This book was sooooo good. Although it was a fictional account, the author did a great job through this historical fiction narrative. I would suggest it for anyone who loves historical fiction and those who want to learn more about Black Wallstreet and the Tulsa Race Massacre. The characters were thoughtfully written and the storyline kept me engaged the entire time. I really enjoyed listening to this while reading simultaneously. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am an avid reader of Historical Fiction. I like to be immersed in a historical event or time in the past and then go down the rabbithole to research the real events. I am not into Christian fiction. I somehow missed the fact that this was both historical and Christian fiction. That is fine when I don't feel preached at. Obviously historical characters are religious and lean on that faith when they are in trying times. This book was exactly what I needed to read about to set me up on my journey into the Greenwood/Tulsa Race Massacre. The story was solid as was the writing. I also listened to the audiobook and quite enjoyed the narration as well. However the book defintely got preachy when it introduced a religious character into the main storyline. It was preachy and yes, it brought together the whole title of the book but it was too much. This didn't feel like the preacher speaking to the other characters in the book but like he was preaching at the reader. Still I give this four stars for the story outside of the preachiness. I know it might be something other's enjoy. The book is valuable in that it sheds light on what happened during the Race Massacre that still too far Americans know about.

Top Book of the Year. Period.

Whew… y’all. The Filling Station by Vanessa Miller? It wrecked me in the best way. Five stars, no question. And I’m calling it now—it’s one of my top reads of the year.

This was my first historical fiction read, and listen… it won’t be my last. The way Vanessa told this story—I felt like I was in Greenwood the night everything burned. I could smell the smoke, hear the chaos, and feel the fear and heartbreak. The audiobook made it even more real—the narrator brought every single character to life in a way that gave me chills.

The Tulsa Massacre of 1921 is something we should all know about, but the way it’s told here? It hits different. It’s haunting. It’s necessary. And one question stuck with me:
“Why do they hate us so? What have we ever done to them?”
That line broke me. Because it’s still a question we’re asking, even now. Such a shame!

Margaret and Evelyn’s story felt so personal. They lose everything and end up at a Black-owned filling station that offered safety during a time when being Black in America could literally get you killed. Margaret wants to go back and rebuild. Evelyn? She wants to forget it all. And in between, there’s grief, sisterhood, survival, and a whole lot of faith being tested.

What hit me most was this idea of home. Not just a physical place, but faith. Family. Safety. Belonging. And how being Black in this country has always complicated that.

Please read this. Talk about it. Share it. We can’t afford to forget our history.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Publishing!

DNF’s at 19%.

In about 2016, I read a YA book about the Tulsa Race Massacre that I absolutely loved. Since then, I’ve been impatiently waiting for an adult telling. When I saw The Filling Station, I was so excited!

It does not live up to expectations. The massacre happens in the first 50 pages— before I have time to care about the characters.

Secondly, the characters are both too mature and too naive for their ages.

Thirdly, the didactic inclusion of God is too much. It seems like every other page, Jesus/God/church is mentioned.

It’s a great concept of a story with poor execution.

This history cannot be erased. A historical fiction book about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre that destroyed what was called Black Wallstreet.
Narrated by one of the best, Angel Pean!

Follow two sisters' journey of survival and recovery from one of the worst events in American history. Margaret and Evelyn Justice, who grew up in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, flee to the Threatt family filing station after the massacre. There, they try to rebuild and cope with the aftermath of the tragedy. And each sister copes in their own way. This story is raw in that many of the themes still exist today. That is the killing of Black joy and excellence. The sister's psychological trauma is well expressed and portrayed in this book. I felt for each sister and their differing views on what to do to recover.
I asked the same questions Margaret asked, and ask those same questions in light of what is happening in this country today.
Once again, this author has shown the depth of her research into these events. Her research skills are to be praised! I love the added historical facts at the beginning of some chapters, as heartbreaking as they were. A mix of romance and showing of black love help to balance out the traumatic events in the book.
If you are a fan of historical fiction, this is a must-read!
Rounded up from 4.5 Stars
Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson publisher for the audiobook!

This is a fictional novel about actual events that took place in Oklahoma between 1921 and 1926 • The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre destroyed Greenwood, Oklahoma, a thriving Black Community burned to the ground by an angry white mob. They murdered innocent residents of the Greenwood community and destroyed their businesses, caused them to flee the community they’d built with no help from police, local or federal government.

