you" etc. etc.

And then I discovered this book ........

Certainly one of the best I've read. It made me think of several things about today's society and privileges and the struggle of the black population.

The highlight of the book is the poem "A Lesson in Proper Sentence Construction", written in a genius way.

Poetry is nearly impossible for me to review. This collection of poetry is real and heart wrenching. The author speaks of his own experiences and there is a lot of insight in what it means to be a Black man in the world. It is definitely vital to read this for those who are interested in Black voices and poetry.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for sending me an arc!

Opposite of the author, I "aint" never been black. I was intrigued by and drawn to the book by the title. "Ain't Never Not Been Black" is not how I speak. It took me a couple of glances to read it correctly in my mind. I didn't know what to expect to find on the pages inside

I was gripped by the truth and the art written in these pages. I read each poem once, twice, and then again to my husband or my child to discuss the real life implications of his words. I am a better for recognizing the truth in these pages. There are a couple poems that I can relate to, strongly, but most serve as an open door to a life I knew about, but have not stepped into.

Black Culture for most is limited - having been received through 90s rap music, music videos, images of Black worship services - a little Kirk Franklin, clothing styles and flat billed ball caps. But, this is not Black Culture. It is not the streets of Oakland, like described in one poem. Or the corner store. Or mom's cooking. Or the gathering of uncles, aunties, nieces and nephews. It is not the message "5-0, we gotta hide" told to you by your 5 year old nephew. It is not the danger of walking the streets in the middle of the day.

"Wishing Well" was a poem that hit me hard. Cut straight to the depth of a mom's heart, but deeper when considered from this other perspective.

Thanks to the author and to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The best way to understand me is
to have my mother's cooking,
too much spice for most people
to stomach, but I like it that way."

"Not too famous though.
Don't want to be a hashtag.
No twitter coffins."

Wow. Javon’s writing is immaculate, smooth, ever shifting. The flow from one poem to the other is like a melody, his words are the song. The poems show his love for his mother, his niece, for Blackness, its joy and its pain. .

Ain't Never Not Been Black was a relevant and moving poetry collection offered up from Johnson to readers as a raw, emotional, direct, and own-voice experience of Black life, identity, and the deep-rooted impact of racism in America on Black bodies. This collection of poems was insightful and read like a memory skipping memoir of events and experiences that begged to be shared with the world and are likely, not isolated. I appreciated how Johnson did not shy away from difficult or sensitive subjects, ultimately this leads to a more profound and deeply felt reading experience.

I find it difficult as a white woman with privilege to review this work, to not center myself in how this collection made me feel. I believe these were stories, experiences, and words I needed to hear and will be with me as I continue to learn and unpack biases, structural and systemic privilege and work towards being firmly anti-racist.

I want to thank Javon Johnson for offering up his experiences, words, emotions, and bearing to us the reader so we may grow and understand beyond our lense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing me with a digital copy in advance for an honest review.