In addition to being an activist and actress, Gabrielle Union is also the bestselling author of the memoir We’re Going to Need More Wine and the children’s book Welcome to the Party. Here’s what she’s reading this summer.

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

Prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson shares essays exploring his childhood, adolescence and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. This young-adult memoir beautifully narrates the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys. Union was such a fan of the work she recently optioned the television rights for the book and is developing it for Sony TV.

“Being a parent to a queer identifying daughter has given me the platform to make sure that these stories are being told in a truthful and authentic way and George’s memoir gives you the blueprint for that and more.”

–Gabrielle Union to Deadline

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Also loved by Reese’s Book Club, Such a Fun Age is a story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for normalcy, for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in. Yet as her dream grows more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife.

“The first book I read as a young adult that truly spoke to me about egocentric beauty ideals and white supremacy. I saw myself clearly in these pages as Pecola searched to be seen. A powerful, powerful book.”

-Gabrielle Union about The Bluest Eye

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

Solene Marchand is a single mother to a teenage daughter and desperate to make a connection with her. When world-famous boy band August Moon comes through town, Solene begins to find solace with band member Hayes Campbell. Clandestine trips and stadium tours give way to a real stakes relationship. As the relationship moves public, she and her daughter face backlash and Solene must come to terms with the consequences of this love affair.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

A Little Life follows four college classmates–broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition–as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis.

“The book has been a great resource when having the difficult and necessary conversations about race with teens and adults.”

-Gabrielle Union discussing Between the world and Me