This book seeks to chronicle the success that was Greenwood, Oklahoma, a portion of the city of Tulsa that was a completely segregated Black community. Several Black business owners, entrepreneurs, and real-estate investors had a vision for a community that could be sustained entirely without white businesses, and they went about creating a thriving town with grocery stores, entertainment venues, mortgage offices, banks, and just about everything else you need in a town. But white residents of Tulsa were also marching on the court house, and the ensuing battle resulted in the destruction of most of Greenwood, the implementation of a military state, the deputization of hundreds of armed white Tulsans, and the systematic execution of many of Greenwood's residents.

Information on the published review is here. https://www.booklistonline.com/Across-the-Tracks-Remembering-Greenwood-Black-Wall-Street-and-the-Tulsa-Race-Massacre-/pid=9745999

An absolute must-purchase for all libraries! The facts are contextualized and told with excellent art. There are still survivors alive today from this massacre; everyone needs to know this story.

An excellent primer for Black Wall Street. It introduces most of the prominent black people that made the area so successful and goes over what happened to cause the Tulsa race massacre. (Basically, the people of Greenwood went to the courthouse to prevent a mob from lynching a wrongly charged young black man and the mob went to Greenwood and started killing everyone.) It's an awful moment in our history that most Americans know nothing about. I, for one, believe we need to be aware of even the darkest moments in our history in order to prevent similar events occurring in our future.

It is too low res to understand what is being said. I can't review it if I can't read it. Hopefully the final copy doesn't have this issue.

The massacre that happened on Black Wall Street is quite rightly being given greater visibility. The Watchmen TV series is an example of that. Whereas many tellings of the evil that occurred in Tulsa focus on the violence, or the events immediately preceding, Across the Tracks focuses more on what was lost. It tells of how Greenwood was founded, why it flourished, and the important people in the town's history. Many of these remarkable American deserve their own books.

Because Across the Tracks takes this approach it makes the bitterness and agony I felt all the more acute when the violence does occur. Across the Tracks is superbly researched. The small details bought to the page by Alverne Ball script gives some scope to what was lost when Black Wall Street burned.

Stacey Robinson's art has an earnest quality to it. They mostly play it safe with page composition and panel layout. However, the thickly inked lines and Robinson's ability to accurately capture the likenesses of historical figures are both pleasing. As is Robinson's knack for capturing emotions. The review copy was black and white which I felt worked well.

Overall this is a good graphic novel history of a shameful event in American history. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

"Across the Tracks" is a good introduction to the Tulsa Race Massacre. While I enjoyed it, I wish it was longer and contained more details. I would recommend this to middle graders and older readers looking for a simple introduction to the material. The info dump at the end was fascinating, but it seemed out of place. The authors should have included more of the historical context in the main work instead of adding pages of dense paragraphs at the end.

This was a very well done graphic novel historical account of the Tulsa massacre. I knew the massacre happened but was not aware of the details. This novel did a great job giving historical context and explaining the importance of the African-American business district of Greenwood Avenue and how literally divided Tulsa was by race.

Extremely short and yet packed a punch. Especially with the end pages after the graphic novel which delved deeper into the history.
I found this book to be informative and important and I throughly enjoyed it.

I have mixed feeling on being critical towards the how in depth Ball goes into "Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre", being a very white person, who hadn't known about this piece of history until roughly two years ago. But I felt like this didn't have the impact it could have.

I was surprised that Barnes and Noble has this listed a book recommended for those between 12 and 18. Because the way this book is presented reminds me of the non-fiction books I consumed between 8-12.

This reminds me of those pieces of non-fiction because it feels incredibly surface level, and while in an accessible form. It reads incredibly similarly to reading a textbook, where nothing is delved into to deeply, we don't get any first hand accounts from people. It is just information. That will likely need more follow up information provided with it.

This book was great. I love the art style. It’s very realistic with slightly cartoony proportions and posing to give each scene a very energetic feel. I appreciate how detailed and intricate the art is without feeling overcrowded. I believe this book is going to be in color and I can’t wait to see what it looks like. I enjoy the respectful way the Black professionals and history was depicted. The only thing I don’t like is how short this book is. The violence itself and the rebuilding of the town both seemed to happen very quickly as a result. I think the book would have benefitted from 40 extra pages to flesh everything out.

Being Canadian we learn a very select US history. More so obviously than the US itself, I’m sure. So this graphic novel taught me and expanded on things I’d only recently heard about. It’s infuriating that the true nature of history in the US (and Canada) is glossed over to be palatable. I loved that this GN didn’t try to do that and brought truth and brutal honesty. .

for starters, i was very invested in that book from the 1st page

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.

•Character development- 4☆
• Story Plot- 4.5☆
• Side characters- 3.5☆
• Flow of the story- 4.5☆
• Overall - 5☆

{Digital copy provided by NetGalley and Abrams Books}

This is a short an accessible graphic novel that tells the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the community it impacted. The illustrations are very beautiful and the story is extremely impactful. The only issues I had were that it was a little hard to read in eformat at times and that it is quite superficial. A great entry point for those unfamiliar with the history this graphic novel depicts.

