By Marc H. Morial

National Urban League President & CEO

New York City’s troubling decline in reading scores, despite one of the most ambitious literacy reform efforts in the nation, is a wakeup call for the entire nation.

Across the country, reading achievement continues to decline. Nearly 40 percent of fourth graders read below the basic level and roughly a third of eighth graders are reading below basic, the highest share ever recorded.

Taken together, these numbers reveal a national literacy crisis that threatens economic opportunity, educational equity, and our nation’s future competitiveness.

Reading is not merely another subject in school. Reading is the foundation upon which all learning rests. A child who struggles to read struggles to learn history, science, mathematics, and civics. A young person who cannot effectively read and analyze complex information faces barriers to college completion, workforce success, and informed participation in our democracy.

That is why the growing literacy crisis is fundamentally an opportunity crisis. Behind every percentage point is a child whose future opportunities hang in the balance. Persistent achievement gaps mean that Black and Latino students continue to bear a disproportionate share of the consequences when reading instruction falls short. If we are serious about economic mobility and educational justice, literacy must be at the center of the conversation.

For more than two decades, many schools embraced Balanced Literacy approaches that sought to cultivate a love of reading by putting books in students’ hands and encouraging independent reading. The approach was well-intentioned, but too often foundational skills instruction, particularly phonics and decoding, suffered.

The evidence is increasingly clear that explicit, systematic instruction helps more children become successful readers. States and school districts that are embracing these principles deserve credit for moving in the right direction. But millions of students are already in middle school, high school, and even college struggling to read complicated texts, analyze difficult arguments, and complete entire books.

What is our plan for them?

Too many students arrive in high school lacking the reading stamina necessary to engage deeply with literature, history, or complex informational texts. College professors increasingly describe students who struggle with lengthy assignments that previous generations navigated more comfortably.

To be clear, Balanced Literacy alone cannot explain these trends. Increased screen time, constant digital distractions, shortened attention spans, and the dominance of algorithm-driven content all influence students’ reading habits and learning experiences.

Yet recognizing these factors cannot become an excuse for inaction.

Instead, it should compel us to think more broadly about literacy.

The challenge before us is not simply helping children sound out words. It is helping them develop the capacity to wrestle with complex ideas, sustain attention, evaluate evidence, and build knowledge through reading. It is helping them become informed citizens and lifelong learners.

And that requires a comprehensive, systemic strategy.

We need high-quality literacy instruction beginning in early childhood settings and extending throughout elementary school. We need to strengthen early intervention so that struggling readers receive support before learning gaps become entrenched. We must carefully examine the quality and effectiveness of programs serving our youngest learners, including Head Start and other early childhood initiatives.

At the same time, we need a national commitment to literacy recovery for older students. Districts and states should be developing evidence-based strategies that help adolescents strengthen comprehension, vocabulary, knowledge-building, and engagement with complex texts. Students who fell behind during the pandemic and those who continue to struggle deserve intensive support, not lowered expectations.

We should also have serious conversations about the role of technology in children’s lives. Restricting unnecessary screen exposure, particularly in the early grades, should be part of a broader effort to rebuild reading habits and attention spans that support learning.

More concerning than the decline in reading scores is the absence of a clear, large-scale strategy to address the growing crisis. Every year that a struggling reader falls further behind increases the likelihood that they will face lifelong educational and economic disadvantages.

The recent reading results from New York City are a warning. The national NAEP results are an even louder one. Together, they tell us that incremental change is not enough.

We know more about how children learn to read than ever before. We know that literacy is the gateway to opportunity. What remains to be seen is whether we have the collective will to act with the urgency this moment demands.

Our children cannot afford for us to wait.

Based on reporting by Jackson Advocate.

Author: Eriq La Salle, Copyright: c.2026, Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, SRP: $18.99, Page Count: 304 pages

Finally, after so much work, you’ve left your past behind.

That’s what you tell yourself: what’s done is done and you can’t undo history. It’s over. You try not to think about last month, last year, a decade back because what does it matter? As in the new novel, “Laws of Solomon” by Eriq La Salle, remembering is too full of pain.

The monsters that came to him early in his sleep were the easy ones. It was the later demons that stole Solomon Nangobi’s sleep, the spirits of all the people he killed when he was a child soldier in Uganda, and when he was a fixer in New York as an adult. Their ghosts called to him with urgent voices, though he left that life behind long ago.

Now, his days were filled working the soil in gardens near Malibu, and he loved the quiet life.

Still, he kept his guns.

