The Breedlove Readers, a teen book club run by Courtney Mauldin, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, is getting ready to welcome its fourth cohort of middle and high school Black girls who are fans of young adult fiction.
The deadline to sign up for the Fall 2022 series is Sept. 29, 2022. The club meets in the Southside Communications Center, 2331 South Salina St. Syracuse, NY, on the following Saturdays between 1 and 3 p.m.:
- October 22: Reading PET by Akwaeke Emezi
- November 19: Reading American Street by Ibi Zoboi
- December 17: Reading Blackout by Angie Thomas
Participants receive books and materials at each meeting, with the first book mailed ahead of the October 22 get-together. “This year we are partnering with Syracuse’s newest local bookstore—Parthenon Books—for our kickoff meeting. In doing so, we are supporting a local business which has a fantastic YA selection that mirrors the types of novels our book club reads,” says Mauldin. “We also are again working with Rochele Royster, Assistant Professor of Art Therapy, who led a collective mask art project for our last cohort of young readers. Plus, we’ve been fortunate to have two authors of the books we’ve read join us virtually and talk about their work as well.”
The book club was formed in 2020 by Mauldin and Marcelle Haddix, Syracuse University Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Distinguished Dean’s Professor of Literacy, Race, and Justice. At that time, both Haddix and Mauldin were wondering how Black girls between 14 and 18 years old were holding up during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The two came across the PGR Foundation, which stands for “Poised, Gifted, and Ready.” This nonprofit organization mentors girls between 6 and 18 years old, focusing on community service and socializing through “sister bonding” events.
Mauldin and Haddix wanted to do something similar in their community, so they combined their love of books with PGRs mentorship model to create The Breedlove Readers. Additionally, they wanted to explore current racial topics with the students amidst the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.
When coming up with a name for the club, Mauldin recalled The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. “We were thinking about the character Pecola Breedlove and how much she struggled to be in love with herself and be comfortable in her own skin,” she says. “The idea was to reclaim the Breedlove name as one by which girls love all aspects of themselves.”
Since its inception, the club has picked novels with themes that resonate with its young members, such as harassment, body shaming, what love is, and activism. This range allows for deep discussions amongst the group paired with a writing exercise and the ability to respond to the text through creation of art, Mauldin explains.
Follow the club on social media by searching for “The Breedlove Readers.” Questions can be directed to thebreedlovereaders@gmail.com.
This story is adapted from an article that first appeared in The Stand in October 2021, written by Brittany Miller. The photo of Haddix and Mauldin is by The Stand Director Ashley Kang ’04, G’11.