Childrens

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

  • Downloads：1688
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-27 11:31:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Carole Boston Weatherford
  • ISBN：1666501506
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Summary

Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the Tulsa race massacre， one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history。 The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa's Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the black community。

News of what happened was largely suppressed， and no official investigation occurred for seventy-five years。 This picture book sensitively introduces young readers to this tragedy and concludes with a call for a better future。

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Reviews

Erika Dreifus ，

Inspired by Carole Boston Weatherford's belief （as expressed in a conference presentation） and record of work in presenting difficult topics to children via picture-books， I knew that I had to read this one。 Unsurprisingly， it's superbly done。 Inspired by Carole Boston Weatherford's belief （as expressed in a conference presentation） and record of work in presenting difficult topics to children via picture-books， I knew that I had to read this one。 Unsurprisingly， it's superbly done。 。。。more

Sunday ，

Wow。 Another reviewer commented on being "riveted" while reading this - agreed。 A powerful book to read aloud and discuss in grades 3-6。 Weatherford repeats the phrase "Once upon a time。。。" as she introduces Tulsa， Greenwood， and Black Wall Street - as though life was almost too good to be true， a fairy tale for African Americans that was destroyed in the span of sixteen hours by a white mob。 Floyd Cooper's illustrations capture the richness of Black citizen's lives - in a community that they cr Wow。 Another reviewer commented on being "riveted" while reading this - agreed。 A powerful book to read aloud and discuss in grades 3-6。 Weatherford repeats the phrase "Once upon a time。。。" as she introduces Tulsa， Greenwood， and Black Wall Street - as though life was almost too good to be true， a fairy tale for African Americans that was destroyed in the span of sixteen hours by a white mob。 Floyd Cooper's illustrations capture the richness of Black citizen's lives - in a community that they created， nurtured， held sacred。 The two-page spread that introduces the inciting force is dark， shadowy。 The resignation， despair on the Black citizens faces as they flee， surrender， rebuild is heartbreaking。 The last spread， as Weatherford introduces the monument in Tulsa's Reconciliation park is hopeful。 I'd read this aloud （without saying much） and then read aloud again， pausing as students look closely at the illustrations， asking， "What do you notice？" DON'T SKIP THE ENDPAPERS。 Inside the front cover is Cooper's bird's eye view of Black Wall Street before the massacre。 Inside the back cover is a photograph of the devastation。DON'T SKIP THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR NOTES。 These are worth reading aloud to students， revealing personal notes about how Weatherford and Cooper connect to this event。PAIR THIS TEXT WITH Tonya Bolden's Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America。 Bolden， uses Sarah Rector’s story as a frame for bringing to life the political and legal experiences of African Americans born and/or living in the Indian Territory and the state of Oklahoma as the culture of community-shared-land shifted to individuals owning land。 Bolden's book shares some of the themes - how misunderstandings lead to unfair judgments or distorted views。 Not for reading aloud really; I'd book talk this and leave it in the classroom library for interested students to grab up。PAIR THIS TEXT WITH Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson's The Undefeated。 。。。more

Erin *BookDragon_Library* ，

This book is Incredibly well done。 It is set up like a fairy tale with “once upon a time” talking about the prosperity of the Black community of Greenwood in Tulsa。 Then the book transitions to talking about the riots and destruction。 It doesn’t shy away from the violence but isn’t graphic。 The age rating is 3rd grade plus but I really don’t see a reason， this couldn’t be read at a younger age， especially with an adult to answer questions and discuss some of the racism。

Skip ，

Buried for close to 80 years is the story of the Greenwood district of Tulsa， OK， where 10，000 blacks and dark-skinned indigenous Americans lived in prosperity as a result of the oil boom。 Following a dispute between a teenage/young black man and a white woman in an elevator， racial tensions exploded into unprecedented violence that left 800 dead， 8，000 homeless and financial ruin for residents of a 35 square block area on May 31-June 1， 1921。 The police and firefighters essentially watched the Buried for close to 80 years is the story of the Greenwood district of Tulsa， OK， where 10，000 blacks and dark-skinned indigenous Americans lived in prosperity as a result of the oil boom。 Following a dispute between a teenage/young black man and a white woman in an elevator， racial tensions exploded into unprecedented violence that left 800 dead， 8，000 homeless and financial ruin for residents of a 35 square block area on May 31-June 1， 1921。 The police and firefighters essentially watched the wanton destruction of a middle-class black neighborhood known as Black Wall Street。 This is a dark chapter in American history that needs much more publicity so thanks to Carole Weatherford and the terrific illustrations by Floyd Cooper。 。。。more

Carol ，

The illustrations are unforgettable。 The story is even more unforgettable。 This is a great book for sharing the events of the Tulsa Massacre with kids， to show the history of this lost community。 This is a story that until recently have not been share enough。

