Read with Purpose: Your May Book Holiday Guide

May is almost here, and it's not going to be just about warmer weather and blooming flowers — it's also going to be about celebrating stories in all their powerful, unapologetic glory! From Get Caught Reading Month to Latina Book Month and Black Authors Day, May is packed with opportunities to do more than just read — it’s about amplifying voices, pushing back against censorship, and building a community that thrives on inclusivity and representation. Think of it as your own may book holiday — a time to escape into stories that matter and champion the authors who write them. Every book you pick up this month is more than just a story — it's an act of resistance. It's a chance to celebrate the incredible voices that have been silenced for too long, and it’s a call to stand up for a world where everyone has a seat at the table. Whether you’re diving into a banned book, reading the latest by your favorite queer author, or sharing a story with your kids, each page you turn helps build a more connected, empathetic, and just world. So, let’s make May a month of bold reads, big ideas, and real change!

📙Get Caught Reading Month

May is officially Get Caught Reading Month, and it's all about promoting reading in a way that’s fun, freeing, and, most importantly, visible. It’s the perfect time to share the joy of reading with your community, to show off those books that make your heart race, and to be proudly seen enjoying stories that are often overlooked or silenced. But here’s the thing — it’s not just about the book in your hands. It’s about the message you're sending by choosing to read books that challenge the status quo. Reading banned, queer, or BIPOC-authored books in public is more than just a personal pleasure — it’s a joyful rebellion. It’s a way to say, “I see these voices. I hear these stories. And I stand with them.”

Every time you pick up a book that’s been challenged or banned, you’re participating in an act of resistance. You're saying no to censorship and yes to stories that need to be told. So, why not make it a fun rebellion? Get Caught Reading is all about celebrating visibility and the power of stories. When you read in public, especially with books that are often banned or challenged, you’re sending a message: these voices matter. These stories belong.

"Get Caught Reading" Challenge: Let’s make reading even more fun and intentional this May. We challenge you to snap a photo of yourself reading a banned book, a book by a queer author, or a BIPOC writer, and share it with the world! Tag @NovelDesignsCo on social media and use the hashtag #GetCaughtReading. The more we share, the more we normalize these essential stories and support marginalized voices.

Not sure where to start? No worries! Here’s a quick list of books you can dive into — books that have been banned, challenged, or otherwise pushed to the margins:

• "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas – A powerful look at race, identity, and activism.

• "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe – A raw, honest exploration of gender identity.

• "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi – A groundbreaking work about the history and impact of racism.

• "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera – A heartbreaking LGBTQIA+ love story that defies norms.

• "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison – A classic work that explores racial trauma and beauty.

• "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel – A graphic memoir about growing up queer and coming to terms with family.

• "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara – A deeply moving story that tackles themes of friendship, trauma, and healing.

📘Short Story Month

May is Short Story Month, a time to celebrate the beauty, power, and art of short fiction. While novels often get the spotlight, short stories hold a unique magic: they pack immense power into a small, concentrated space. The ability to deliver a compelling narrative, evoke deep emotions, and challenge norms in just a few pages is no small feat. Short stories have long been a space for innovation, freedom, and expression. They break boundaries, compress ideas, and punch above their weight in terms of cultural impact. For marginalized communities, short stories have historically been a form of resistance and survival. Writers from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other oppressed groups have used short fiction to preserve their cultural histories, confront societal injustices, and amplify voices that are often silenced.

Short stories aren’t just entertaining — they’re a tool for cultural preservation, for sharing experiences that might otherwise go unnoticed or unrecognized. In times when books and ideas are suppressed, short fiction allows writers to slip their voices into the world, often under the radar of censorship. For marginalized communities, short stories have been vital in telling their truths, confronting issues of identity, race, and sexuality, and preserving cultural narratives. These brief but powerful narratives can provide a glimpse into the heart of the human experience, challenging perspectives and fostering empathy in ways that other mediums can’t always achieve.

Short Story Collections by BIPOC and Queer Authors: This month is the perfect time to highlight collections that reflect diverse experiences and voices, especially those that have been suppressed or underrepresented in mainstream literature. Here are a few must-read collections by BIPOC and queer authors:

• "The Thing Around Your Neck" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – A powerful collection of short stories that explore the Nigerian diaspora and the complexities of identity.

• "Her Body and Other Parties" by Carmen Maria Machado – A genre-bending collection that mixes horror, fantasy, and feminist themes, bringing queer stories to the forefront.

• "Black Boy Joy" edited by Kwame Mbalia – A celebration of Black boyhood, filled with short stories that depict joy, friendship, love, and self-discovery.

• "The Unquiet" by Mikaella Clements – A gripping collection of queer stories that explore love, loss, and the struggle for self-identity.