And he was glad: when Solomon recognized two Zeta gunmen stalking a well-dressed man, woman, and child through the gardens, he couldn’t walk away. He stopped the gangsters with bullets, but not before the adults and their bodyguards were dead. The child, an 8-year-old boy named Gaby, was safe, but Gaby couldn’t tell Solomon what was going on.

What became quickly certain, however, was that Solomonwas now Gaby’s guardian, and the Zeta crime boss wanted them dead, too.

When he was the same age as Gaby, Solomon saw unspeakable things, the murder of his parents, the destruction of his homeland, and the atrocities that Uganda dictator Idi Amin’s soldiers committed. He learned to kill, he observed, and he was hardened, understanding as a small boy that revenge was often necessary and needed, and that blood would shed at those times.

But Gaby was pure, an innocent, a child.

Solomon reached out to his contacts to try to get the boy to safety, but being a contact of a marked man was likewise a dangerous thing: the monsters outside were worse than the ones inside him.

Two words for you: ‘Whoo weee.’ That’s what you’re going to say when you close the back cover of “Laws of Solomon,” knowing that you’ve just been taken on a wild up-and-down, around-and-round ride.

La Salle makes it impossible not to like Solomon, an African man who has, over time, lost nearly everything dear to him and who has no faith in much of anything. Readers get that part of the story eventually, and there’s historical authenticity in some of it, but we never really get to know Solomon, which makes the book feel dark and dangerous. Along the way, we meet and get to know his helpers, which buoys Solomon’s chase to find safety for the boy, and your heart won’t stop pounding.

Keep in mind that this is a thriller partially set in 1970s Uganda, so expect lots of violence but don’t expect a lot of people to live. If you’re up for that, find “Laws of Solomon.” You won’t be able to leave it behind.

By Barbara Bauer, Special to The Post

Floating bubbles greeted families on arrival at the Bookout Block Party held on Sat. Sept. 12 at 39th and MLK Blvd. in Oakland.

Sponsored by Marcus Books and Storyland Collective, a wonderland of activity for children stretched to Longfellow School while live music filled the air, courtesy of KWC Complex Jazz Group.

Booths lined the street with arts and crafts, and children participated in hands-on art projects. A large display of books was on display and each child chose his/her free book to take home. Food and snacks were available, and free water was encouraged to keep all hydrated.

A large area of turf was filled with huge bean bags for jumping, rolling, and sitting to listen as families crowded close to listen to Oakland Mayor Barbara Mayor Barbara Lee read a book out loud.

Of the numerous booths present were, “Claim Your Scholarship,” a program for Oakland Public School students and “VOLUNTEER NOW,” a program encouraging volunteers to help boost reading proficiency. Individuals sold their art and products. Free gifts were at many tables and a raffle was held.

The event with Marcus books culminated a summer-long program organized by Storyland Collective, a literacy arts organization bringing children’s ‘storytime,’ local authors, and art activities to Bay Area neighborhoods. Marcus Books is the oldest, independent Black-owned book store in the U.S., featuring books by and about Black people here and abroad.

Copyright: c.2026, Publisher: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, SRP: $29.95, Page Count: 338 pages

Four weeks of testing, and you’re exhausted.

Two gallons of blood, maybe three, have been removed. No lie. You’ve laid on tables, slid through machines, been scanned so much you lost count and finally, your doctors have a diagnosis. As in the new book “Curved Air” by Kevin Davies, you have hope there’s a what next?

Though the disease was known in parts of Africa and likely existed here in the United States for hundreds of years, sickle cell disease (SCD) is a relative newcomer in disease research.

Says Davies, “Sickle cell was first identified more than 120 years ago” and it was considered as a “Black disease.” Because of that, discrimination followed “sickle cell warriors” and research was scant, though white people can and do get SCD.

With “agonizing” pain as a major symptom, “SCD is one of roughly seven thousand genetic diseases” currently known to science. When someone has SCD, a genetic mutation causes their red blood cells to curve and get stuck in blood vessels, rather than flowing freely as they should. This diminishes the oxygen supply “to various parts of the body… which causes inflammation and pain,” jaundice, stroke, and damaged organs. Anemia, Davies says, can leave a patient fatigued and short of breath. Anticipating pain crises causes anxiety and PTSD.

Says Davies, “More than forty million people carry” one copy of the genetic mutation that causes SCD, and “five hundred thousand affected” babies are born with the disease per year, worldwide.

Over decades, research was done haphazardly. Papers were written; treatments were tried, used, or discarded. Doctors discovered that genetic testing could prevent new cases, a heartbreak for would-be parents. Researchers discovered that “a perfect storm” of confluence spread SCD: malaria, human population, and mosquitoes.

