Top 10 Books for Your Teenage Son
This was a unique summer for Boogey. Not only was he adjusting to a new normal due to the pandemic, but he was also witnessing one of the biggest civil rights movements unfold before his eyes. In the beginning, I wanted to shelter him from everything that was going on. I feared it would become too much for him to process and understand.
It wasn’t long before I realized I can’t always cover his eyes.
He began to ask questions, a lot of questions. It was through those conversations I realized how important it was to introduce him to more of our history. So, I began to look into books that would not only answer those hard questions but help him gain a better understanding of American history – the real, unedited American History…far from what he has learned in the classroom. Through his reading, he’s learned more about slavery, Jim Crow, and the civil rights era. By going back to the beginning, Boogey was able to gain a better understanding of why we are still fighting for equality and the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Not only did Boogey need to be educated but I did too. While he was reading, so was I. Learning more about redlining, untold African American heroes, and my own family history…
What started as a summer reading list has now grown into an endless opportunity for both of us.
Raising a son is hard. Raising a black son is even harder. These books allowed me the opportunity to sit down with Boogey and talk to him about how society views him, how society will try to treat him but most importantly, how he can fight that narrative and still succeed.
2. Coming of age in Mississippi by Anne Moody
(This was a hard read for Boogey but it introduced him to the way of life in the south during the mid-20th century)
3. The hate you give by Angie Thomas⠀
4. Life as we knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer
(This book was on his school’s summer reading list. Due to the pandemic, he was able to relate to what was going on in the book and better understand how global issues can affect him )
5. Defining Moments in Black History: Reading Between the Lies by Dick Gregory
6. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
7. Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
8. Portraits of African American Heroes by Tonya Bolden
