My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson

Step into the electric pulse of 1992 New York City, where survival is an art form and every night could be your last. Rasheed Newson’s stunning debut novel follows Trey, a young Black gay man who flees his Indiana home for the glittering chaos of Greenwich Village at the height of the AIDS crisis.

This is a story about finding family when your own turns away. About dancing until dawn at underground clubs while a plague rages. About the fierce, beautiful community that blooms in the margins—drag queens, activists, hustlers, and dreamers who refuse to disappear quietly into the night.

Newson captures a moment in queer history with unflinching honesty and tremendous heart. The prose crackles with energy, moving from tender to devastating in a single breath. You’ll meet characters who leap off the page: the chosen family Trey builds in the Village, each one fighting their own battle for dignity, for love, for the simple right to exist.

Set against the backdrop of ACT UP protests and political indifference, this novel is both a love letter to queer resilience and a vital historical document. It’s about the government’s deadly silence during the AIDS epidemic, yes—but it’s also about joy stolen in stolen moments, about dancing as resistance, about refusing to be erased.

For readers who loved The Prophets or Memorial, this is your next essential read. A powerful reminder that our stories matter, our lives matter, and love—in all its forms—is the most radical act of all.