Summer Reading List 2022

Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother's Letter to Her Son by Homeira Qaderi 

Devastating in its power, Dancing in the Mosque is a mother’s searing letter to a son she was forced to leave behind. In telling her story—and that of Afghan women—Homeira challenges you to reconsider the meaning of motherhood, sacrifice, and survival. Her story asks you to consider the lengths you would go to protect yourself, your family, and your dignity. 

Parenting with an Accent by Masha Rumer 

Deeply researched yet personal, Parenting with an Accent centers immigrants and their experiences in a new country—emphasizing how immigrants and their children remain an integral part of America’s story. 

Somewhere We Are Human - Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings edited by Reyna Grande, Sonia Guiñansaca, Viet Thanh Nguyen (Foreword by)  

This anthology of essays, poetry, and art seeks to shift the immigration debate—now shaped by rancorous stereotypes and xenophobia—towards one rooted in humanity and justice. Through their storytelling and art, the contributors to this thought-provoking book remind us that they are human still.

The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival by: Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, Laura L. Sullivan   

Here is the stunning true story of a teen who, even in the brutality of war, never wavered in her determination to obtain an education, maintain friendships, and even find a first love—and the cat who gave comfort, hope, and maybe even served as the family's guardian spirit. 

I Am Because We Are: An African Mother’s Fight for the Soul of a Nation by Chidiogo Akunyili-Parr   

A woman in a man’s world, she was elected and became a cabinet minister, but she had to deal with political maneuverings, death threats, and an assassination attempt for defending the voiceless. She suffered for it, as did her marriage and six children. I Am Because We Are illuminates the role of kinship, family, and the individual’s place in society, while revealing a life of courage, how community shaped it, and the web of humanity that binds us all. 

Breaking the Maafa Chain by Anni Domingo 

A richly imagined story of two sisters' struggle for true freedom in the mid-nineteenth century as their paths diverge in the middle passage—one to the court of Queen Victoria, the other to an American plantation. 

Read all year: Join our book club! 

Check out #WFWIBookClub, our community of readers connected by a passion for women’s power and stories of strength. Every month, we choose a new book to read together as a community. We hope you’ll join us!

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