There was always hope that someday, sickle cell disease might be cured.

Then, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) gene-editing therapy was approved by the FDA, and a brave volunteer named Victoria Gray stepped forward…

So, you want to – need to – learn more about sickle cell disease? Is it imperative for you? Then, this is your book. But there are things you’ll want to know before you dive into “Curved Air.”

Because author Kevin Davies is the editor of The CRISPR Journal, you can expect up-to-date, cutting-edge information; but that’s a two-sided coin: the information is heavy-duty, not always easy to grasp, and it’s burdened by acronyms that can be overwhelming. Yes, that’ll inform you, but it may also send you elsewhere for further understanding, which really should’ve come from this book.

And yet, if you or someone you love has SCD, this is your book. It explains where the disease came from, why it hasn’t been completely cured yet, and what kind of hope you can hold. It’s a good start on a path to comprehension.

Also, be aware that the narrative here is sometimes padded with journalistic fluff that might annoy you if you’re eager to get to the science. Indeed, “Curved Air” will teach you. Then again, it also might test you.

By Carla Thomas

For educator, childcare provider and children’s author Tarsha Jordan, Bonita the Bumble Bee is much more than a colorful storybook character. The cheerful bee has become a teaching tool, a comforting friend and a creative way for children to explore their emotions, navigate life changes and discover the world around them.

Jordan’s inspiration for Bonita grew from her lifelong commitment to children and education. With more than 30 years of experience as an educator and administrator, she operates Kindergarten Readiness Academy, a licensed family childcare program in Oakland’s Longfellow neighborhood. The academy prepares young children socially, emotionally and academically for school.

Her firsthand experience has given Jordan a deep understanding of how children communicate, what captures their attention, and how stories can open conversations young readers may not otherwise know how to begin.

Jordan describes her mission as developing lifelong learners who love reading while introducing children to relatable characters. Bonita fulfills that mission by addressing real-life experiences in language children can understand.

In “Bonita The Bumble Bee and the Quarantine,” Jordan helped young readers process the uncertainty and isolation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. In a later book about returning to school, Bonita guided children through changing routines, expectations and emotions. Designed to promote social-emotional development and mental health awareness, editions were made available in English, Spanish and Mandarin.

Bonita’s impact becomes even more immediate when children meet the character in person. Jordan recently hosted a Mommy and Me children’s tea party at Bay Street Emeryville, where Bonita buzzed around the event, greeted young guests and brought the literary character to life.

“The children can interact with the character, experience the excitement of seeing a familiar literary friend come to life and develop an even stronger connection with reading,” Jordan said.

For children of color, that connection carries another important dimension: representation. Children benefit from seeing themselves reflected in books, educational environments, imaginative characters and the people creating those stories.

Jordan also believes Bonita expands children’s imaginations and encourages them to envision new possibilities.

“When children of color see authors that look like them creating books, building educational programs and bringing original characters into their communities, they are exposed to the possibilities beyond the story itself,” Jordan said. “They can begin to imagine themselves as writers, educators, entrepreneurs, artists and creators.”

Founded to introduce STEAM, (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) to children in transitional kindergarten through third grade, Bonita The Bumble Bee also addresses neurodivergent behaviors.

Known to young learners as “Teacher Tarsha,” Jordan combines Bonita’s whimsical personality with hands-on experiments and activities for children ages 3 to 8. The experiences promote early literacy, strengthen problem-solving skills and give children tools for managing their emotional health.

Jordan holds master’s degrees in education and public administration and is pursuing a doctorate in education. Her academic preparation and extensive classroom experience help her create programs that are both engaging and developmentally meaningful.

“We’re hoping to take Bonita to the next level and welcome new partnerships,” Jordan said.

Visit BonitaTheBumbleBee.com

By Gwen McKinney

For much of her childhood, Rosalyn Coates endured severe asthma. Confined to limited physical activity, she had to swap galloping with neighborhood kids for a seat on the porch.

But never alone, Coates, called “Roz” by friends, always invited her trusty companion: a good book. “All I could do is sit my buns still and read.”

So began the literary journey for Coates, 71, a retired attorney and **Oracle Set Book Club** member who helped incorporate the group’s nonprofit foundation, which has awarded annual scholarships to Washington, D.C., school students since 1999.

Touted as the oldest continuously operating Black women’s literary circle in Washington, D.C., Oracle Set was launched in 1966 by Claudette Franklin, a passionate literacy advocate who assembled the original 15 members and remained active until her death in 1996. Two founding members, Bernadette Derr and Maggalean Westin, remain active six decades later.

