I don’t remember learning about the Tulsa Race Massacre in school; rather, I learned of it from watching the TV series Watchmen on HBO. In this stunning novel, author Randi Pink takes us to Greenwood – the site of the Massacre – and gives us a fictional account of what happened in 1921.
Angel of Greenwood centers on the story of two teenagers, Angel and Isaiah. Isaiah is a disciple of W.E.B. Du Bois, believing the words of Du Bois can help advance the Black Man in the wake of World War One. Angel Hill prefers the words of Booker T. Washington. Isaiah is the best friend of the town troublemaker, Muggy Little, Jr., and as such, has a not so great reputation. Angel lives up to her name in Greenwood, being a helper to all around her and a genuine nice girl.
At Sunday school one morning, Isaiah really notices Angel for the first time when she dances in praise, and he can’t stop thinking about her. It isn’t until their literature teacher asks the two to join forces to bring literacy to the masses in the form of a bicycle and wagon to tote books in that the two get to know each other without the distractions of the rest of Greenwood society.
The book leads us to the tragedy – the Massacre that began with a white woman’s scream on May 30 and ends with Greenwood literally burnt to the ground. Pink’s fictional account is heartrending. This book is not an easy read. It’s not entertaining to read about an entire town of people losing their homes, their belongings, and for some, their lives, just because they were not white. And in today’s culture, it’s an especially hard but necessary read. While I can’t say I enjoyed the book, I’m glad I read it. It’s an important book.
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