Great book to share with your class! Isaiah and Angel are kids the students will be able to relate to and are excellent voices to explain this historical moment. Highly recommend.

This book was a wonderful read. I love books that are historical and also have multiple POVs, which this gave me both! It was beautiful to read characters who got to live in this sort of dream but heartbreaking because I knew the outcome of this particular time. I think this would be a great addition to any classroom curriculum focusing on this time period.

This was a very powerful love story! I found the story to be moving, and the characters to be very likable. I empathized with them deeply! I recommend this for those that want to read multicultural love stories!

Recent news has brought the 1921 Tulsa Massacre to light and this book focuses on teenagers Angel Hill and Isiah Wilson, dealing with the travesty in their hometown. Angel is a girl who embodies her name – she is kind and good. Isiah is not known for the same qualities. But both the teens love reading and they have their own heroes. Angel admires Booker T. Washington and his teachings while Isiah looks to the more progressive W.E.B. DuBois. Their conflicting beliefs make for lively discussions.

The two agree to share a job riding a bicycle that’s equipped to carry books; a type of mobile library. They are sent to the less prosperous part of town to bring books to the children. The teens are both African Americans and they live in an area called Greenwood which was a model for successful Black entrepreneurship. Their part of Tulsa became known as Black Wall Street but it’s very success brought resentment from the White community.

When the anger and bigotry reach a fever pitch, the White masses become a frenzied crowd that burns and destroys the neighborhoods that were believed to be an affront to their whiteness. The two teens are caught up in the turmoil that left so much destruction in its wake.

This fictional tale carries the weight of history. This was a tragedy that until recently, few were aware of. Thankfully, Pink has used her tale to enlighten us and remind us of the fragility of life.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Be still my beating heart. I went into this book with my eyes open having done my own research about the Tulsa Massacre. What I didn’t expect was the beauty that was infused into this story. It made the tragic events that I knew were coming that much harder.
Angel and Isaiah are two black teens living in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. Although these two have grown up knowing each other all their lives their worlds have never had a reason to intertwine. Angel is the true definition of her name. She is built with a heart of servitude, always helping those in her neighborhood and community and helping her mother daily with the needs of her dying father. Isaiah is a smart kid who hides his love of books and poetry from his best friend, Muggy. Because of Muggy, both boys are seen as troublemakers in the community. The boys have relentlessly teased Angel in the past which is the very reason that Angel stays far away from Isaiah.
However, when Isaiah’s mother drags him to church, he gets the opportunity to watch Angel dance. Afterward, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Now all he wants to do is get to know her better. As luck would have it one of their teachers needs help with a bookmobile and she chooses him and Angel. As Angel and Isaiah begin working together they slowly realize how much they had underestimated each other. As their budding romance is beginning to reach new heights their community is attacked. Now they have to come together to help save as many as they can.
Randi Pink did a beautiful job of bringing the Greenwood District to life for the reader. Not just the characters of the story but the feel of the community. How the storefronts looked, how flowers smelled, the sheer intimacy of the community as a whole. Ms. Pink allowed her readers to know what it feels like inside a beautiful, thriving black community and for that, I am forever thankful.
This amazing story should find itself on shelves in classrooms and libraries alike. Age recommendation 11+

* I flew through this one so I didn't have the chance to take notes

*I loved that this was set during the Tulsa Massacre which is an event that we need to talk about more and acknowledge that it happened, no matter how much it was covered up. While the massacre wasn't necessarily taught, in my specific school district, we did learn a little about and as it was covered up for many years and was only recently acknowledged as happening, there's still much more to learn.

*I also loved the characters, the descriptions of a gorgeous neighborhood, and the focus on the importance of family and community.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read and review this book. I fell in love with the main characters of this book, Angel and Isaiah, and with their love story. The chapters alternate between the two main characters of the book and the few days leading up to and the day of the Greenwood Massacre in 1921. Ms. Pink weaves the story of these two teenagers and the situations they face with their family and friends in 1921 and both teenagers are forced to grow up quickly due to family circumstances and then as the events of the Greewood Massacre happen. This is definitely a story I will remember and I believe should be required reading.

I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishing house, MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group, for providing an advanced e-copy for review. All thoughts and opinions written in this review are my own. My review of Angel of Greenwood can be found on Goodreads, Amazon, Beanstack, and my local library website.

WEB DuBois or Booker T. Washington?
Forceful Action or Time & Education?
Isaiah or Angel?

Isaiah is a WEB DuBois follower and a popular young man amongst peers in idyllic Greenwood. His best friend, Muggy, is the town bully and Isaiah is his right hand man doing what Muggy tells him to do and acting how Muggy tells him to act. Is this really who Isaiah wants to be?

Angel is a Booker T Washington devotee. She is on the worship dance team, cares for her ailing father, is kind and helpful to everyone in town and is popular with adults and children.

To the lovable citizens of Greenwood Isaiah and Angel are polar opposites but an opportunity for a summer job revolving around a shared passion gives them a chance to learn more about one another.

Their alternating POV story and the story of their community is set amongst a simmering pot about to boil over. Beginning at "12 days before" each chapter is a countdown to a bleak moment in American history in Greenwood OK otherwise known as Black Wall Street.

This wonderfully written book was a learning experience for me. By now I have heard of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre but this book has helped me to begin to actually learn about the terrible events. This book angered me so much in that regard while also making me shed all the tears.

Heart-breaking yet hopeful this is a book to check out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fierce Reads for sharing this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

This book was beautiful, beautiful and horrific. I was enjoying the play between the main characters but I knew, based on the date and the setting, that it couldn't last. The ending was uplifting despite the horrors.

