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kh2912's review
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cate_with_a_c's review against another edition
Rape scene on page 26. I don’t need to read this shit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
vivamonty's review
4.0
An important and eerily relevant book, 'Magic City' recreates the buildup and immediate aftermath of the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, which saw a mob of whites methodically burn and destroy one of the nation's most affluent black neighborhoods. It was a disgraceful time in this country's history, a bloody crescendo of the post-reconstruction era. One of the key themes of the book is that racial tension can build into a powder keg - all it takes is a spark for the whole thing to go off. Let's hope things aren't heading in that direction today.
readitandquip's review against another edition
4.0
How have I just found out about the 1921 Tulsa Massacre/Black Wall Street?
regina_confettibookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
May 31 - June 1, 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, the 1921 tragedy also known as the Black Wall Street Massacre and (formerly) the Tulsa race riot. After a 19-year-old Black man was accused of assaulting a 17-year-old White female in an elevator, a White mob was deputized and armed, martial law was declared, and an entire Black community was destroyed by aerial and ground attack. Approximately 10,000 people were left homeless, and 39 people were killed.
This is an event that, at least until now, has not been widely taught in US schools. It is gradually becoming more well known though given its inclusion in the recent TV series “Watchmen” and “Lovecraft Country,” plus news coverage of the 100th anniversary. Harper Perennial has also marked the occasion by reissuing the 1997 historical fiction novel about the event, Magic City.
Because not much is known about the young man and woman and their elevator encounter, it struck me as odd that author Jewell Parker Rhodes structured the novel so heavily on their characters. The first half of the novel is focused on learning their backstories and the events that lead up to the massacre. The man (here called “Joe”) is obsessed with Houdini, and entire chapters are dedicated to his delusions of communicating with him. The woman (“Mary”) is repentant about her involvement in inciting the events, and readers then follow her as she tries to help, make friends, and develop a romantic relationship along the way.
For me, Magic City is historical fiction with a little too much fiction and not enough history. While I do encourage everyone to learn more about this tragedy, I’m not entirely sure this is the best text for that purpose. If you go into it as more of a character study, perhaps your expectations will be better met than mine.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
IG: @confettibookshelf
This is an event that, at least until now, has not been widely taught in US schools. It is gradually becoming more well known though given its inclusion in the recent TV series “Watchmen” and “Lovecraft Country,” plus news coverage of the 100th anniversary. Harper Perennial has also marked the occasion by reissuing the 1997 historical fiction novel about the event, Magic City.
Because not much is known about the young man and woman and their elevator encounter, it struck me as odd that author Jewell Parker Rhodes structured the novel so heavily on their characters. The first half of the novel is focused on learning their backstories and the events that lead up to the massacre. The man (here called “Joe”) is obsessed with Houdini, and entire chapters are dedicated to his delusions of communicating with him. The woman (“Mary”) is repentant about her involvement in inciting the events, and readers then follow her as she tries to help, make friends, and develop a romantic relationship along the way.
For me, Magic City is historical fiction with a little too much fiction and not enough history. While I do encourage everyone to learn more about this tragedy, I’m not entirely sure this is the best text for that purpose. If you go into it as more of a character study, perhaps your expectations will be better met than mine.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
IG: @confettibookshelf
ftd318's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nolagal's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
brandylyons's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I don’t know how to review this book in a way that does it justice. And yes, that word is deliberately chosen. Justice. This book is about Tulsa, specifically Tulsa in 1921 and the riots and massacre that ensued. It brings to life in the most vivid way people who could have lived within the community of Greenwood. Loved and loved and laughed and fought. And it goes into the heartbreaking story of Joe and Mary, which is the spark Tulsa uses to burn the world to the ground. We should all read this. And learn this. And strive to make this world more just, more equitable.
jbraith's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookcrazyblogger's review
5.0
In Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921, Joe Samuels is a banker’s son and shoeshiner by choice, determined to make it as the next Houdini. He’s mourning his older brother Henry who died in the war and having strange, almost prophetic-like dreams. He lives in Greenwood, an all-black, prosperous town in the middle of white Tulsa. Mary Keane is a poor white woman living on a farm in Tulsa with her bitter father and her younger brother who lost a leg in WWI. She works part-time as an elevator operator and when she’s raped by her father’s farmhand, Mary loses what dignity she had left. These two cross paths when Joe takes an elevator ride with Mary, in full-view of Klansmen and Mary’s composure from her earlier rape, breaks. Seeking an easy target, they go after Joe. What will follow is a fictional account of a documented attempt at racial genocide in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as Klansmen burn down Greenwood-otherwise known as the 1921 Tulsa Massacre. My fellow white women, we need to talk. Actually, to be more accurate, we need to take a hard look at our history with Black men and women and we need to finally be honest. White women have weaponized their tears and femininity against Black people since the beginning, galvanizing white men into violence. The massacre is unknown because white people have demanded it to be that way. History books don’t focus on Black history, especially in the South and I will include my home state of Missouri in that. This book felt similar to The Water Dancer, because it used magical realism to explain the riot and it was honestly a brilliant decision. This book should be read as a reminder of whites atrocities committed against Black people for the sheer “crime” of existing.