Read 'Allegedly' With Bustle's Book Club This May!

Five months in and 2017 has definitely been a roller coaster ride. But one thing we have always been able to depend on is books... and now Bustle's American Woman Book Club. Every month this year the club has come together online on Goodreads and in person at The Strand Bookstore to discuss a timely read that speaks to some aspect of the incredibly diverse experience of being a woman. In May, we'll be turning to Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson. And now has never been a better time to join in.

Allegedly tells the haunting and heartwrenching story of Mary B. Addison, who killed a baby. Allegedly. Mary didn't say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: A white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? She wouldn't say.

Mary survived six years in juvenile hall before being dumped in a group home. But the house isn't really "home" — no place where you fear for your life can be considered a home. Home is Ted, who she meets on assignment at a nursing home. There wasn't a point to setting the record straight before, but now she's got Ted — and their unborn child — to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary must find the voice to fight her past. And her fate lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But who really knows the real Mary?

Allegedly tackles issues of race in the justice system, coming of age as a black woman, and finding your voice in a world that is trying to silence you... all extremely timely issues that deserve to be faced head on. So, go grab a copy and come read along with us!

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson, $16.19, Strand Book Store

To join Bustle's American Woman Book Club, all you have to do is follow us on Goodreads and take part in with the discussion! And if you're in New York City, be sure to stay tuned for more information about our event at Strand Book Store.