The National Reading Circle engages members of Delta Sigma Theta, friends and families to participate in annual virtual events featuring books selected by the DREF Sister Scholars Advisory Council.
The National Reading Circle was revived in a virtual event to discuss Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson in 2021 and celebrated Women’s History month with a Literary Jam fundraising event highlighting Just As I Am, by Cicely Tyson in March 2022.
In 2023 the book selection was Bertha Maxwell-Roddey: A Modern-Day Race Women and the Power of Black Leadership written by DREF Sister Scholar Dr. Sonya Ramsey. The 2024 book discussion First Ladies written by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray was recorded and available to review now in the News section on this site.
In addition, the National Reading Circle presents a summer reading list. Enjoy the selections for this summer.
2024 DREF SUMMER READING LIST
ART/CULTURE/MUSIC
- My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future by Alice Randall
- Praise song for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Crystal Wilkinson
- Supreme Sirens: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Music by Marcellas Reynolds
- The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories by Desiree S. Evans (Editor), Saraciea J. Fennell (Editor), Tananarive Due (Introduction)
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
- Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg
- Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis
- Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America by Joy-Ann Reid
- Up Home: One Girls Journey by Ruth Simmons
- Until I Am Free – Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America by Keisha Blain
CHILDREN/EDUCATIONAL
- Barracoon, Zora Neal Hurston and Ibrahim X. Kendi
- Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar: The Musical Story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Woman Who Invented Rock and Roll by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow. Illus. by the author.
- Love is Loud: How Diane Nash Led the Civil Rights Movement By Sandra Neil Wallace. Illus. by Bryan Collier
- Dexter’s Sound Becomes King by Gwynn R.C. Moses, Illustrated by Anastasia Stolypina
CLASSIC BLACK WOMEN’S WRITING
- Black Women Writers at Work by Claudia Tate – editor, Allyson Johnson
- The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
HISTORY
- Breaking Barriers: The First Ladies of Education by DeWitt S. Williams
- Black Women Taught Us by Jenn Jackson
- Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement by Tanisha Ford
- Black AF History: The Un-whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot
- Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class by Blair L.M. Kelley
- The Vice President’s Black Wife: The Untold Life of Julia Chinn by Amrita Chakrabarti Myers
HISTORICAL FICTION
- The American Queen by Vanessa Miller
- The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
- The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel by ReShonda Tate
- To Catch a Raven by Beverly Jenkins
LITERATURE/NOVELS
- Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
- The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips
- Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
- Redwood Court by DéLana R. A. Dameron
MYSTERIES/THRILLERS
- American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
- Glory Be: A Glory Broussard Mystery by Danielle Arceneaux
- The Nigerwife by Vanessa Walters
SELF-HELP/INSPIRATION/RELIGIOUS
- BE B.I.G: Boundless Empowered Bodacious Intuitive Grandios by Felice Hightower Britt
- Power Move: Ignite Your Confidence and Become a Force by Sarah Jakes Roberts
- To Speak a Defiant Word: Sermons and Speeches on Justice and Transformation by Pauli Murray by Anthony B. Pinn, et al.
- Playing a New Game: A Black Woman’s Guide to Being Well and Thriving in the Workplace by Tammy Lewis Wilborn, PhD
- Shine Bright Like A Diamond: A Very Long Love Letter from Mom with Love by Angela Wilson
TEEN/YOUNG ADULT
- Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
- ‘Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You’ by A’Ja Wilson
COLLEGE SUCCESS
- The College Student’s Guide to Mental Health: Essential Wellness Strategies for Flourishing in College by Mia Nosanow
- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About College: A Guide for Minority Students by Dr. Boyce Watkins
- Agent YOU: Show Up, Do the Work and Succeed on Your Own Terms by Nicole Lynn
- How to Navigate Life: The New Science of Finding Your Way in School, Career and Beyond by Belle Liang, Ph.D. and Timothy Klein, LCSW