This story displays the unwavering determination of Black lives even in the midst of Jim Crow America. In the face of sheer hatred, discrimination and injustice, the people of Greenwood refused the be silenced. They refused to bring back joy to their lives. The novel follows the journey of two sisters surviving the most horrific attack against African Americans by a white mob on American soil. Yet, despite the horror they faced, they resisted hatred, fear and evil to rebuild their lives.

This book is Christian Historical Fiction that begins the night before the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma and follows two sisters who survive the event as they try to understand what happened and how to continue living, knowing all that they lost. There are many angry arguments with each other, those around them, and with God. Each sister struggles to make her own choices while they grapple with their own guilt and anger.

I had to force myself to pick this book back up again each time I stopped. Not because the writing was bad, but because the story and the history of the event was so tragic. I knew of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and the annihilation of Black Wall Street, but I had not realized how the survivors of the event continued to be blamed, victimized, abused, and stolen from for years even after the destruction occurred. I understand that trauma is ongoing; these events caused lifelong PTSD for many of those who experienced it. But as a reader, it was really hard to keep plowing through downfall after downfall with these characters, especially the parts that were repeated frequently throughout the book. Each new problem was another reason for Maragaret to get angry with God and for her to argue with Elijah about why she shouldn't.

I would have liked to have a brighter picture painted of Greenwood in its prime before the devastation began. Much of what we learn of the area are reflections and memories after we already know that the area has been destroyed. There were so many helpers that tried to rebuild Greenwood, fought for reconstruction, tried to make their voices heard, made donations, healed neighbors, and supported families, but our main character barely sees those things happening because she is so angry. Her emotions were so strong it was hard to see what was happening around her sometimes. I do like that the author gives our sisters the happiest endings that she could provide while still keeping things realistic. I also appreciated the actual quotations from prime sources at the beginning of each chapter, grounding us in this time and to those who experienced the event.

I normally reserve 5 stars for books that I am willing to pick up and read again, and this book would be too hard for me. It is a story that has not been told enough and needs to be read, but I don't think I could do it again. I personally tend to like my historical fiction with less emphasis on religion. The repetition of arguments between the sisters, Margaret and Elijah, and Margaret and God were a bit redundant. So I would probably give this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio version of this book.

The narrator was great (one of my favorite narrators) and I give the story 3.75 stars.

Although I have read about and researched some of the race massacres, I never thought about what was required for the victims to recover from the destruction of their property and their trauma. This story starts with Henry Justice and his daughters (Evelyn and Margaret) the day that the Tulsa massacre happens. Evelyn is about to graduate from high school and plans to go to designing school. Margaret is a recent college graduate who plans to teach at the local high school until she decides on the next phase of her life. Henry owns a grocery store in the community. I could visualize the horror of the massacre as it happened and learned a lot about what happened afterwards. The story explores how the whites tried to take their land and how the victims were blamed for what happened to them. It also sheds light on what victims had to endure to rebuild the community.

I loved how the Threatts (who owned a gas station) assisted whoever needed their help and how they fostered Evelyn and Margaret. The book also touches on the transformation of Margaret’s faith as she deals with her trauma.

The only aspect of the story that I didn’t like was Evelyn. She was extremely immature and selfish resulting in Margaret being overbearing in different parts of the story.

This story follows sisters, Margaret and Evelyn, and their lives following the riots in the Greenwood area of Tulsa, OK. The sisters end up separated from their father and find safety at The Filling Station owned by Fred & Alberta Threatt. They eventually return to their home, however rebuilding has its challenges, and the sisters varying approach to how they each manage their grief and trauma following the massacre results in strife that at some points I was unsure they would overcome.

This novel beautifully provides a realistic counting of what the residents of Tulsa experienced during the massacre. I’m a big fan of historical fiction, and the author did an amazing job of dropping gems of facts, while also giving us a beautiful story of family, sisterly love, racial trauma, and the importance and significance of community.

Lastly, I loved the narration. Angel Pean did an amazing job of being each character to life.

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Thomas Nelson & Zondervan Fiction Audio, and Vanessa Miller for this free audio ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

First off, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ALC. the actor was so good!

On the book, incredible. I’m going to buy my trophy for sure. This book was a hard read in the sense that it is talking about history. Real history. The stories these characters go through is heart wrenching. This book will stay with me forever.

The retelling of the tragedy that led to the events depicted in the book was told in an honest and needed manner. I truly enjoyed and appreciated the storytelling that took place in this story. I’d highly recommend this book to any and everyone.

Rounded up from 2.5. I have been in my historical fiction bag for a minute but unfortunately this fell flat for me. I just didn’t connect with the sisters at all and I wished there was more information around the Tulsa Massacre. I was happy to get an arc but after reading Queen Sugar and Harlem Rhapsody this was a little weaker.