Phoebe ，

I cannot imagine attempting to tell this story in way that reaches children who read （or who are read） picture books， but they did it。 The refrain "once upon a time" helped settle the story into a slightly less frightening cadence， but the book doesn't hold back --nor does it need to。 Honest， smart， and thorough --I'm glad Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper joined teams to bring the story of Tulsa to young people and their parents。 I cannot imagine attempting to tell this story in way that reaches children who read （or who are read） picture books， but they did it。 The refrain "once upon a time" helped settle the story into a slightly less frightening cadence， but the book doesn't hold back --nor does it need to。 Honest， smart， and thorough --I'm glad Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper joined teams to bring the story of Tulsa to young people and their parents。 。。。more

Allison ，

a must read。 Fantastic！

Christina ，

Beautiful illustrations and important story。 I actually would give this 3。5 stars， but changed it to four simply because all these white supremacists gave it ones and twos。 The bottom line is， I would read this book to my children。 It does a fairly good job of summarizing this historic event for young people。 My favorite part was learning about the town’s individual people and businesses。I love that both the author and illustrator have roots in Tulsa。 It lends some authenticity to the storytelli Beautiful illustrations and important story。 I actually would give this 3。5 stars， but changed it to four simply because all these white supremacists gave it ones and twos。 The bottom line is， I would read this book to my children。 It does a fairly good job of summarizing this historic event for young people。 My favorite part was learning about the town’s individual people and businesses。I love that both the author and illustrator have roots in Tulsa。 It lends some authenticity to the storytelling。Some of my issues likely have to do with constraints from the publisher or format， rather than the narrative itself。 For example， I felt we dive into the story without much context about preceding events。 Also， though the topic was interesting， the prose did not strike me as very intriguing。。。the style was very straightforward and didn’t stick with me very well。In addition， I took issue with the portion of the text that called the Tulsa Massacre the worst racial attack in the United States history。 I don’t think that’s true on a couple of levels。 First， the entirety of slavery， Jim Crow era， and the eradication of First Nations collectively were the ‘worst’ and although that’s obvious to adult readers， young children may be misled by this assertion。 Second， even if we are measuring the “worst” as an incident within a concentrated period of time， the massacre at the Devil’s Punchbowl was reported to be higher in number。 。。。more

Jeanne ，

They never taught this in school when I was a child， and I was a history major in college。 Need to read some adult books on this topic。 Makes my blood boil

Rachel ，

A sad time in history that is important to remember， powerful words and images

Janet Self ，

Really enjoyed reading this book about a important event in history that is not talked about。 Perfect book to read to kids and discuss。 I would add this to my library！

Douglas ，

Recommend for Family Libraries These griots have put together an Outstanding book for young people。 It introduces what happened at The Tulsa Race Massacre appropriately for grade school students。 #nomorewhitewashing

Michael ，

The story of The Tulsa Massacre is unbelievably tragic and one of those events that feels like you HAD to have learned about it before seeing The Watchmen series on HBO。。。 and yet it seems like many people are just learning of this historical event， creating an even greater sense of tragedy。Weatherford seamlessly integrates truth and perspective with powerful imagery and thoughtful illustrations。 The story almost begins in a fairy tale manner， taking us to the beautiful city of Tulsa。 There was The story of The Tulsa Massacre is unbelievably tragic and one of those events that feels like you HAD to have learned about it before seeing The Watchmen series on HBO。。。 and yet it seems like many people are just learning of this historical event， creating an even greater sense of tragedy。Weatherford seamlessly integrates truth and perspective with powerful imagery and thoughtful illustrations。 The story almost begins in a fairy tale manner， taking us to the beautiful city of Tulsa。 There was Greenwood， a thriving community nicknamed “The Black Wall Street”。 It was an important town where Black Americans had built an incredible livelihood that had become the envy of the white side of Tulsa。 Weatherford paints a picture of success， wealth， and community。 This community is torn apart when a young African American boy is accused of stepping on a white elevator operator’s toes， and is taken to jail。 Roughly 30 citizens of Greenwood head over to the jail to try to help their community member and were assaulted by a white mob。 The mob then headed over to Greenwood， burning homes， businesses， anything they could find， murdering men， women， and children。 Over 300 black families were killed， and thousands were left homeless。The story itself is upsetting， but so thoughtfully done by the author， and it’s an excellent introduction to the events that took place that day。 It largely focuses on the accomplishments Greenwood， and the thriving community that existed there。 The illustrations are so powerful， with softy blurred lines that aid with the gentle delivery of such tragic news。I recommend this book for ages 8-12， because though it covers a disturbing and violent event， it's important that people actually learn about things like this before seeing it on a TV show about super heroes for the first time。 Contrasting the events that actually took place against the reports that made it into the news offer a great opportunity to discuss the different ways the media can cover stories to perpetuate systems of oppression， and there are many parallels that can be drawn with current events。Yet another great find thanks to https://thebrownbookshelf。com/ 。。。more

Kate ，

This will be up for a plethora of awards， will win them， and deserve them。 I cried reading this book。 Will purchase for the library and will encourage teachers to read to their students。