Today, members range in age from mid-30s to 80 and are capped at 18 members. Like most Black women reading circles, they traverse genres and hold rotating meetings at members’ homes, with good food and fellowship always on the menu.

A slice of joy and community, Oracle Set inspires self-determination, says Coates. “More than coming together to read, we affirm who we are through _what_ we read. We don’t wait for _The New York Times_ best sellers list to tell us what to choose. Our group opens us, not just to reading, but to the world that books inhabit.”

That same premise — radical and pioneering for their time — was embraced by one of the first recorded Black women’s reading groups. **The Female Literary Association**, founded by educator **Sara Mapps Douglas** in 1831, was based in Philadelphia and composed of “free” literate Black women.

Mostly leaders in the anti-slavery and suffrage movements, they were avid readers, writers and activists. They shared their own essays with the reading circle and delved into scripture, poetry and abolitionist journals. As the 19th century progressed into post-slavery emancipation, mutual aid for southern sisters and their kin was a hallmark activity of these literary circles, often called women’s clubs. Black women’s literary clubs would blossom over the decades that followed, taking root in Detroit, New York, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Washington, D.C.

Kathy Freeman says those bold intentions of ancestors dating back two centuries remain in our bones. Leader of A Gathering of Women Readers in Philadelphia, she says Black women have instinctively embraced the causes of family, community and the world.

“For women who look like me, book clubs are built upon collective actions. While everyone isn’t left-leaning, we are all humanists.”

Black women’s literary circles rebuke patriarchy, Freeman asserts. “Though we are the backbone of every movement we support – the church, civil rights, Black liberation – we usually go unrecognized. But in our book clubs everyone has a voice.”

Freeman’s group has supported medical drives for Cuba, clothing drives for Senegal, local book drives and summer camp for the city’s unhoused population. They host guest speakers from Philly and beyond. One, a few years before the assaults in Gaza, was Palestinian-American activist/author Susan Abulhawa.

Freeman, 69, a “happily retired” program analyst for the Philadelphia Health Department, started the reading group eight years ago. They gather quarterly, 13 strong, with two books for discussion and always open with wellness check-ins.

Most active in-person clubs skew older. However, the mix is intergenerational and convened online, by sororities, churches, social clubs and even celebrities (Oprah Book Club).

Monique Greenwood, Co-founder of**Go On Girl Book Club** (GOGBC), points to the sense of belonging that book clubs invoke. She remembers 1991, when her two friends, Tracy Mitchell-Brown and Lynda Johnson, were engrossed in chats about a book they were both coincidentally reading, _No Easy Place to Be,_ a debut novel by Steven Corbin about the Harlem Renaissance.

“I was feeling very left out…and wanted to be part of what seemed like a really important fellowship.” From there, the trio planted the seeds of Go On Girl Book Club.

Greenwood, 67, former editor-in-chief of _Essence_ and now owner of Akwaaba Bed and Breakfast Inns, anchored the first group in New York City. “We were casually structured, guided by some important criteria. Our membership was capped at 12 to coincide with the months we would meet.”

“Reading and reflection of the books served merely as a jumping-off point to share and exchange ideas; to hear each other’s voices,” Greenwood offered.

As members relocated, some carried the model with them, starting new chapters in other cities. Today, one of the nation’s largest in-person literary circles, Go On Girl claims 51 chapters and more than 500 members across the country. They hold an annual conference, distribute merchandise, and in 1999, wrote the book on book clubs.

The _Go On Girl! Book Club Guide for Reading Groups_, authored by the three founders, is a roadmap for starting, structuring and sustaining a successful literary circle, featuring reading lists, author chats and discussion questions.

Joyce Ferguson-Fleming and her D.C.-based Sister Girls Book Club recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. Ferguson-Fleming, 77, a voracious lifelong reader, was filling a void left by her daughter’s departure for college. She was not necessarily looking for new friends, but instead was mission-driven to assemble like-minded Black women.

“The goal was simple — a book club where everyone was invested in reading.  We didn’t come together as best friends, but as book lovers.”

Founder Ferguson-Fleming was joined for an interview with original members Lisa Griffith and Shelly Jackson.

Griffith, 71, said the idea of a book club was kicked around for at least two years. “One day Joyce set a date and time, and we started with eight members.” Over the 25 years, members have come and gone, but most have been with the book club for 15 years or more.