A brief, very accessible graphic history of Tulsa's "Black Wall Street" and the 1921 race massacre. I appreciated the narrative clearly identifying major players in the building of Greenwood, which gives readers ample avenues for further research. The inclusion of a timeline upfront and an essay in the back are great context and also situate the events in Tulsa in the larger context of colonization and indigenous land theft in Oklahoma, and the interactions between African-Americans and indigenous people at the time. The art is dynamic and page layouts work really well to add to the narrative flow.

Illustrated by Stacey Robinson
​
This book seeks to chronicle the success that was Greenwood, Oklahoma, a portion of the city of Tulsa that was a completely segregated Black community. Several Black business owners, entrepreneurs, and real-estate investors had a vision for a community that could be sustained entirely without white businesses, and they went about creating a thriving town with grocery stores, entertainment venues, mortgage offices, banks, and just about everything else you need in a town. Because so much was offered, much of the Black community spent their money in Greenwood, rather than in Tulsa, and money was spent several times over inside Greenwood before going to white businesses. Greenwood got the nickname "Black Wall Street" from Booker T. Washington when he came on a visit. Then, a race war came to Tulsa, with claims that a young Black man touched a white woman. Residents of Greenwood armed themselves and marched on the courthouse to protect the young man. But white residents of Tulsa were also marching on the court house, and the ensuing battle resulted in the destruction of most of Greenwood, the implementation of a military state, the deputization of hundreds of armed white Tulsans, and the systematic execution of many of Greenwood's residents.

The main message of this book is to preserve the prosperity of Greenwood, rather than be a retelling of the violence that ended it. The actual massacre is only depicted over a few pages. This book spends most of its time showing the city and how this segregated town could sustain itself. While this might draw criticism, especially since the Tulsa Race Massacre is listed in the subtitle, I feel this story goes more into the celebration of Black Achievement. You hear it often around Black History Month - if you start the celebration of this month with a discussion of slavery, then you're leaning into the idea that the most important part about Black History is Black pain. Rather, this book celebrates the notion that a Black community could thrive economically and have a rich society all on its own, if actually given the opportunity to do so. Overall, my main complaint is just how short this novel is. With 64 pages, this book is more of an overview, and it could have delved more into the individual people who helped build Greenwood and make it successful.

​Robinson illustrated the people a bit cartoony, but her landscapes and cityscapes are really beautiful. This review copy was in grayscale, but the few included color pages make this something to definitely look forward to.

There is no violence shown on the page. Men hold guns, and shots are fired, but there is very little bloodshed, and most of the violent acts are told, not seen. There is nothing objectionable or difficult for middle school readers, provided they have a little bit of historical context for which to anchor this text.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability level: Grades 7-12

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale May 4, 2021.

With the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre this year, many renditions of the story are popping up. This is a great thing! This one is a quality graphic novel that puts the massacre in historical context. Importantly, it is intersectional with Indigenous Peoples history, a quality lacking in many other retellings. I wish that material had been better incorporated with the graphic novel instead of added as an essay at the end, although it is a very good essay.

Overall, I encourage everyone to read this. I would love to include it in a unit on the many retellings of the event to talk about memory and forgetting in history and the power that it holds. It would be a very good addition to my current content of Ida B Wells' Red Record, Red Summer of 1919, and the documentary Banished.

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.

Brief non-fictional graphic novel looking at the rise and destruction (and survival) of Tulsa's all-Black Greenwood neighborhood. While a bit dry it does a good job of communicating how the neighborhood was built, how it was destroyed (bombed from the air!!!!!! seriously?) and what it meant historically to the Black community in the US. Good for learning about yet another way that racial injustice has stained the USA's history.

Across the Tracks
Author & Illustrator: Alvere Black
Illustrator: Stacey Robinson
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 72
Publication Date: May 4, 2021

This graphic novel is being released in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre that occurred on May 31-June 1, 1921. The graphic novel talks about the founding and development of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This was also known as Black Wall Street. The oil boom in Tulsa allow blacks to own land and Black Wall Street was founded. The community was quite prosperous with multiple building schools, having access to two physicians, a vibrant transportation system, multiple grocery stores, a theater and even a confectionary store.

On May 31, 1921, an accidental shot at the courthouse resulted in the sheriff deputizing white men who crossed the tracks into Greenwood. Over the next 24 hours, 300 African Americans had been killed, 1,200 homes destroyed, 320 homes looted, and 4000 people left homeless.

What I liked about this graphic novel:
*The retelling of the Tulsa Race Massacre is powerful. It shows the rise of Black Wall Street and the context for the massacre. I really liked that the emphasis was on the Greenwood District instead of on the massacre itself. It really brings home the point of what was destroyed during this horrible event.
*I appreciated the in-depth afterword that provides more detail about the history leading up to the Tulsa Face Massacre.
*The illustrations were gorgeous. The ARC I reviewed was black and white and will have color in the final edition. I think it will only improve this masterful design already provided.
*I appreciated that the artist varied the number of panes/splashes to match the content of the pane.

What I didn’t like:
*While the novel ends on a hopeful note, I wanted to know what happened afterwards.
*I would have liked to have a bit more context in the actual illustrations about the racism rampant in the US at the time. There are mentions of Jim Crow laws but not of the 1919 Summer of Red and the increased Klan activity that may have helped fuel this tragic event.

This graphic novel is powerful reading and a beautiful commemoration for this community that was destroyed. I believe this should be on the list of anti-racist reading as understanding history and why it was erased is critically important.

ARC provided to me by Abrahams Comics – Megascope, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.