• "A World of Love" by Elizabeth Bowen – A stunning set of stories focusing on love, relationships, and social expectations in complex, marginalized communities.

• "The Refugees" by Viet Thanh Nguyen – This collection captures the experience of Vietnamese refugees, exploring themes of displacement and cultural preservation.

• "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by Emily M. Danforth – While this one’s a novel, its short-story structure and exploration of queer identity in a small town provides a perfect read for anyone wanting a coming-of-age exploration.

These stories not only entertain but serve as windows into different worlds and cultures, allowing readers to understand and empathize with experiences that may differ from their own.

Join Our Mini-Readathon: To celebrate Short Story Month, pick a banned short story by a marginalized author, snap a pic, and tag us. Let’s celebrate these voices all month long! #ReadResistRebel

📗Latina Book Month

May is also Latina Book Month, a time to shine a spotlight on the incredible contributions of Latinx authors to the literary world. This month is all about celebrating the rich diversity, heritage, and powerful narratives of Latinx communities through literature. It’s an opportunity to honor voices that have often been overlooked or marginalized in mainstream media and to uplift stories that reflect the beauty and complexity of Latinx identities.

Latina authors bring a unique perspective to literature, challenging stereotypes and expanding the ways we understand not just Latinx culture but the broader human experience. Through their words, they share stories that range from personal to political, from deeply intimate to globally significant, and they do so with a fierce commitment to truth, resistance, and cultural preservation. Latina Book Month is a celebration of how these voices fight to be heard, resist oppression, and offer invaluable insight into the intersections of identity, family, migration, and belonging. By reading and supporting Latina authors, we aren’t just discovering incredible works of fiction; we’re supporting resistance against the erasure of Latinx culture and history. These books carry the weight of cultural preservation, defiance, and empowerment. They remind us that stories—especially those of marginalized communities—are essential for social change and for shaping a more inclusive world.

Curated Booklist of Banned/Underrepresented Latina Authors: Let’s amplify the voices that have been silenced or pushed to the margins.

• "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros – A landmark work that gives voice to the experiences of Latina women growing up in Chicago, blending poetry and prose to paint a powerful picture of identity, place, and belonging.

• "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez – A moving novel about the Mirabal sisters, who fought against the Dominican Republic’s dictatorship. It’s a tale of resistance, bravery, and the power of memory.

• "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya – A deeply spiritual novel that explores the coming-of-age of a young boy in New Mexico, grappling with cultural traditions, spirituality, and identity.

• "The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo – A gripping and lyrical story about a young Dominican girl’s journey to self-expression and empowerment through poetry, defying the expectations placed on her by society and her family.

• "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez – A raw, emotionally charged novel about family expectations, grief, and the desire for personal freedom. It pushes back against the myth of the “perfect” Latina daughter.

• "Mexican Gothic" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – A chilling novel that blends gothic horror with Mexican history and culture, challenging both genre conventions and societal expectations of Latinx women in literature.

• "The Distance Between Us" by Reyna Grande – A memoir that traces the author’s journey from Mexico to the United States, highlighting the immigrant experience with raw emotion and honesty.

• "Caramelo" by Sandra Cisneros – A multigenerational story that weaves together family, culture, and the complexities of growing up between two cultures.

Support the resistance: Choose a book from this list (or another favorite of yours!) and share it with your community. Post a photo, share your thoughts, and let’s start a conversation about how these authors are reshaping narratives and pushing boundaries.

📙Children's Book Week (May 6-12)

Children’s Book Week (May 6-12) is a dedicated celebration of the books that shape young minds and encourage a lifelong love of reading. It’s a time to recognize the importance of children’s literature in fostering creativity, curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking. The stories children engage with have the power to shape how they see the world and understand their place in it. That’s why it’s so important to offer them books that reflect the full spectrum of human experience. Children’s Book Week encourages us to support books that showcase diverse voices, experiences, and cultures, giving young readers characters and stories they can relate to, and helping them develop a sense of belonging. Books are an essential tool for cultivating empathy, and when children see themselves and others reflected in the stories they read, it opens up a world of possibilities.

When children have access to inclusive books—whether featuring queer characters, characters of color, or stories from different cultural perspectives—they are empowered to see the beauty in diversity and to understand that the world is a place where many voices deserve to be heard. Sadly, many of these inclusive books are under attack through book bans, aiming to limit children’s exposure to diverse ideas. This is why it’s more crucial than ever to fight for access to these stories. By advocating for inclusive children’s books, we are not only protecting young readers' right to see themselves in the stories they read but also fostering a more compassionate and inclusive future. Books like "The Proudest Blue" by Ibtihaj Muhammad, "Last Stop on Market Street" by Matt de la Peña, and "Julian is a Mermaid" by Jessica Love offer vital representations of diversity and inclusion. Sharing lists of banned or challenged books, and explaining why it’s essential to continue to fight for the inclusion of these books in libraries, schools, and homes, helps protect the next generation's right to see the world in all its vibrant complexity.