Said Jackson, “Joyce actually used our workplace — the DC Municipal Court — as her recruitment ground.”  Jackson, 64, a probation officer, said members included attorneys, administrators, clerks, and social workers. “We were all open to wide genres and themes, different perspectives, honest discussions. … No one judging you.”

“We feed each other,” adds Griffith, a retired court reporter.  “We lay out food, ideas, and nourish each other emotionally and spiritually…We go places I wouldn’t go on my own. Through Sister Girls, I am exposed.”

Over the decades they’ve enjoyed field trips, celebrated milestone birthdays, mourned the passing of members’ loved ones and cheered the birth of grandbabies. “We’ve grown from a reading circle to a sisterhood,” confides Ferguson-Fleming.

The legions of Black women book club members tell a bigger story in data released by Pew Research Center in 2014 exploring reading habits of Americans. Pew found that women across races and socioeconomic statuses read considerably more than their male counterparts. But Black women, especially college-educated, read the most, surpassing _all_ demographic groups in consumption of every book format — bound, audiobooks and e-books.

Curtis Bunn, a retired journalist and author of 14 books, attests to the Pew findings. “Black women absorb passion more than any other demographic group.”

Even before his 1999 debut novel _Baggage Check_ hit #1 on the _Essence_ Book List, Bunn embraced the word-of-mouth magic of Black women readers and embarked on speaking tours to book clubs across the country. “I always left those book clubs feeling uplifted. It was like going to church,” recalls Bunn, 65. “You get feedback that makes you a better writer.”

That feeling of being “immersed in a sustained happy hour” convinced Bunn to launch **The National Book Club Conference** in 2003. Nicknamed “Literary Bliss Weekend,” he marked the 22nd anniversary this year. Held in Atlanta and attended by some 400 primarily Black women (95%), conferees pay $350 for a series of general sessions, an awards event and breakout workshops attended by prominent authors and public luminaries.

“During the first conference I was in tears most of the weekend,” Bunn remembers. “The camaraderie, energy and joy made everyone feel they were where they were supposed to be. It’s more than meeting the author and other book club members. It’s an immersive experience!”

As technology changed how readers connect, Black women’s literary communities expanded beyond in-person living rooms. Glory Edim, 44, targeted a massive online community, appealing to younger Black women with **Well-Read Black Girl** in 2015. The online platform and book club, fueled by social media, claims more than 400,000 followers dedicated to celebrating the works of Black women authors. Well-Read also sponsors local in-person chapters across the country., hosting book festivals, a podcast and author conversations.

An _Essence_ article about Well-Read Black Girl inspired Kodee Brown, 35, to start a group in Greenville, South Carolina, in 2019. Working with an independent bookstore as the bookseller and venue host, Brown put out the call for members. Surprisingly, many showed up, including several White women.

“Our invitation emphasized everyone was welcome. but we were clear our focus was on Black women authors and the Black experience,” explains Brown. “Some of the White women came genuinely to connect as allies, others out of curiosity.”

Eventually, when membership was capped at 15, about three White women remained. At times, Brown believed the racial mix made conversations challenging and members often censored themselves. During her facilitation of the group, she worked hard to create a safe space.

The Greenville group, composed mostly of Black women, continues. After two years in leadership, Brown relocated to Charleston and stepped down, responding to the busy demands of her nursing career,  an advanced degree and eventually motherhood.

Now the mom of 4-year-old twins, Brown says she has passed on the passion for books to her girls. “From the time they were infants, we read to them. They could read before they could walk.”

“The book club was a time of joy,” Brown recalls. “I gained friends who have remained steadfast to this day. In those book groups we could hear each other.”

Being seen and heard is Marcie Thomas’ preoccupation. Founder of the**Brown Girl Collective**(BGC), she sponsors virtual book clubs, wellness sessions and author chats, a path that began in 2009, first focusing on research about Black women who were often ignored and invisible.

The pandemic accelerated the possibilities of virtual gathering, allowing literary communities to reach women well beyond their immediate neighborhoods. And Thomas, 59, saw an opportunity to stoke her passion for reading.

“Because I’ve always enjoyed reading, it spurred me to start a virtual book club.”

With Black women readers top of mind, Thomas has targeted nonfiction authors, novelists, poets, filmmakers and other content producers. What began as a monthly virtual event in 2020 has expanded to twice a week, featuring the Monday book club and Wednesday _Live Well Sister_. “No matter how old we are,” says Thomas, “there’s a little brown girl that lives within all of us.”

Across nearly two centuries, Black women have gathered in parlors and living rooms, from bookstores, conference halls and digital screens. The books bring them into the space. What they build together keeps them coming back.