What we’re about
We are a group of black women who love to read, want to read more and meet like-minded women. We are here to inspire women to read, share literature, fellowship, and encourage others in the joy of reading. We meet at Antigone Books bookstore location (411 N. 4th Ave. Tucson, AZ. 85705). We are an eclectic group of women and so are our reading selections. Find out more at our website http://mochagirlsread.com
Sponsors
See all
My Hair Can by Matt FortéGet your copy now.
Antigone BooksSupport our book club location
DonateHelp Mocha Girls Read stay free to all Black women
GrouperFor members ages 65+, get paid to attend MGR meetings!
ZazzleBuy your Mocha Girls Read t-shirt today & show off that book club pride.
AmazonBuy books from indie bookshops & everything else from here- My Hair Can by Matt FortéGet your copy now.
- Antigone BooksSupport our book club location
- DonateHelp Mocha Girls Read stay free to all Black women
- GrouperFor members ages 65+, get paid to attend MGR meetings!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Network event6 attendees from 13 groups hostingMGR July 2025 NewsletterOnline / Your Home, Los Angeles, CA
*** This is not an event, just a monthly Mocha Girl Read newsletter. ***
July 2025
📖 Nominations for August Monthly Selection 📖
Each month Mocha Girls Read members select one book to nominate for our monthly selection. To make the nomination process easier, we will give you a theme for the upcoming month. This way we can mix up the genre, authors, & themes. All you have to do is add your book nomination to our site from 7/7/2025 to 7/13/2025. Then from 7/14/2025 to 7/20/2025, the polls will be open for voting. The book with the most votes wins!
The winner will be announced on 7/21/2025.Theme for AUGUST
THE BEST MAN
(Any book by a Black Male Author.)*Remember one nomination and three votes per person.*
Augustravaganza is baacckk!
Get ready, Mocha Girls, because AUGUSTRAVAGANZA! is back and better than ever for 2025! This August, we're dedicating the entire month to YOU – think fun, growth, and good vibes, all from the comfort of your own space.
We've got a fantastic lineup of activities designed to keep us connected and entertained, even when we're apart. Get ready for:
📖 Reading Adventures: Dive into new stories and discussions!🚶♀️ Wellness Walks: Get those steps in and enjoy the outdoors! 💡 Learning Labs: Discover something new and expand your horizons! ☕ Sip & Swap: Connect, chat, and swap some books! ...and so much more!All the exciting details and links to join the fun will be posted right here: https://www.meetup.com/pro/mocha-girls-read
Let's make this August unforgettable!
📕 What are we reading this month? 📕
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Gracetown, Florida
June 1950
Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.
The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.
FOLLOW US /LIKE US/ STALK US📲❤️ - Network event20 attendees from 12 groups hosting(ONLINE) Book Club Meeting: "The Reformatory" by Tananarive DueLink visible for attendees
Greetings Mocha Girls,
I hope this message finds everyone well.
Please join us on Google Meet where we will have our discussion virtually.
The link will be visible once you RSVP.Warmly,
Mocha Girl SharniseOur July 2025 monthly book selection is "The Reformatory" by Tananarive Due.
Remember, if you don't finish the book, you are still welcome, so come anyway!
R.S.V.P. Etiquette:
Please make sure to RSVP to an event or book club meeting ONLY if you are going. Do not RSVP if you are thinking about going or would like to go.
Thanks in advance and I can't wait to see you all!REMEMBER:
Support a Black-owned Bookstore called RESIST BOOKSELLERS and get 15% off when you use the code MGR22.About the Book:
Gracetown, Florida.June 1950.
Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens Jr. is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.
Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.
The Reformatory is a “hallucinatory, haunting, terrifying, and moving” (S.A. Cosby, bestselling author of All the Sinners Bleed) work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.
About the Author:
TANANARIVE DUE (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is an award-winning author who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA.A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include The Reformatory (October 31, 2023), The Wishing Pool and Other Stories, Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights.
She and her husband/collaborator, Steven Barnes, wrote the Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan. Due and Barnes co-host a podcast, “Lifewriting: Write for Your Life!”
Join her email list at www.tananarivelist.com
- Network event12 attendees from 11 groups hosting(ONLINE) Book Club Meeting: "The Reformatory" by Tananarive DueLink visible for attendees
## Details
Greetings Mocha Girls,
I hope this message finds everyone well.
Please join us on Google Meet where we will have our discussion virtually.
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/swr-mdav-ktu
Or dial: +1 573-741-0100 PIN: 923600309Warmly,
Mocha Girl Rene’e
Our July 2025 monthly book selection is "The Reformatory" by Tananarive Due.
Remember, if you don't finish the book, you are still welcome, so come anyway!
R.S.V.P. Etiquette:
Please make sure to RSVP to an event or book club meeting ONLY if you are going. Do not RSVP if you are thinking about going or would like to go.
Thanks in advance and I can't wait to see you all!REMEMBER:
Support a Black-owned Bookstore called RESIST BOOKSELLERS and get 15% off when you use the code MGR22.About the Book:
Gracetown, Florida.June 1950.
Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens Jr. is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.
Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.
The Reformatory is a “hallucinatory, haunting, terrifying, and moving” (S.A. Cosby, bestselling author of All the Sinners Bleed) work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.
About the Author:
TANANARIVE DUE (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is an award-winning author who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA.
A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include The Reformatory (October 31, 2023), The Wishing Pool and Other Stories, Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights.
She and her husband/collaborator, Steven Barnes, wrote the Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan. Due and Barnes co-host a podcast, “Lifewriting: Write for Your Life!”
Join her email list at www.tananarivelist.com
Past events (818)
See all- Network event14 attendees from 12 groups hostingReading Time - Reading Apart TogetherThis event has passed