Looking for ways to keep occupied this summer? Here are some engaging books highlighting strong female role models for all reading levels that build on current events.
Learning Outcome: Explore a variety of empowering women through literature.
Training School For Negro Girls by Camille Acker.
Reading Level: Young Adult +
[ Synopsis ] According to TheFeministPress.org:
"In her debut short story collection, Camille Acker unleashes the irony and tragic comedy of respectability onto a wide-ranging cast of characters, all of whom call Washington, DC, home. A "woke" millennial tries to fight gentrification, only to learn she's part of the problem; a grade school teacher dreams of a better DC, only to take out her frustrations on her students; and a young piano player wins a competition, only to learn the prize is worthless.
Ultimately, they are confronted with the fact that respectability does not equal freedom. Instead, they must learn to trust their own conflicted judgment and fight to create their own sense of space and self."
[ Excerpt ] "Who We Are"
[ About the Author ]
A link to explore more about Camille Acker from her website: https://www.camilleacker.com/about
An Interview with Camille Acker published through Sarah Lawrence College: https://luminajournal.com/blog/camilleacker A quote from the interview highlighting her intentions behind the title and inspiration for creating the novel:
"Training schools were opened all over the country and were meant to help black folks learn skills to get them jobs but the schools were also often training black people and at Burroughs's school, young black women, to remain in roles that would make white people comfortable. And I thought about how black girls and women are still forced to do that to survive in the world."
2. Thick and Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom
Reading Level: Young Adult +
[ Synopsis ] According to theeverygirl.com
Called “a Black woman's cultural bible,” "Thick" is perhaps the best essay collection of 2019. In the book, Tressie McMillan Cottom explores topics including beauty, competence, the Obama election, and as the publisher notes, “all that is right and much that is so very wrong about this thing we call society.”
[ About the Author ]
A link to explore more about Tressie McMillan Cottom from her website: https://tressiemc.com
Discussion Questions: https://tressiemc.com/thick/
Interview highlights from a conversation with Tressie McMillan Cottom: https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2019/05/27/thick-tressie-mcmillan-cottom A quote from the interview:
"What an audience wants when they want to consume what black women produce as our intellectual work, is they often want to consume our emotions and our experiences, which is not always the same as respecting our expertise and our intellectual contribution."
3. I Love My Hair by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Reading Level: Children's Book
[ Synopsis ] According to Amazon.com:
In this imaginative, evocative story, a girl named Keyana discovers the beauty and magic of her special hair, encouraging black children to be proud of their heritage and enhancing self-confidence.
[ About the Author ]
A link to explore more about Natasha Anastasia Tarpley from her website: http://natashatarpleywrites.com
A review from publisher's weekly about the story and its empowering purpose: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-316-52275-5
A Sesame Street rendition for younger girls about hair and self-love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enpFde5rgmw
3. Daddy, There’s a Noise Outside by Kenneth Braswell, Joe Dent, and Julie Anderson
Reading Level: Children's/Young Adult -- Graphic Novel
[ Synopsis ] According to rebekahgienapp.com
This short graphic novel explores what protests are, and why people use them. When two children ask their father what the sounds they heard the night before were, he explains the community was protesting.
Drawing on examples from Martin Luther King to the Million Man March, their parents explain that people in the neighborhood are protesting how their community is treated by the police. This is a good first book for talking about why and how groups like Black Lives Matter protest.
[ About the Author ]
A link to explore more about Kenneth Braswell from his website: http://www.kennethbraswell.com
Information on his work as director for the National Responsible Fatherhood CleaningHouse: https://www.fatherhood.gov/author/8816/kenneth-braswell
3. Say Her Name (Poems to Empower) by Zetta Elliott and Loveis Wise
Reading Level: Children's/Young Adult
[ Synopsis ] According to rebekahgienapp.com
The collection’s name is inspired by the #SayHerName movement of the African American Policy Campaign. It’s designed to draw attention to the violence against Black women and femmes that so often receives little media attention. The poems are both a testament to the bravery, resilience, and creativity of Black women, as well as a cry for justice as they struggle to survive the forces of racism, sexism, and homophobia.Many of the poems are tributes, including dedications to the three co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as famous poets including Gwendolyn Brooks and Phyllis Wheatley.
