Black Bird in the Sky; The Story and Legacy of The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert

Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this nonfiction book with my Albright College Book Club friends and also because I love anything Brandy Colbert writes. This is not an easy book to read as it lays bare the facts of the June 1, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. There was and still is many falsehoods about what happened that day and why it was basically wiped out of history---a prosperous black community in the Greenwood District of Tulsa (which also had a white section) was burned, decimated (people & buildings) and not properly investigated after the fact by the white populace in control of everything---government, newspapers, schools. Colbert's account must be read by all---this is history that was not in the history books after it happened, but her painstaking research has shown again what white violence against blacks caused and propagated after and through to today as history that must be addressed, remedied and stopped.

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The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege by Brendan Kiely

The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege by Brendan Kiely
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a very relatable honest read from an awesome YA author who is very close friends with Jason Reynolds, another awesome YA author. I think this book should be read by students, teachers, and everyone else. Brendan uses personal stories about him as well as history and present day to reach out to readers about understanding racism while being white. He writes with humor and honesty, many many facts & figures and challenges white readers to listen and believe when they listen to those of color. This is a complicated, necessary book and will make readers uncomfortable but also give them to tools and voice to understand racism. Highly recommended.

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Everybody's Son by Thrity Umrigar

Everybody's Son by Thrity Umrigar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many thanks to the gentleman who kept advocating that Springfield Public Library Adult Book Club read this title! I could not put this heart stopping thriller down, nor did I want to because I needed to find out what happens to Anton! Anton is the 9 year old child who has been forced to throw a chair against the painted shut window of his apartment after 7 heat filled days with no power, ac, and finally no food, waiting for Mam to come home. This sets off a series of events that change this child's life forever. Anton is biracial, his mother was hooked on crack, found 3 blocks away, where she endured her own hell trying to get back to her son. Once the authorities get involved; things move along for Anton; but are they all good and beneficial for him? He becomes a foster child to a white politically connected man (he and his wife lost their teen son) who becomes instantly besotted by Anton, driven by what he thinks is best for Anton. I loved the way Thrity Umrigar writes, her plot, her characters are beautiful, harsh in their reality, and authentic. The reader follows Anton and his family (David and Delores Coleman) as he grows up in a very privileged world with questions at first but less so with age (lies have smoothed over his discomfort) Anton's world is a must read for all. There will so many issues to discuss!

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