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A review by openmypages
Magic City by Jewell Parker Rhodes
4.0
"There's misunderstandings at times. A woman might say no when she means yes. Now isn't that right? You might encourage a man without realizing it."
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Do you want to know more about the Tulsa massacre but have a hard time reading history or heavy historical fiction? Well, then I would suggest Magic City to you. In honor of the 100 year anniversary @harperperennial is re-releasing Magic City, a fictionalization of the events that happened to cause the race riot and subsequent horror. It's easily readable and tackles a really impactful moment in America's history that has not properly gotten recognition.
In this story we see two people who are marginalized in every way, they are both treated as second class citizens even in their own families. On May 31st, they both flee their homes and end up on a collision course that changes Tulsa forever. When a misunderstanding leads to Joe Samuel being accused of raping Mary Keane, there is nothing she can do to rectify the situation. Joe, is a young kid obsessed with Houdini and living in the shadow of his brother's death, we see is precociousness and how his father tried and failed to empart to him that while they were successful Black Americans, one generation away from slavery made life as a black man in Tulsa dangerous. Mary was raped by a white farm hand that morning using her as a chess piece to get ahold of her father's farm, learns that her word as a woman means nothing in the world. Not only would she not get justice for herself, but she would unknowingly condemn Joe and every black man in the city.
We see the witch hunt go out of control and the unbelievable brutality of "white justice" in the 1920s. You will empathize with both of these ill-fated individuals for the actions that led to the worst moments in their lives and you will be outraged at the blind injustice. It's important to remember these moments in history so we are not doomed to repeat them.
Thanks to Harper Perennial for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.
------------------------
Do you want to know more about the Tulsa massacre but have a hard time reading history or heavy historical fiction? Well, then I would suggest Magic City to you. In honor of the 100 year anniversary @harperperennial is re-releasing Magic City, a fictionalization of the events that happened to cause the race riot and subsequent horror. It's easily readable and tackles a really impactful moment in America's history that has not properly gotten recognition.
In this story we see two people who are marginalized in every way, they are both treated as second class citizens even in their own families. On May 31st, they both flee their homes and end up on a collision course that changes Tulsa forever. When a misunderstanding leads to Joe Samuel being accused of raping Mary Keane, there is nothing she can do to rectify the situation. Joe, is a young kid obsessed with Houdini and living in the shadow of his brother's death, we see is precociousness and how his father tried and failed to empart to him that while they were successful Black Americans, one generation away from slavery made life as a black man in Tulsa dangerous. Mary was raped by a white farm hand that morning using her as a chess piece to get ahold of her father's farm, learns that her word as a woman means nothing in the world. Not only would she not get justice for herself, but she would unknowingly condemn Joe and every black man in the city.
We see the witch hunt go out of control and the unbelievable brutality of "white justice" in the 1920s. You will empathize with both of these ill-fated individuals for the actions that led to the worst moments in their lives and you will be outraged at the blind injustice. It's important to remember these moments in history so we are not doomed to repeat them.
Thanks to Harper Perennial for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.