It has recently come to my attention that The Shadow Guard has been added to a reading list for Black History month because one of my main characters, Faughn, is black. While I appreciate the sentiment intended by including TSG on the list, and I applaud highlighting more inclusive role models in books (and believe me, we need a LOT more inclusivity in publishing), I would encourage anyone looking for reading material for Black History Month to seek out books that offer a better understanding of black history and/or are written by black authors. If you're curious what some of those might be, I've compiled a list of lists below (there are, of course, other excellent lists all over the Internet, so be sure to explore whatever resources you have available to you).
Time Magazine's "9 Books to Read for Black History Month, According to Scholars"
Black Enterprise's "18 Best Black Books of All Time for Black History Month"
Kirkus Review's "8 Stellar Picture Books for Black History Month 2020"
Today Show's "15 Best Black History Month Books"
Also, many public libraries have extensive free programs this month for people to become involved with reading and discussing books for Black History Month and learning more about black history. Please be sure to check those out in your local community!
For those who want more information on why this month is so important, visit the African American History Month site. There's a wealth of historical information here, as well as additional resources for further reading and research.
If you have other learning or book recommendations, please feel free to add them in the comments.
