The first thing I feel the need to point about this book is that it refers to the event correctly. Other things I've read or heard about this call it the "Tulsa Race Riot". And Weatherford correctly identifies it as a massacre. The information ire relayed in a gentle, measure way. Each new element starts with "once upon a time" and then tells us a little information that influences what happened. Thus we learn about the population of the region; how Greenwood became segregated and the Black population became successful and the growing financial disparity between the two groups. We learn about systemic racism and the outbreak of horrific violence ruled by anger and jealousy. This story of cruelty and destruction is told in as gentle and sensitive a way possible and doesn't stop with the massacre. We're told how the event was covered up, only recently fully acknowledged and reconciled by the public. The illustrations are stylized but detailed and capture the feel of the era. And while the text doesn't go into much detail, there is a more involved author's note that give a fair amount of information. An absolute must have for a Black History collection.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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