The author has done a wonderful job of researching this tragic time and made me truly feel like I was there during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The story and characters were brought to life in this fast paced novel by an author that truly loves telling us stories that matter. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is beautifully and respectfully handled given that this is based on real people and real events in US history. I think Vanessa Miller has a true gift for breathing life into historical characters and situations.

This follows the Justice sisters, Evelyn and Margaret, who are the daughters of Henry Justice, a grocer in Tulsa. The action begins almost immediately, and the escape from the white mob is horrifying to endure with the sisters. The sisters are separated from their father and manage to find their way to a safe harbor at The Filling Station owned by Fred & Alberta Threatt. Their escape is only part of the story, which I appreciate. I'm most familiar with the terrorism that destroyed Tulsa, I've seen it re-enacted on television shows such as Watchmen & Lovecraft Country both on HBO if memory serves. The horror described in the novel hits harder than the TV visuals. Both shows mentioned are excellent and worth a watch.

What I loved about this novel was its coverage of and focus on the aftermath or the massacre. How the survivors were impacted by this horror and how that informed their lives. This explores those survivors that returned and those who did not. This covers the long arm of CPTSD and how some managed to move on. Not all did move on, and that's important to note.

This covers history actively being erased by the current US administration, and it's important to have fiction to expand on facts. I don't fool myself into believing that fiction won't be influenced by the current fascist agenda of the US government.

The Christian themes felt heavy, and I wasn't interested in the characters' struggles with her faith. I'm not a Christian, and while I love this author's storytelling style, I find her focus on Christianity heavy and largely uninteresting in a story of this nature. Too much focus on and exploration of Christian faith for me.

I preordered this on audiobook based on my love of the author's previous novel, The American Queen. My NetGalley player was glitchy, probably because this review was due weeks ago when I was too sick to keep up with my review due dates. I listened to the copy I purchased, so I would not need to delay this review further. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction, Black history, US history, and readers of Christian fiction.

The narrator of this audiobook is Angel Pean. Angel is a narrator I'm familiar with, have high expectations of, and generally offers narration I deeply enjoy. This novel was no exception. This covers a disturbing incident in US history, and I find that audiobooks can help blunt the horrors a bit in a novel like this. Angel's narration brought these characters and this historical episode to life.

Thank you to Vanessa Miller, Thomas Nelson & Zondervan Fiction Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

This fictional book talks about the Tulsa Oklahoma race massacre and the aftermath it had on the community. It follows two sisters and how they navigated life after. It also talks about how hard it was to rebuild the community, but how the spirit of the community could never be broken.

The narrator brought this book to life. I don’t think the impact would have been as significant if I had read it on my own. She helps you feel the emotions and angry and pain without taking anything away from the book.

I thouroughly enjoyed listening to The Filling Station. It was an insightful read that illuminated the interiorities of those who experienced and survived the Tulsa Race Massacre. As I read the novel I was immersed in Black culture and assumed responses to the event based in knowledge of Black social and visual culture. It was apparent that the novel was well researched from the metatextual elements that further shaped the narrative.

Margaret and Evelyn Justice live comfortable lives in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. Their father runs a store, and though they miss their dead mother, they are fairly content. Margaret aims to eventually teach then marry, and live in Greenwood, while younger, high school-aged Evelyn wants to study fashion design. She currently designs her own clothes, and is quite talented.

Then, one night, everything in their lives is upended by violence and tragedy. Whites rampage and begin attacking Greenwood and its residents, destroying everything they can and injuring and killing many, while police do nothing.

Their father rushed off to defend the district, while Margaret and Evelyn barely escape, walking along Route 66 until they come across the Threatt Filling Station, a place where Blacks can safely stop while travelling.

The sisters are taken in by the Threatt family, and are given a place to rest and recover. There is no word about their father, and many others, so the sisters grieve for not just themselves, but the horrors visited upon everyone they know.

Margaret heads back to Greenwood once it's safe, and decides she will rebuild, as Whites are swooping in to take land that isn't claimed. With the help of a kind young farmer, Margaret begins salvaging what she can in Greenwood. Evelyn stays and works at the filling station, but finds herself not coping well at all, and takes up with a boy Margaret does not approve of. The sisters must find some way to sort out their lives, and not lose each other in the process.

Author Vanessa Miller focuses on the aftermath of the Tulsa Race Riot, and the grief and anger of people, but also on the resilience, support and love that enabled people to rebuild their lives.

