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      The Moms Demand Action Book Club, a program of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund in partnership with Moms Demand Action, is a resource for deeper education and dialogue for Moms Demand Action chapters across the country. We seek to broaden our volunteers’ understanding of the wider cultural conversation around our work.

      Everytown’s Cultural and Entertainment Advocacy team regularly announces new Book Club selections. We invite volunteers to engage with new selections by using discussion guides and joining virtual events discussing the selection.

      Moms Demand Action Book Club selections and additional resources are available below.

      Please Note:

      Some selections may contain stories of gun violence victims and survivors and could be potentially upsetting and/or retraumatizing to some.

      Recent Selections

      • Stay True: A Memoir by Hua Hsu (2022)
      • The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy by Chris Murphy (2020)

      Uplifting the Stories of Survivors

      • 30: Reflections of Resilience, Growth, and an Age No Longer Feared by Brianna Lee DiPietro (2021)
      • Beautiful Resilience: Stories of Inspiration on Living Through a Mother’s Grief presented by DeAndra Dycus; contributing authors Thomasena Colbert, Falisha Curlin Walker, Valeria Horton, Julvonnia McDowell, Wendy McIntosh, Stephanie Stone, Tisa Whack, Olga Williams, Pamela Wooden (2021)
      • Find the Helpers: What 9/11 and Parkland Taught Me About Recovery, Purpose, and Hope by Fred Guttenberg (2020)
      • Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land by Toni Jensen (2020)
      • Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement by the founders of March for Our Lives (2018)
      • Standing Our Ground: The Triumph of Faith Over Gun Violence: A Mother’s Story by Lucy McBath (2018)
      • The Last Portrait: A Psalm For Monique by Deborah Nelson (2016)
      • For Such a Time as This: Hope and Forgiveness after the Charleston Massacre by Rev. Sharon Risher with Sherri Wood Emmons (2019)
      • After The Storm: Our Journey through Grief by Regina Thompson-Jenkins and John Jenkins, Jr. (2019)
      • The Deeper the Roots: A Memoir of Hope and Home by Michael Tubbs (2021)

      Centering Native American Voices

      Picture books, middle grade / chapter books, and young adult selections made in partnership with Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee), a New York Times bestselling author of books for young readers and a member of Everytown’s Authors Council.

      • For Volunteers
        • Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God by Kaitlin B. Curtice (2020)
        • An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (2015)
        • “All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker (2016)
        • The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (2020)
        • Poet Warrior: A Memoir by Joy Harjo (2021)
        • Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (originally published 1977)
        • Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir by Deborah A. Miranda (2013)
        • The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer (2019)

      • Picture Books
        • Bowwow Powwow: Bagosenjige-niimi’idim by Brenda J. Child (Red Lake Ojibwe), illustrated by Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Ojibwe), translated into Ojibwe by Gordon Jourdain (Lac La Croix First Nation) (2018)
        • Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard (Seminole), illustrated by Juana Martínez-Neal (Peruvian-American) (2019)
        • We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom (Anishinaabe/Métis), illustrated by Michaela Goade (Tlingit) (2020)
        • We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell (Cherokee), illustrated by Frané Lessac (2021)

      • Middle Grade
        • Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley (Ojibwe) and Tara Audibert (Wolastoqey) (2021)
        • Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young (Navajo) (2021)
        • The Sea in Winter by Christine Day (Upper Skagit) (2021)
        • Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee) (2021)

      • Young Adult
        • Apple (Skin to the Core) by Eric Gansworth (Onondaga) (2020)
        • Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (Lipan Apache) (2020)
        • Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa) (2021)
        • Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee) (2018)

      For Activists Practicing Self-Care

      • The Self-Love Workbook: A Life-Changing Guide to Boost Self-Esteem, Recognize Your Worth and Find Genuine Happiness by Shainna Ali, PhD (2018)
      • Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown (2017)
      • You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown (2021)
      • Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May (2020)
      • Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA (2019)
      • Sustaining Spirit: Self-Care for Social Justice by Naomi Ortiz (2018)
      • Love for Imperfect Things: How to Accept Yourself in a World Striving for Perfection by Haemin Sunim (2018)
      • What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD (2021)

      Featuring LGBTQ+ Authors and Stories

      Children’s non-fiction, middle-grade non-fiction and YA non-fiction selections made in partnership with Lambda Literary and Monica Carter, Program Manager of Lambda Literary’s LGBTQ Writers in Schools.

