My Government Means to Kill Me

“In this debut novel, a queer young Black man leaves behind his comfortable family life in Indianapolis and heads to New York in the 1980s, which provides a thrilling, occasionally enraging, political and societal backdrop for his coming-of-age.”—The New York Times

"An episodic narrative about learning to navigate the world, this novel is both hilarious and angry."—The Boston Globe

"This book should charm its way onto lots of best books of the year lists."—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“A fast-moving and riveting examination of what it means to build a life in the middle of a deadly epidemic.”—Arlington Magazine

“My Government Means to Kill Me is not only a brilliant historical novel of those times, it is a bold statement of how someone who could have been an outcast doesn't settle for being left out.”—Daily Kos

"This book is a truly unique queer coming-of-age novel."—Buzzfeed

"A powerful story about Trey, a young, gay, Black man in 1980s New York City as he comes of age personally and politically. Newson’s writing is crisp and clear, witty and engrossing—the kind of prose that pulls you in so quickly you’ll miss your subway stop."—CrimeReads

“Newson’s attention to historical details gives this moving novel a sense of urgency and immediacy.”—Book Riot

"Newson . . . lends his cinematic eye to his novel, which makes the grit, the sex, the activism and the political struggle all the more atmospheric and immersive. In short, I’ve never been prouder of an 18-year-old narrator who leads us through the New York City streets, and compels not just his friends and network to action, but the reader too."—Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

“My Government Means to Kill Me is an action-packed, entertaining inside look at the life of a young political rebel. Written with unflinching tenderness, Newson gives us an honest and compelling portrait of a gay Black man coming of age.”—Matthew A. Cherry, Academy Award-winning director of Hair Love

“Hilarious, heartbreaking, and sexy as all get out.”—Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Treasure

“Fresh, vibrant and utterly unapologetic. Rasheed Newson has written an unforgettable, take-no-prisoners novel alive with humor and full of urgency. Newson’s Trey and his determination to live life on his own terms, even in the face of death all around him, brings into three dimension an era of New York Queer life that, too often, has been flattened and whitewashed by history.”—Xochitl Gonzalez, author of The New York Times bestseller Olga Dies Dreaming

“Delightful and fast-paced, a fascinating narrative of queer activism during the AIDS epidemic.”—Kirkus Reviews