Starred ReviewStarred Review Unspeakable
The Tulsa Race Massacre
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards for Author and Illustrator
A Caldecott Honor Book
A Sibert Honor Book
Longlisted for the National Book Award
A Kirkus Prize Finalist
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
“A must-have”—Booklist (starred review)
In the early 1900s, Tulsa, Oklahoma, was home to a thriving African American community. The Greenwood District had its own school system, libraries, churches, restaurants, post office, movie theaters, and more. But all that would change in the course of two terrible, unspeakable days.
On May 31 and June 1, 1921, a mob of armed white Tulsans attacked Greenwood. They looted homes and businesses and burned them to the ground as Black families fled. The police did nothing to protect Greenwood, and as many as three hundred African Americans were killed. More than eight thousand were left homeless.
News of the Tulsa Race Massacre—one of the worst incidents of racial violence in US history—was largely suppressed, and no official investigation occurred for seventy-five years.
Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and acclaimed illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a sensitive and powerful introduction to the Tulsa Race Massacre, helping young readers understand the events of the past so we can move toward a better future for all.
Download the free educator guide here: https://lernerbooks.com/download/unspeakableteachingguide
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978-1-5415-8120-3
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$13.49 | |
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978-1-7284-2463-7
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$22.99 | |
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978-1-7284-6769-6
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$34.99 |
Awards
- Utah Beehive Book Award Nominee
- Land of Enchantment Book Award Nominee
- Illinois Bluestem Award Nominee
- William Allen White Children's Book Award Masterlist
- Georgia Children's Book Award Finalist
- Rhode Island Children's Book Award Nominee
- Notable AwardNotable Award Carter G. Woodson Book Award
- Kids' Book Choice Award 3rd to 5th Grade Book of the Year
- Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List 2022-2023
- Notable AwardNotable Award Randolph Caldecott Medal Honor Book
- Notable AwardNotable Award Coretta Scott King Author Award
- Notable AwardNotable Award Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
- Notable AwardNotable Award Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor Book
- Notable AwardNotable Award ALA Notable Children's Books
- Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book
- Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices
- Notable Books for a Global Society
- Notable AwardNotable Award NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
- Maine Student Book Award Longlist
- South Carolina Book Award Nominee
- Notable AwardNotable Award NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts
- Great Lakes Great Books Award
- Notable AwardNotable Award Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
- Booklist Top 10 History for Youth
- Skipping Stones Honor Award
- Lectio Book Award Nominee
- Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children's Literature Honor Book
- Dogwood Book List for Nonfiction
- New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2021
- Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books
- Notable AwardNotable Award School Library Journal Best Book of 2021
- Notable AwardNotable Award NPR Best Books of the Year
- Notable AwardNotable Award Kirkus Best Children's Books
- Notable AwardNotable Award New York Times 25 Best Children's Books
- Notable AwardNotable Award Horn Book Best Books of the Year
- Notable AwardNotable Award Booklist Editors' Choice
- The Best of the Best Children's Books, Publishers Lunch
- Cybils Finalist
- Notable AwardNotable Award New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book
- Eureka! Children's Book Award
- Notable AwardNotable Award National Book Award for Young People's Literature Longlist
- Notable AwardNotable Award Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature Finalist
- Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Books of the Year
- BookPage Best Books of the Year
- Notable AwardNotable Award Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book
- Penn GSE's Best Books for Young Readers
Reviews
The New York Times Book Review
“These sensitively written, beautifully illustrated books restore this often-elided history while explaining the ensuing tragedy in a manner appropriate for children.”—New York Times Book Review
Starred ReviewStarred Review School Library Journal
“This moving account sheds light on shameful events long suppressed or ignored. All collections should consider this title’s value in providing historical context to current conversations about racism and America’s ongoing legacy of white supremacy.”—starred, School Library Journal
Starred ReviewStarred Review BookPage
“Unspeakable deserves to be read by every student of American history.” —starred, BookPage
Starred ReviewStarred Review Publishers Weekly
“[S]ucceeds in teaching the tragedy of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the legacy of Black Wall Street.”—starred, Publishers Weekly
Starred ReviewStarred Review The Horn Book Magazine
“Far from romanticizing history, Weatherford is equally descriptive in explaining how a false accusation of assault brought simmering racial tensions to a violent end . . . Cooper’s illustrations (‘oil and erasure’) are the perfect partner to this history, the sepia-toned images resembling historical photographs. The portraits of Black residents are particularly moving, seeming to break the fourth wall to implore the reader to remember their story.”—starred, The Horn Book Magazine
Starred ReviewStarred Review Booklist
“Ideal for classroom libraries and a deeper study of American history, this title is a must-have for those seeking the painful and complete truth.”—starred, Booklist
Starred ReviewStarred Review Kirkus Reviews
“A somber, well-executed addition to the history as the incident approaches its 100th anniversary.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews