On the morning of June 1, 1921, a white mob numbering in the thousands marched across the railroad tracks dividing black from white in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and obliterated a black community then celebrated as one of America’s most prosperous. 34 square blocks of Tulsa’s Greenwood community, known then as the Negro Wall Street of America, were reduced to smoldering rubble.And now, 80 years later, the … later, the death toll of what is known as the Tulsa Race Riot is more difficult to pinpoint. Conservative estimates put the number of dead at about 100 (75% of the victims are believed to have been black), but the actual number of casualties could be triple that. The Tulsa Race Riot Commission, formed two years ago to determine exactly what happened, has recommended that restitution to the historic Greenwood Community would be good public policy and do much to repair the emotional as well as physical scars of this most terrible incident in our shared past.
With chilling details, humanity, and the narrative thrust of compelling fiction, The Burning will recreate the town of Greenwood at the height of its prosperity, explore the currents of hatred, racism, and mistrust between its black residents and neighboring Tulsa’s white population, narrate events leading up to and including Greenwood’s annihilation, and document the subsequent silence that surrounded the tragedy.
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The Burning
The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921
by Tim Madigan
St. Martin’s Press
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book. It’s the 100 year anniversary of this carnage and I hope no one forgets this. Some didn’t even know about this at all until 1970 when the book was first printed because the event was covered up …
Knew nothing about the Tulsa Race Riot and wanted to learn about it as I had lived in Wilmington, NC for 5 years and did not know about their race riot either. Amazing story, but not the best writing.
I was born and raised in OK, near Tulsa, and this is the first book I’ve read about the Tulsa Riot. Even in OK history class, this is never discussed. I learned about it after I was an adult. Very informative.
A stirring narrative- a story that was a well kept secret for almost 100 years. To hear the vivid first hand accounts is truly compelling.
An essential look at a stunning piece of our history that has been swept under the rug.
Sad
A good balanced look at a historical event we need to know about/remember
Until I read this book, I had never heard of the Tulsa massacre. This book provides an excellent coverage of the whole event. It should be read be anyone interested in American history.
Well written and informative.
Well researched and thoroughly explored. A well-told tale of horrible tragedy.
Unbelievable that this could happen in USA. Never mentioned in most history classes.