The sisters came alive as they struggled with the many setbacks; I appreciated how Miller had Margaret close herself off and turn her back on her faith in anger, while Evelyn could not find her footing, and falls into trouble to cope with her grief and disappointments. And though they seemed to not understand what the other was going through, they still ultimately came back together.

It's a powerful story, and Miller's use of real quotes at the start of each chapter powerfully grounds the story, and also highlights the deep research the author did to make this story come alive and have such a strong sense of time and place. (To also know that the Threatts were real and such good people was great.)

This book was wonderful; I went between both the prose and the audio and found Angel Pean beautifully brought the sisters to life in all their myriad emotions, and made me care also for the other characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

Vanessa Miller’s latest novel, The Filling Station is historical fiction that tells the story of two sisters who survived the massacre and how they try to pick up the pieces of their lives left in the rubble. The novel is based on real events and includes a real family, the Threaats, who provided a safe haven for survivors. Older sister Margaret and young sister Evelyn are taken in by the family who owns the only local gas station friendly to Black customers.

Rebuilding after tragedy
When you think about a tragedy or disaster, often the attention is focused on the destruction, but not the rebuilding. The Filling Station focuses not just on the rebuilding of the Greenwood district, but the rebuilding of the sisters’ spirits. One thing that always haunted me about the tragedy is that high school graduation was literally the next day. But by dawn on June 1, Greenwood and been burned and firebombed beyond recognition. Younger sister Evelyn represents the youth that would have graduated.

Margaret, having graduated college and preparing for a teaching position, takes on the responsibility of caretaker for her sister and the legacy of her family. She participates in Greenwood’s rebuilding and feels tied to resurrecting it. Evelyn, whose childhood was effectively ripped from her hands, wants nothing to do with Greenwood or the memories that horrible night holds. She wants to leave for fashion school, but can not now that their fortunes are uncertain.

Faith & Anger
Margaret grapples with her faith in God throughout the book. She asks the question, how could God have allowed this to happen? Elijah, the farmhand that befriends and helps her, provides a foil to Margaret’s anger towards God.

This was a layered book that explores life after experiencing tragedy and trauma. Through each sister, you see how different people react and approach life after experiencing tragedy. Margaret overworks herself, worries and questions her faith. Evie rebels and tries to find her way, but fails several times. The specter of racist violence haunts the girls as they fear something similar happening again. One wants to stand and defend while the other wants to leave and start over. But throughout, their community holds them up as they learn to stand again.

Sibling Relationships
The relationship between the sisters is as interesting as their choices and ways of dealing with the trauma. I appreciate that the book focuses on the recovery and how they rebuild their lives. Where they have to dig in and show grit, there is also grace to soothe them. The dynamic between older and younger; homebody vs wanderer creates interesting situations that both have to deal with. The symbolism of their arriving at a gas station when they felt like they couldn’t take one more step, essentially running on an empty tank, is powerful. The idea of the girls needing to be physically and spiritually filled up before they went out on their own was intriguing.

Audiobook
For the last part of The Filling Station I had access to the audiobook. I would definitely recommend! The narrator captures each sister’s voice distinctly and also provides nuances to other characters like Elijah, Tommy and Mr. Allen.

I look forward to reading more of Vanessa Miller’s books! If you are looking for historical fiction about Black experiences that also integrates the Christian faith, then definitely check out her books.

Read it, NOW! That’s the post!!

While Evie and Margaret are fictional characters, the Tulsa Race Massacre is NOT!! Historical fiction is my preferred genre, second to nonfiction, and this story does not disappoint. This book tells the story of the Tulsa Massacre through the lives, loves, relationships, experiences and thoughts of two sisters who are very much immersed in and proud of their community of Greenwood.

Vanessa Miller’s writing made me feel present in the middle of this story! I experienced these events along with Evie and Margaret. And I loved that we were able to see the characters experience joy throughout it all, even as both sisters struggled through and processed their trauma and wrestled with their faith. And ooooooh how much do I love Elijah!!

It’s really outstanding to read about something so painful and heavy and yet find that the story was crippling. There was joy and hope and restoration not only of the town but of dreams. And the bonus is that Vanessa shares her research with us for those of us that want to learn more, on her website.

I completed this story as an immersive read using the audiobook ARC and the e-ARC. I’ve never done that before and it was an awesome experience, I really enjoyed the narrator!

5 stars hands down, 10 out of 10!!

Thank you @thomasnelson and @netgalley for both the audio and ebook arc!! 🥰 #TheFillingStation #BlackStoriesMatter