[ About the Author ]
A link to explore more about Zetta Elliott from her website: https://www.zettaelliott.com (includes her blog and other amazing resources!)
4. Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins by Carol Boston Weatherford
Reading Level: Children's Book
[ Synopsis ] According to skokielibrary.info
In 1960 Greensboro, North Carolina, four young men protested racial segregation with a sit-in at the Woolworth's lunch counter. This picture book recounts the story from the perspective of a young black girl.
[ About the Author ]
A video interview and brief biography about Carol Boston Weatherford: https://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/weatherford
[ Additional Historical Information ]
A detailed historical explanation from History.com: https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/the-greensboro-sit-in
A more condensed explanation from Scholastic Kids: https://kpcnotebook.scholastic.com/post/greensboro-four
Greensboro Four (Black History) Educational Videos for Students video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXwvfBdsgec
4. Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D Taylor
Reading Level: Children's Chapter Book
[ Synopsis ] According to skokielibrary.info
Cassie Logan and her family live in a town rife with racism and prejudice in the 1930s. During one turbulant year, Cassie struggles to understand why discrimination and injustice are a constant part of black Americans' lives. Cassie's parents and community aim to help her better understand the world and how she can change it, making this an excellent title for talking with children about injustice and racism.
[ About the Author ]
Scholastic biography and further reading about Mildred D Taylor: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/mildred-d--taylor/
[ Additional Historical Information ]
"How 1930s Discrimination Shaped Inequality In Today’s Cities":https://ncrc.org/how-1930s-discrimination-shaped-inequality-in-todays-cities/
A 1:30 video by Marley Dias explaining institutional racism and similar divisions that still exist in a condensed and visual manner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M-5V8uUtKA
Description from the video:
For 11-year-old Marley Dias, the call to activism began with books. Frustrated by not seeing other Black girls as the main characters in the books in her school library, she decided to take action and make a change. The wildly successful social media project, #1000blackgirlbooks, Dias launched nearly a year ago with the help of her mother, hit a nerve—and has exceeded its goal of collecting and distributing 1,000 books. The sixth grader already knows that racism and other built-in barriers are “keeping kids like me from reaching our full potential.” Tackling racism, she says, begins with a conversation. In a new national video on institutional racism, Dias looks to educators across the country and asks: “Do you care enough to look closer, to talk to each other. To your students, to your communities?” And “To change the dialogue?”
5. One Crazy Summer by Rita Garcia
Reading Level: Children's Chapter Book
[ Synopsis ] According to skokielibrary.info
It's 1968, and the Gaither sisters have left their Brooklyn home to spend the summer with their mother in Oakland, California. While in Oakland they become aware of the Black Panthers and black poets, and their experiences with black empowerment change how they feel about themselves and the world the live in.
[ About the Author ]
A link to explore more about Rita Garcia from her website: https://rita-williamsgarcia.squarespace.com
[ Additional Historical Information ]
A condensed and bulleted explanation of the Black Panther Party by kidskonnect.com that includes worksheets, crosswords, and other activities for further understanding: https://kidskonnect.com/social-studies/black-panther-party/
An archive of images titled "Inside the Black Panther Party" curated by CBS news: https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/inside-the-black-panthers-photographer-stephen-shames/5/
Quick 3:00 educational video "Black History: The Black Panthers were more than just a Marvel Movie" that covers the biography of Huey P. Newton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM8ceTyFsVk
"Kids Meet Former Black Panthers" youtube video by HiHo kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRuDnigDKnI
6. I am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
Reading Level: Children's Picture Book
[ Synopsis ] According to readbrightly.com
With clarity and insight, Jazz Jennings shares her story of realizing at a very young age that, though she was being raised as a boy, she was truly a girl. An essential read for children and families of all experiences, I Am Jazz has an empowering message of celebrating what makes us unique and respecting everyone’s differences.