📚Reading is Fun Week (May 12-18)

Reading is Fun Week (May 12-18) is a celebration of the sheer joy that reading brings. It’s a reminder that books are not just tools for learning—they are avenues for escape, adventure, connection, and self-discovery. In a world where stress, news cycles, and daily challenges can feel overwhelming, Reading is Fun Week encourages us to take a step back and reclaim the joy of reading. It’s a time to indulge in stories that uplift us, entertain us, and spark our imaginations. But beyond just pleasure, reading also has the power to transport us into different worlds and perspectives, which is why it’s essential to center books by marginalized voices during this week. Queer, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous stories offer not only joy but also liberation and empowerment, showing us that the act of reading these narratives can be both fun and freeing. By embracing the stories of those who have been historically silenced or oppressed, we create space for more diverse expressions of joy in literature.

This week is a chance to reclaim reading as a space of fun, rebellion, and liberation. When we engage with books by marginalized authors, we are not just reading for entertainment—we’re also participating in a form of joyful resistance. By diving into queer, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous stories, we celebrate the power of storytelling as a tool for empowerment and freedom. Reading is Fun Week serves as a perfect reminder that joy and activism can—and should—go hand in hand.

📔Make a Book Day (May 7)

Make a Book Day on May 7 is all about channeling your creativity into the art of book-making. It’s a day to celebrate the act of crafting your own stories, whether that’s through a simple mini-book, a zine, or any other form of written expression. In a world that often silences marginalized voices, creating your own books and stories is a radical act of storytelling — a declaration that your narrative matters. It’s an opportunity to reclaim space and amplify voices that have been overlooked, erased, or oppressed. The power of making a book lies in its ability to create something tangible, something deeply personal, that others can connect with and learn from. For marginalized communities, self-publishing through zines or mini-books can be a crucial way to share experiences, resistance, and activism in a world that often dismisses these narratives. Make a Book Day invites everyone, especially those whose stories are underrepresented, to pick up a pen, gather their thoughts, and craft a book that speaks to their truth and vision for the world.

How To:

• All you need is paper, a pen, and some creativity.

• Share why reading matters to you, or to speak about the importance of literacy in resistance and social change.

• Share your creations!

📖Black Authors Day (May 7)

National Black Authors Day on May 7 is a day to honor and celebrate the incredible contributions of Black authors to literature and culture. These authors have historically been at the forefront of social change, offering profound insights into race, identity, and the human experience. However, many of their works have been banned, challenged, or marginalized due to their powerful messages and unapologetic exploration of Black life and history. It’s crucial to continue elevating and amplifying these voices, not only as a means of preserving their stories but also as a form of resistance against censorship. By reading, sharing, and supporting Black authors, we ensure their voices remain heard in the face of systemic oppression and erasure. National Black Authors Day encourages us to reflect on the essential role that Black literature plays in shaping our world and to actively work towards keeping these narratives front and center.

Diving into some essential Black authors whose works have been banned or challenged — writers like Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Their books are powerful tools for understanding the complexities of race, identity, and society. Pair your reading with action by supporting Black literacy initiatives or contributing to banned book funds, helping ensure that these essential works remain available and accessible for all readers. Reading with purpose is a powerful way to honor these authors and their legacies.

May is more than just a month to mark on the calendar—it’s a powerful reminder that the fight for freedom, inclusion, and representation is ongoing, and it’s a time for us to act, celebrate, and stand in solidarity with those who are too often silenced. From Get Caught Reading Month to Children’s Book Week, every day is an opportunity to amplify the voices that have been marginalized, defy the forces of censorship, and build a world where literature can be a force for connection and change. This month isn’t just about celebrating the power of books—it’s about committing to the continued fight for a more inclusive future where every voice is heard, valued, and respected. So let’s keep the momentum going:

Read boldly. Dive into stories that challenge, uplift, and expand your worldview.

Share loudly. Spread the word about the importance of diverse, banned, and challenged books.

Support fiercely. Whether it’s donating to literacy initiatives, advocating for the protection of inclusive books, or simply making sure marginalized voices remain visible in your daily reading, your actions can make a difference.

And remember, if you’re looking for more ways to contribute, check out our collection of banned books, empowering apparel, advocacy kits, and more. Every purchase you make supports our mission to keep these vital stories alive, while also helping to fund the fight against censorship. Let’s make this May a month of action that echoes for years to come!