This was an amazing picture book about a part of American history that I previously knew nothing about but now wish to learn more. It tells the true story of the Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma, not long after the end of World War One, where hundreds of African American people were killed and many thousands more left homeless, after a mob of white locals looted homes and businesses and burnt them to the ground. Police did nothing to protect the victims and there wasn't even an official investigation until 75 years later.

This story is told in a way that is accessible and so engaging that it is hard to put down. The illustrations are amazing and focus on the faces of the characters, as much as, if not more than, the setting and are so powerful in conveying the feelings of the people.

This is an excellent book about a terrible event, with a message that should be widely shared.

I've been trying and failing for some time to find a way to talk about this book in some cohesive way, so I'm just going to start writing down my thoughts and hope I land somewhere. I think this is about as bearable and accessible of an account of the Tulsa Race Massacre as could possibly exist. It manages to convey the events in a very clear-eyed way, while still allowing space for the raw emotion of it.

We spend a large portion of the book considering the beauty of the community of Greenwood as it was before May 31, 1921, the marvelous achievement and perseverance of this group of people who were determined to pull together and form a nurturing, thriving society on their own terms. We find out in the end notes that illustrator Floyd Cooper grew up hearing stories of his own grandfather's childhood in Greenwood, and I feel like this closeness to the subject is evident in every page; this is the absolute best work I've seen from Cooper, bar none. The subtleness and breadth of humanity he renders here is breathtaking.

When we get to the events leading to the massacre itself, we have a deep sense of what was lost-- the people, the businesses, the homes, the ability to build and strive, the hope that the contributions that Black citizens had made to that point would lead to more respect or better treatment. At the same time, I don't think it is told heavy handedly. There is only so much you can boil this down; the word massacre is the only apt one, and can't be ignored, and must be explained. How can you do that while looking away from its truth? You can't. And this story looks at that truth unflinchingly yet tells it with as soft a hand as possible.

In the end I learned things I never knew, and I cried my eyes out over the depth of the betrayal and injustice. It's a hard story, but one that definitely needs to be remembered and discussed.

This is the first children’s book I’ve seen about the Tulsa Race Massacre and it’s really well done. The illustrations complement the text and treat the subject matter with care. The book also has great vocabulary such as Exodusters, furrier and coiffed. As a teacher, I would use this book to support my curriculum.

This book is STUNNING. Emotionally wrenching. Powerful. Oh my goodness--the illustrations are breathtaking and suit the proud, then tragic and infuriating, story and tone of the text.
AND! A Picture book about the Tulsa Race Massacre is so, so important. The topic and illustrations alone would justify purchase of this title. I've also been privileged to see Carole Boston Weatherford speak, and she's phenomenal.

That said, some of the language is clunky in a way that would make it difficult for me to choose as a read-aloud for class, either for young children or high school students (yes, I use picture books with my HS students). In general, I find calling people "whites" or "blacks" dehumanizing, and think "white people" or "black people" reaffirms humanity, for example. Reducing anyone to their skin color is...not great. (Flip it to other marginalized groups: we would NEVER say "the gays" anymore--we'd say gay community, person, etc. It would be a huge language red flag to write it any other way. Likewise when referring to women as "females.") "Blacks" and "whites" feels dated for a new book written for children. Example: On one page the text reads, "...where some say Black children got a better education than whites." (This is just one example in the text. "Blacks" and "whites" are used throughout the book.) The idea is IMPORTANT! But the author doesn't mean "whites," she means "white children." I do not object to the tone of the book...But that grammar isn't even parallel, and this book is geared toward young kids who are still learning. If I REALLY want my white students to be as enraged by this unspeakable massacre enacted by violent white supremacists as my BIPOC students, I need language that centers these were people...innocent people and violent, culpable people, both.

BUT. AND. I am a white woman reviewing a book describing one of the greatest tragedies and injustices leveled against black Americans in U.S. history. How much does the grammar/word choice really matter? Why nit-pick? How much does my opinion even matter when a book like this hasn't existed before? When this story NEEDS to be told? My opinion probably shouldn't count for much, but the words did pull me out of an immersive reading experience.

I teach high school, grades 9-12, ages 14-19. I often use picture books in my instruction, and do actively look for nonfiction picture books to supplement resources I provide for the history/social studies department at my high school. There is so much wonderful information here, but the language gives me pause (there are other examples than what I delved into above). I will probably buy this book anyway. I want to support the author and the publisher, but the telling left me wanting.

Thank you to Carolrhoda Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this beautiful, wrenching, and important picture book.

Wow! I'm literally SO IMPRESSED with this little book about the Tulsa Race Massacre. Well written!! Easy for little kids to follow along. A very teachable moment in history that not everyone knows about. Beautiful illustrations!!

I definitely recommend this book to parents and teachers. It's a book that earns its keep.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest opinion.

This books makes a good, historically accurate introduction for young students to learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre. As mentioned by the authors in the Author's Notes section, this is not taught in most schools in Oklahoma, let alone around the country. It's important for students to know about the history of their state, the good and the bad. Unspeakable presents the information in a familiar way that students will recognize from stories they've read by the repetition of "Once upon a time..." It gives the story a bit of a fairy tale feel but these events are all too true.

This is a title I will be adding to my school's library so my students can understand this piece of their own history.

Beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. Another remarkable book written by Weatherford. Unspeakable tells the little known story of the Tulsa Massacre, often referred to as the Tulsa Race Riot. Using "Once upon a time," throughout the poetry, evokes the mythical quality of this true story denied the light of day until 70+ years after the fact. I would highly recommend everyone, young and old read this story. I will recommend this book be ordered for our library, and highlight it in a social justice reading group/program.

A powerful picture book telling children the story of a dark time in America's history. With stunning illustrations this book portrays that dark time in an easy to understand but not whitewashed manner.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
I loved history at school. I still love history now as an adult. What I realise now as an adult is that the history I was taught at school was for the majority only representative of people in history that looked like me (white). We covered slavery in a very small way, and I also did a module on the American Wild West. I’m not kidding, that was where the diversity ended. So now I’m making up for those past failings, and I’m trying to educate myself and my children on a wider range of history, that covers people of different races, faiths, sexualities, disabilities etc. I’m delighted that I’m seeing more books like this one on the market, or being more widely marketed. I had heard of the Tulsa race riots but I didn’t know much about them. I think this is a great starting place and I will definitely be researching more after this. I think it was sensitively done given the intended young audience, but I don’t think the message has been dampened down too much. The art work is stunning, particularly the facial expression. It’s almost uncomfortable to look some of the drawings in the eye, particularly the drawings of the young children who seem to ask you the reader why this was allowed to happened to them, which of course we have no answer for. Definitely recommend.

This was a really moving book and I will admit I did not know too much about it before I read the blurb and picked this one up.  I do live in the UK so this would not generally be something that is taught in our schools but even so, after reading the book, this is clearly a story that needs to be talked about.

I loved the illustrations in the book, they really brought the book to life and you could really feel for the people that lived in the community.  It is heart-breaking to read what happened and I can only hope that we soon manage to eradicate the differences but it will take some time.

It is 5 stars from me for this one, a book that needs to be read in schools and be available in all libraries so that this is never forgotten

The Tulsa Race Massacre is something I never heard of till this year. I wanted to learn more about it and this book was a great introduction to the topic. I would recommend this book for all schools to purchase for the library because it helps students realize that history had many dark moments and it is up to us to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.