Holly Mueller ，

This 100-year-old tragedy is not often told or remembered。 An investigation into the massacre didn't occur until 75 years later and wasn't taught in Oklahoma schools until the 21st century。 This picture book is important to have in classrooms。 Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper have created a masterpiece and managed to make it accessible to children。 There are going to be a lot of award stickers on this book in the future！ But an even better legacy is that an important part of our Americ This 100-year-old tragedy is not often told or remembered。 An investigation into the massacre didn't occur until 75 years later and wasn't taught in Oklahoma schools until the 21st century。 This picture book is important to have in classrooms。 Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper have created a masterpiece and managed to make it accessible to children。 There are going to be a lot of award stickers on this book in the future！ But an even better legacy is that an important part of our American history is preserved。 All stories should be told - even the hard ones。 。。。more

Jessica ，

Must read for all。 Such a well done look at an often overlooked piece of history。

Elizabeth ，

The Tulsa Race Massacre is an event that I know too little about。 I've been aware of its existence and wanting to learn， but it's something I've managed to miss out on information about beyond its existence （although for the sake of clarity， while I am aware that the average American did not learn about it in school， I'm not American）。 This book is the first material I've read on the subject， and while starting with a picture book is maybe not the best for an adult looking for a serious understa The Tulsa Race Massacre is an event that I know too little about。 I've been aware of its existence and wanting to learn， but it's something I've managed to miss out on information about beyond its existence （although for the sake of clarity， while I am aware that the average American did not learn about it in school， I'm not American）。 This book is the first material I've read on the subject， and while starting with a picture book is maybe not the best for an adult looking for a serious understanding of an event， this actually did an incredible job of informing。 I learned so much， and it covered so many horrific details with a tenderness that makes it an ideal book for children learning about this atrocity for the first time。 Carole Boston Weatherford is such a talented writer and I feel like she did an amazing job of conveying the unspeakable here。 Floyd Cooper's art really knocked my socks off as well。I have two other books （for older audiences） lined up to learn more about the Tulsa Race Massacre， and while I look forward to reading lengthier materials on the subject， I'm glad that I started here。 I highly recommend this for all readers of picture books looking to learn about the heinous events that occurred in Tulsa to the incredible and prosperous Black community that lived there。 。。。more

Pam ，

Simply and effectively told， gorgeously illustrated， this picture book about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is a must have for every school and public library。

Stephanie A-M ，

A clear， concise and powerfully illustrated account of the Massacre in Tulsa。 100 years later and we still don't have accurate accounts of what happened in the history books （and I am not sure we ever will） but this is a very good place to begin。 A book written for children that ALL adults need to read and truly consider。 A clear， concise and powerfully illustrated account of the Massacre in Tulsa。 100 years later and we still don't have accurate accounts of what happened in the history books （and I am not sure we ever will） but this is a very good place to begin。 A book written for children that ALL adults need to read and truly consider。 。。。more

Laura Hook ，

An important story in history and gorgeous illustrations

CCPL Buzz ，

AKBGrades 3-6https://lernerbooks。com/downloads/214。。。 AKBGrades 3-6https://lernerbooks。com/downloads/214。。。 。。。more

Ace ，

Very evocative poem relaying such a horrific tragedy。 The illustrations also add another layer of humanity to words which already touch so deeply。 Safe enough for kids to learn about the massacre without scarring them too much with the specifics。

Marva ，

The author and illustrator's notes add even more information to this disheartening historical crime。 The author and illustrator's notes add even more information to this disheartening historical crime。 。。。more

Karrie Stewart ，

From what I can remember， I was never taught the Tulsa Race Massacre in school。 This book is heartbreaking and should be read in every school and home。 The pictures are very bittersweet。

Meghan ，

Gorgeously illustrated and thoroughly told， this book is a must read for all ages。 Highly recommended。

Laura Harrison ，

Incredibly powerful non-fiction picture book。 Floyd Cooper might finally get a way overdue Caldecott （and possibly more awards）， for this title。 It is most definitely earned。 The emotion he evokes is incredible。

Katie ，

We need more picture books like this。 It took a horrific subject matter， the Tulsa Race Massacre， and made it accessible for people of all ages to understand what a huge tragedy it was， but it was done so tastefully。 The illustrations were so lifelike and really added to the story。 I highly recommend that parents sit down and read this book with their children rather than just let them digest it on their own。 I always love when books give you more information at the end and knowing this book was We need more picture books like this。 It took a horrific subject matter， the Tulsa Race Massacre， and made it accessible for people of all ages to understand what a huge tragedy it was， but it was done so tastefully。 The illustrations were so lifelike and really added to the story。 I highly recommend that parents sit down and read this book with their children rather than just let them digest it on their own。 I always love when books give you more information at the end and knowing this book was illustrated by a descendant of someone who lived in Tulsa during this time and it wasn't lost on me that I read this book 100 years and 1 day after it occurred。 。。。more

Kifflie ，

A very important picture book about a topic that is finally coming to the forefront of American consciousness。

Sally ，

On further reading list from "Stamped for Kids" On further reading list from "Stamped for Kids" 。。。more

Ryan Miller ，

Author Carole Boston Weatherford repeats the phrase， “Once upon a time，” but what she describes in this beautifully illustrated picture book is no fairy tale。 It’s a horror story of racism and violence that destroyed lives and community in Tulsa in 1921。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0