      • For Volunteers
        • The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (1963)
        • The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed The World by Mason Funk (2019)
        • Living Out Islam: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims by Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle (2013)
        • Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride (2018)
        • Not Straight, Not White: Black Gay Men from the March on Washington to the AIDS Crisis by Kevin J. Mumford (2016)
        • The Stonewall Reader Edited by the New York Public Library and Jason Baumann (2019)
        • Queer Brown Voices: Personal Narratives of Latina/o LGBT Activism Edited by Uriel Quesada, Letitia Gomez, and Salvador Vidal-Ortiz (2015)
        • We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation by Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown (2019)
        • Transgender History, second edition: The Roots of Today’s Revolution by Susan Stryker (2017)
        • A Wild and Precious Life: A Memoir by Edie Windsor with Joshua Lyon (2019)

      • Picture Books
        • Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag Written by Rob Sanders, Illustrated by  Steven Salerno (2018)
        • The GayBCs Written and Illustrated by M. L. Webb (2019)
        • This Day in June Written by Gayle E. Pitman, Illustrated by Kristyna Litten (2014)

      • Middle Grade
        • Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History Written by Sarah Prager, Illustrated by Sarah Papworth (2020)
        • What Was Stonewall? Written by Nico Medina and Who HQ, Illustrated by Jake Murray (2019)
        • Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle by Robin Stevenson (2020)

      • Young Adult
        • Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington by Jacqueline Houtman, Walter Naegle, and Michael G. Long (2019)
        • All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson (2020)
        • Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place (A Transgender Memoir) by Jackson Bird (2019)

      Celebrating Black Women Changemakers

      • Lead From the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change by Stacey Abrams (2018)
      • Unbought and Unbossed by Shirley Chisholm (1970)
      • The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris (2019)
      • Coretta: My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King with the Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds
      • Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde (1984)
      • Standing Our Ground: The Triumph of Faith Over Gun Violence: A Mother’s Story by Lucy McBath (2018)
      • Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love and So Much More by Janet Mock (2014)
      • Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018)
      • For Such a Time as This: Hope and Forgiveness after the Charleston Massacre by Rev. Sharon Risher with Sherri Wood Emmons (2019)
      • More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) by Elaine Welteroth (2019)

      Stories of Activism for Young Readers

      The below selections are provided in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, which advocates for essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.

      • Picture Books
        • Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Loren Long (2021)
        • I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story by Martha Brockenbrough with Grace Lin, illustrated by Julia Kuo (2021)
        • Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh (2014)
        • Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman by Sharice Davids with Nancy K. Mays, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (2021)
        • Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney (2010)
        • The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist by Cynthia Levinson, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton (2017)

      • Middle Grade
        • Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists Are Saving the Earth by Rachel Sarah (2021)
        • Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls’ Rights by Malala Yousafzai, adapted by Sarah J. Robbins (2018)
        • We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson (2018)

      • Young Adult
        • March: Book One by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell (2013)
        • The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (Adapted for Young People) by Jeanne Theoharis, adapted by Brandy Colbert and Jeanne Theoharis (2021)
        • Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager (2017)
        • Rise Up!: How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy by Crystal M. Fleming (2021)
        • Rolling Warrior: The Incredible, Sometimes Awkward, True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution by Judith Heumann with Kristen Joiner (2021)

      Summer Picks for Young Readers

      The below selections are made in partnership with Emily Barth Isler, Everytown Authors Council member and author of AfterMath (September 2021).

      • Picture Books
        • If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen (2019)
        • Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (2018)
        • The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson (author) and Rafael López (illustrator) (2018)

      • Middle Grade
        • Real Friends by Shannon Hale (author) and LeUyen Pham (illustrator) (2017)
        • El Deafo by Cece Bell (2014)
        • Jada Jones series by Kelly Starling Lyons

      • Young Adult
        • You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson (2020)
        • When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (2017)
        • Darius The Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram (2018)

      Additional Resources

      The books recommended for the Moms Demand Action Book Club are selected to promote thoughtful discussion. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in these books belong solely to their authors, and are not necessarily those of Moms Demand Action or its affiliates.

      Did you know?

      Every day, more than 120 people in the United States are killed with guns, twice as many are shot and wounded and countless others are impacted by acts of gun violence.

      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. WONDER Online Database, Underlying Cause of Death. A yearly average was developed using four years of the most recent available data: 2018 to 2021.

      Last updated: 2.13.2023