[ About the Authors ]
A link to explore more about Jessica Herthel from her website: https://www.jessicaherthel.com
Explore Jazz Jennings' story (a young transgender girl) through the following New York Times interview: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/30/arts/television/i-am-jazz-jennings.html
Jazz Jennings' Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazzjennings_/?hl=en
[ Additional Activities/Pride Information ]
T for Trans! An educational and quick 3 minute video about what it means to be transgender for kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq8DRz3yXLI
A fun article by Refinery29 titles "9 Amazing Transgender Women Who Changed History": https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/transgender-women-activists-history
7. My Two Moms and Me by Michael Joosten
Reading Level: Children's Picture Book
[ Synopsis ] According to readbrightly.com
This sweet board book features a diverse array of families with lesbian mothers going about their daily routines, including playdates, pool-dates, and bedtime reading.
[ About the Author ]
A quick-amazon biography that includes information about his other books: https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Joosten/e/B002M91VWS%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
[ Additional Activities/Pride Information ]
Want to build on pride-related activities? The following website contains coloring pages, crosswords, and mini-biographies for LGBTQ+ trailblazers: https://www.woojr.com/lgbt-trailblazers-pride-month-curriculum-kids/
8. Stonewall: A Building, An Uprising, A Revolution by Rob Sanders
Reading Level: Children's Picture Book
[ Synopsis ] According to readbrightly.com
Pride author Rob Sanders adds another title to the LGBTQ+ historical canon with Stonewall, the moving story of the 1969 police raid and ensuing protests that played a crucial role in the gay civil rights movement. Narrated by the Stonewall Inn itself, this accessible and empowering book is an essential piece of pride history.
[ About the Author ]
A link to explore more about Rob Sanders from his website: https://www.robsanderswrites.com
[ Additional Historical Information ]
A four minute History video on the historical impact of the Stonewall Riots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9wdMJmuBlA
A summarized history from Kids Britannica about the Stonewall Riots: https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Stonewall-riots/313707
9. Drama by Raina Telegemeier
Reading Level: Middle Grade Graphic Novel
[ Synopsis ] According to whatwedodaily.com
Callie wants to be in her school’s latest production but she doesn’t think she can sing so instead she helps out as the set designer and is determined to create a Broadway-worthy show. The “drama” of the book’s title could easily refer to the friendship and romantic entanglements of the middle school crew (when is middle school not melodramatic?) as well what happens on the stage.
[ About the Author ]
A link to explore more about Raina Telegemeier from her website: https://goraina.com
Named a 2013 Stonewall Book Award "Honor Book" for the exploration and portrayal of LGBT issues.
10. This Would Make a Good Summer One Day by Dana Alison Levy
Reading Level: Middle Grade Novel
[ Synopsis ] According to whatwedodaily.com
Sara is all set to work on her new and improved self this summer! But then one of her moms gets an opportunity that sends the whole family on a cross-country train trip. Sara chronicles the trip in all its hilarity for a school project. A fun book to read during the summer!
[ About the Author ]
A link to explore more about Dana Alison Levy from her website: https://danaalisonlevy.com
11. My Mixed Up Berry Blue Summer by Jennifer Gennari
Reading Level: Middle Grade Novel
[ Synopsis ] According to whatwedodaily.com
In Vermont, June Farrell loves to make pies. She’s so good at it she is determined to win a contest. June’s mother is getting ready to marry her partner, Eva but the community turns on them. June must deal with the divisiveness in the community and some especially mean words that others aim at her family. The book also has a great summer feel to it: hot days, pie competitions, hanging out with new friends at the lake, etc. Reading this book I wondered if it was dated because of the growing acceptance of same-sex couples and the legalization of gay marriage. However, I quickly realized that of course there are still many parts of the country (and world) where June’s family would still be ostracized and in any case, the book presents some important talking points about how things have changed, and how they have stayed the same.
[ About the Author ]
A Good Reads short biography: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5102089.Jennifer_Gennari