Newark Summer Reading List: 30 Books for Boys and Young Men of Color

NEWARK, NJ — A thought-provoking examination of racism in the criminal justice system. A fantasy novel based on Afro-Latino folklore. An uplifting picture book celebrating the “joy, wonder and potential of young Black boys.” These are some of the books that made it onto a 2024 summer reading list compiled for young men of color in Newark.

My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Newark, an initiative of the Newark Opportunity Youth Network that builds on the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, recently launched a campaign to improve the literacy skills of boys and young men of color in New Jersey’s largest city.

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The full list – with suggestions for toddlers to teenagers – can be found below (scroll down) or watch online here.

The last day of school for Newark Public School District students was June 21. And with summer vacation already underway, it’s important to continue keeping reading a part of their daily routine, said Robert Clark, founder and CEO of the Newark Opportunity Youth Network.

Mayor Ras Baraka agreed.

“I understand how important reading is for lifelong success,” said Baraka, a former educator and school principal in the city.

Baraka said the summer reading list is one of several measures the community is taking to address a serious problem: Only 19 percent of Newark third-graders recently passed a New Jersey reading exam. The numbers weren’t much better for all grade levels in the city, which totaled a passing rate of 27 percent, compared to the state average of 49 percent.

Since then, the city, school district and community organizations have been trying to increase those numbers – and initiatives like the Summer Reading List are part of the solution. Read more: Newark plans to improve students’ “alarming” reading scores

“We are making progress,” Baraka said, praising MBK Newark’s efforts to reach young men of color in the Brick City.

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