George M. Johnson

George M. Johnson (they/them) is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning, and bestselling Black nonbinary author and activist. Their debut memoir, All Boys Aren’t Blue, was a New York Times bestseller and garnered many accolades. It was the #1 most-banned book of 2024 in the United States, according to the American Library Association. For their work fighting book bans and challenges, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) honored Johnson with its Free Speech Defender Award, and TIME Magazine named them one of the “100 Next Most Influential People in the World.” They also wrote Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known.

If I Die Before I Wake - a Memoir is bestselling author George M Johnson's adult literary debut, available 11/10/26. In this memoir, Johnson is going back to their roots and giving readers the raw, authentic voice they know best. With themes of race, sexuality, grief, activism, and coming of age, Johnson serves as a continued inspiration as they share the next chapter of their life with readers.

They may be the author of one of the most banned books in America, but George M. Johnson isn't finished telling their story yet. If All Boys Aren't Blue is a manifesto, And If I Die Before I Wake is a testimony—one the world desperately needs to hear. George M. Johnson is no stranger to death. In this memoir, readers are invited to witness as they navigate an HIV diagnosis, alcoholism, the loss of their grandmother, and nationwide book bans over the span of 15 years. Through the highs and lows of life in the spotlight, they have clung to family and community like never before—finding their most authentic self along the way. Drawing inspiration from Toni Morrison, Jesmyn Ward, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, Johnson explores grief, trauma, sexuality, and the Black family through the lens of transformation, healing, and hope. Poetic, grounded, and bursting with signature humor, this is George M. Johnson more bold, more brave, and more daring than ever.

Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, they now live in Los Angeles, California.

A book signing will take place immediately following the session in the W375D Foyer, just outside the Main Stage Ballroom.