Add these great Black culture books to your May reading list

The biggest challenge may be finding a book that keeps you engaged from cover-to-cover.

Whether you’re looking for a dynamic story or hoping to learn something new by Memorial Day weekend, check out UATL’s suggested reading list of books being released in May.

“The Gathering Table” by Antwan Eady

Credit: Courtesy of Knopf Books for Young Readers

Let’s start the season with colorful children’s books to keep kids occupied during road trips.

“The Gathering Table” celebrates the traditions of a Gullah-Geechee family in vibrant hues. From anniversaries to Juneteenth, the family gathers around the table to share stories and historical narratives.

Award-winning author Antwan Eady pulls from personal experience while growing up in South Carolina’s Low Country. Now living in Savannah, much of his work’s purpose is to spark worldly conversation among children.

Releases May 6 at PenguinRandomhouse.com.

“This is Your Mother” by Erika J. Simpson

Credit: Scribner

Just ahead of Mother’s Day, Atlanta native Erika J. Simpson reflects on her upbringing in a culture of sharecropping in this memoir.

Simpson reflects on her relationship with her mother and their life of hardship. She also details maturing and gaining understanding that parents also deal with hardships while being responsible for raising children. The struggles of Simpson’s mother are told through the eyes of her growing daughter, with Simpson learning how to navigate life as a Black woman by example. Read The AJC’s full review of “This is Your Mother” here.

Releases May 6 at SimonandSchuster.com.

“The Battle for the Black Mind” by Karida L. Brown

Credit: Courtesy of Legacy Lit

Providing a compelling historical account of education in the U.S., Emory University sociology professor Karida L. Brown dives into the origins of normal schools and colleges for Black students, which began during Reconstruction in the American South.

Many were privately owned, with school founders like Lucy Craft Laney at the Haines Institute in Augusta having to fund their academic ventures. Others received financial backing from wealthy white Northerners, although such funding would often carry academic obligations, including rules around the types of education Black students were allowed to receive. Another group battled with public funding in a political environment where “separate but equal” ideology was touted, despite equal resources often not being received.

Brown illustrates how pivotal Atlanta was for Black academic institutions and Black education, from the Atlanta University Center to the ideology battle between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois. Brown also ties in how those historical moments currently affect Black students’ education, and how modern politics continues to shape national learning.

Releases May 13 at HachetteBookGroup.com.

“Naturally Me at the Confidence Salon” by Gabby Goodwin

Credit: Courtesy of Tommy Nelson

Another option for children is a picture book intended to help Black kids embrace their natural beauty.

“Naturally Me at the Confidence Salon” is based on fictional character Danica, who is initially afraid to vocalize her aspirations due to low self-esteem and fear of vulnerability. With the help of a hair stylist, Danica manages to find confidence and revels in her individuality. Finally, she learns to appreciate herself, inside and out.

Author Gabby Goodwin, who created the barrettes company GaBBY Bows at age 7, said in a press release confidence is important, especially for Black girls.

“Confidence has always been important to me,” Goodwin, now 18, said. “I want girls like me to be able to see themselves in my book and find the confidence to follow their dreams just like I did.”