Greenwood is a small town where everyone knows everyone...and their business. The small pranks, the grief, the loves and the love lost. They are a tight community that are fiercely protective of each other because they know what they have is unique. Greenwood is the Black owned town next to Tulsa. A place of wealth and pride. And now a target for the white people of Tulsa. Angel of Greenwood is a love story about two young people growing up in Greenwood, knowing how lucky they are, and how strong they will have to be to survive in the final days of May before the Tulsa Massacre.

I must confess, I usually try to avoid historical fiction. It is a genre that doesn't offer the escape I seek when I choose to read. But this book seemed to draw me to it. I struggled with getting into Angel of Greenwood in the beginning. I think it was because I knew what was coming, and I didn't want to read THAT. So, I found myself reading a little then putting it down and having "self-talks" to continue on. It didn't take long for me to begin connecting with Angel and many of the other characters. I had to overcome my supposed need for an adventurous escape to experience something different and poignant. The story is written in multiple POVs and follows Angel and Isaiah's journey to love. This fictitious story also highlights the community in Tulsa, OK, called Greenwood..."Black Wall Street", and the events that left it in ruin know as the 1920 Greenwood Massacre. Though the book is fiction, it is based on a real event. Angel's community reminded me of my childhood with the Tates, Annistons, Michaels, Isaiahs, and even Muggles. Randi Pink offers so much to think about when using the bantering main characters to discuss W. E. B. DuBois versus Booker T. Washington. I enjoyed Angel of Greenwood and highly recommend this reading for everyone, including book clubs and schools. The story is well-written and heartbreaking with a spark of hope. 4.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection on preorder and will recommend it to students.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

I was so excited for this book to come out the moment I heard about it. However, there was something in the writing that I just could not connect to. I appreciated the topic, the extra materials included at the end, and I will certainly keep this on my radar for teen reader's looking for historical fiction. In the end I finally had to admit defeat and move on to another book.

This book absolutely found its way deep into my heart. It’s a tragic yet uplifting look into a horrifying historical event in American history- The Tulsa massacre or the destruction of Black Wall Street. I absolutely adored the characters, and loved the juxtaposition of their thoughts and views through their opinions of WEB DuBois and Booker T Washington.

Other than how much I appreciated a book that was set in such an important historical setting, my favorite part of this book was the incredibly believable, honest, genuine love story between Angel and Isaiah. They deal with bullying, toxic friends, and horribly, with terrorism.

I was aware that this had happened but I had never done much research on the topic and this book opened my eyes and made me go do more research. The atrocities that were committed are truly disgusting and make me so angry. I think this book should be read in high schools all over America.

5 stars. An incredible read.

This book told the story of a part of Oklahoma history that was not taught when I was in school. The characters are well drawn and fleshed out so that the reader becomes very invested in their stories. With the 100th anniversary of the Greenwood Massacre fast approaching, this book is a must read for every teen.

4.5 A beautifully written way to introduce Black Wall Street/Greenwood/the Tulsa Race Massacre to teens (think 7th grade up). Angel & Isaiah's love story is elegant and honest throughout. Pink has Angel arguing for Booker T. Washington and Isaiah obsessed with W.E.B. DuBois, a smartly nuanced way to introduce these writer/thinkers and their opposition and influence. Greenwood itself is the 3rd major character, and the chapters are set as a countdown to the night of the massacre. Pink doesn't shy away from the realistic horrors and also uses a few scenes from that night to complete redemptive character arcs. The writing was occasionally a little repetitive but that's a tiny quibble in a mostly flawless book. Emotional and necessary, this should definitely find readers!

Wow!! I have so many amazing things to say about this book that I'm not sure how to put my feelings into words. It's a story about young love, friendship, family, loss, and second chances. It's also a story about racism, hatred, and the battles that black individuals and communities have had to face for years. It's about hopes and dreams. This book will touch your heart and soul and make you want to strive to be a better person. Angel, Isaiah, Muggy, and the entire town of Greenwood will stay with me forever.

Thank you to #Goodreads and #MacmillanPublishing for the privilege of reading an ARC of #AngelofGreenwood by #RandiPink

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's for the complimentary arc of this book.

The Angel of Greenwood takes place during the Greenwood Massacre of 1921, in an area of Tulsa, OK, known as the "Black Wall Street." The book centers around Isaiah Wilson and Angel Hill, two teenagers who get to know each other as they both are offered jobs working a mobile library, a three-wheel, two-seater bike. As these two grow closer their world is rocked when a vicious white mob storms the community of Greenwood, leaving the town destroyed and thousands of residents displaced.

This is a YA historical fiction book but the writing has a depth of emotion to it that transcends the genre. Randi Pink brings her characters to life in such a way that you are instantly invested in not only their lives, but the lives of the community as a whole. I learned so much about an area and an event that I was completely unaware of prior to this. And I can't help but think there is an eerie timeliness to reading this book during our current turbulent times.

This book is amazing. I cannot say enough about this book. It is historical, and also the sweetest love story. I don't know how Randi Pink did it. I have taught Booker T. Washington W.E.D. Du Bois, and I wish I had this resource to help me. Hearing their words through the mouths of the young black teens in this book really brings them to life. Also, Greenwood is a vibrant, black town with interesting and unforgettable characters, young and old. If you are looking to know more about black towns like in Their Eyes Were Watching God, or if you love the idea of a Wakanda, this book is for you. It gave me hope the way these characters love each other, cared for one another. While there is a harrowing ending, that is also truthful to the history of the United States. You can also use this book to reflect on the Tulsa Massacres and Race Riots of 1921. I highly recommend this book.

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink is such a powerful read! I've been recommending it left and right (especially this month whenever I see posts talking about what to read during Black History Month). I'm not a teacher, but I think this book would be a valuable addition to any curriculum.