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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
I gave this a higher rating as a YA novel, because it has a good storyline to pull YA audience in as well as inform them of historical events of importance.
I'll be honest. This new book caught my eye for everything but it's description. I adore the author's name: Randi Pink. I haven't researched whether it's a pen name or real name, but I figured a story by a chick named Randi Pink has to be worth reading. Next, the cover art is striking! Beautiful brown skin girl with thick natural hair. Bold primary colors of red and blue background with white writing. I correctly assumed the story was historical fiction based on the title. I didn't need to read the description since I was already interested by this point. Advance copy accepted!
Seventeen-year-old Isaiah is the town troublemaker with a secret: he is actually an avid reader and poet. He never leaves home without his journal and is a follower of W.E.B. Du Bois. He believes black people should rise up and claim their place as equals. Sixteen-year-old Angel is known as a goody-goody church girl. She follows Booker T. Washington and believes black people should rise slowly without conflict. The two opposite teenagers are offered a chance to work together on a mobile library.
On May 31, 1921, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a white mob storms the town in what becomes known as the Greenwood Massacre of 1921. The town is left destroyed and thousands displaced. Isaiah and Angel then realize they aren't each other's enemy and must agree in order to survive. The amount of black history, black literature references and activism methods are what makes this book a good read. The themes explored may open your mind to how others think, regardless of their race. The main message I walked away with is: pride in your community!
Bookhearts, add Angel of Greenwood to your reading lists for Black History Month 2021. Do additional research while reading to get the full context then share it with others. And to the powers that be, please consider adapting Angel of Greenwood on film. It will make a powerful picture!
Happy Early Pub Day, Randi Pink! Angel of Greenwood will be available Tuesday, January 12, 2021.
~LiteraryMarie
Seventeen-year-old Isaiah is the town troublemaker with a secret: he is actually an avid reader and poet. He never leaves home without his journal and is a follower of W.E.B. Du Bois. He believes black people should rise up and claim their place as equals. Sixteen-year-old Angel is known as a goody-goody church girl. She follows Booker T. Washington and believes black people should rise slowly without conflict. The two opposite teenagers are offered a chance to work together on a mobile library.
On May 31, 1921, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a white mob storms the town in what becomes known as the Greenwood Massacre of 1921. The town is left destroyed and thousands displaced. Isaiah and Angel then realize they aren't each other's enemy and must agree in order to survive. The amount of black history, black literature references and activism methods are what makes this book a good read. The themes explored may open your mind to how others think, regardless of their race. The main message I walked away with is: pride in your community!
Bookhearts, add Angel of Greenwood to your reading lists for Black History Month 2021. Do additional research while reading to get the full context then share it with others. And to the powers that be, please consider adapting Angel of Greenwood on film. It will make a powerful picture!
Happy Early Pub Day, Randi Pink! Angel of Greenwood will be available Tuesday, January 12, 2021.
~LiteraryMarie
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
This book should be made into a movie. I was taken along on a beautifully crafted rendering of life in Greenwood and learned so much about a perspective I’ve never been privy to. This is the kind of book every white American needs to read to gain a glimpse into the injustice our black brothers and sisters have endured. I’ve read a lot about the time of slavery and even some fantastic contemporary books that have helped to teach me our true history. But this book does something many of the others don’t. It showed the essence of the people who suffered through unimaginable horror. The fact that the history of this tragedy was brushed under the rug makes me sick to my stomach. Do yourself a favor and go along on this journey of young love and discovery and while you’re there, learn about the most painstaking bravery in our history. Thank you Randi Pink for sharing this gorgeous story.
This is such an important book, and easily of one of the best young adult novels I’ve ever read.
Randi Pink explores the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by creating incredible fictional characters who fall in love just as tragedy strikes. The storytelling is tender, yet urgent. There is heartbreak and hope on every single page.
This book is absolutely a reminder that we must stop erasing history, and that hope and love are much more powerful than evil.
Randi Pink explores the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by creating incredible fictional characters who fall in love just as tragedy strikes. The storytelling is tender, yet urgent. There is heartbreak and hope on every single page.
This book is absolutely a reminder that we must stop erasing history, and that hope and love are much more powerful than evil.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Actually doesn’t focus on the fires of Tulsa and the historical event as much as it is made to seem. More than anything this is a YA romance set in the 1920s. However, it did have a great redemption arc for one of its characters!
reflective
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
2.5 Stars. I can appreciate the sentiment that the author desired to express. I had high hopes for this book, especially since it was set in Greeenwood. My rating really came down to the fact that I just couldn't get into the plot line and I wasn't really attached to the characters. The story itself felt flat and underdeveloped.