Status
Available
Publication
Balzer Bray (2021), 224 pages
Library's review
The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 was not only a devastating attack on one community, but part of a history of violence against African Americans.
The attack on the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, that began on May 31, 1921, was triggered in part by a mob of Whites seeking to punish an African
A compelling recounting that invites and encourages readers to grapple with difficult history. (afterword, bibliography, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)
-Kirkus Review
The attack on the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, that began on May 31, 1921, was triggered in part by a mob of Whites seeking to punish an African
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American teenager for allegedly assaulting a White woman. However, this exploration shows that the violence that destroyed the thriving community known as Black Wall Street was part of a long history of brutality and displacement. In addition to describing the event itself and the subsequent active suppression of information about it, Colbert provides important context for the founding of Tulsa, as Muscogee (Creek) people who were forcibly removed from their land by the U.S. government settled there in 1833. The end of Reconstruction saw paroxysms of violence and the rise in discriminatory laws against African Americans, and many sought sanctuary in Indian Territory. By weaving together many elements, this sophisticated volume makes clear that the destruction of Black property and lives in the Tulsa Race Massacre was not an isolated incident. Beginning with the author’s personal foreword and continuing throughout the detailed narrative, readers are guided to see the complex, interconnected nature of history. The clear, readable prose supports a greater understanding both of how and why incidents like the one in Tulsa happened and their exclusion from curriculum and conversations about U.S. history.A compelling recounting that invites and encourages readers to grapple with difficult history. (afterword, bibliography, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)
-Kirkus Review
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Awards
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Winner — Nonfiction — 2022)
Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards (Finalist — Young Adult — 2022)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Young Adult — 2023)
NCSLMA Battle of the Books (High School — 2023)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — High School — 2024)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2023)
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction (Finalist — 2022)
CCBC Choices (2022)
Nerdy Book Award (2021)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Teen — 2021)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Teens (Nonfiction — 2021)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Teens (Nonfiction — 2021)
Project LIT Book Selection (Young Adult — 2023)
OYAN Book Rave (2022)
Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List (Grades 9-12 — 2023)
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0063056666 / 9780063056664