Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from ABRAMS via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre
Author: Alverne Ball 
Artist: Stacey Robinson

Contributors: Reynaldo Anderson & Dr. Colette Yellow Robe 
Upcoming Release Date: May 4, 2021


Synopsis: One hundred years after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Across the Tracks is a celebration and memorial of Greenwood, Oklahoma

In Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre, author Alverne Ball and illustrator Stacey Robinson have crafted a love letter to Greenwood, Oklahoma. Also known as Black Wall Street, Greenwood was a community whose importance is often overshadowed by the atrocious massacre that took place there in 1921.

Across the Tracks introduces the reader to the businesses and townsfolk who flourished in this unprecedented time of prosperity for Black Americans. We learn about Greenwood and why it is essential to remember the great achievements of the community as well as the tragedy which nearly erased it. However, Ball is careful to recount the eventual recovery of Greenwood. With additional supplementary materials including a detailed preface, timeline, and historical essay, Across the Tracks offers a thorough examination of the rise, fall, and rebirth of Black Wall Street.

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Review: History needs to be remembered. This graphic novel tells the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre as well as the history of Greenwood and the aftermath and rebuilding. There are details of prominent people of the time and the different businesses are showcased as well. There's also a more detailed history in an essay at the end. 

I didn't learn about these events until I was an adult. These stories must be told. This graphic novel is a great way to tell the story of so many amazing Black people creating a space to thrive during a time where the country was against them. Knowing stories like this influence our future. There is so much work that America still needs to do and we must know our past to make a better future for all.

I give this book a 5/5. Once it is released, I will be recommending this book to everyone.


--PAUL