Tulsa Burning

by Anna Myers

The day he buried his pa, Nobe Chase lost everything - his father, his home, and his dog, Rex. Worst of all, he had to move into town to live with Sheriff Leonard - dog killer, wife stealer, and secret law-breaker of all sorts. That day, Nobe found a new purpose for his life-revenge. Hate takes over his life, burning out of control inside him. Nobe learns how dangerous hate can be when it is unleashed in a fury of fire and gunpowder during a race riot in nearby Tulsa. When the violence spills over into his hometown, Nobe must decide what kind of man he is going to become-one driven by vengeance or one driven by courage.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Young Adult Historical Fiction, Book Club, Fiction

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping story of the 1921 Tulsa race riot for young people. Interesting to note the riot was fueled by false newspaper reporting. Fake news is not new.

[Jenni Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Anna Myers I also grew up in Oklahoma and had never heard about the Tulsa Masquer. People don’t always consider Oklahoma as a southern state, but if they new how segregated and racist the culture still is they would definitely change their mind. I’m glad this book is available for young readers.

[_lucy grace_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

good historical fic from a town near me!

[Samantha Kurtz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tulsa Burning is a good historical fiction book for the elementary/middle school-aged reader. It didn’t talk about the Tulsa Race Riots as much as I thought it would. It talked more about injustices prominent in the 1920s, but I still enjoyed the read and would recommend it to parents and fans of historical fiction.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

First person. The race riots in Tulsa Oklahoma in the 1920's. Interesting, the way the author crossed the experiences of the characters and the events. Would have liked the reading experience to have been more immediate, but a compelling story.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a must read for middle school students.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for Oklahoma history. The main theme of this book is the choice one has to either allow hate to fester and grow, or choose to forgive. The Tulsa riots of 1921 feature prominently in the book, but more as a backdrop for the more general themes of race relations and vengeance/forgiveness. Very well written for the middle grade level.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fiction about interracial friendship during the race riots in Tulsa in 1921.

[Maya B]

It is one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read.

[James Taranto · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tulsa burning is a survival book
It is set in the 1920's in Tulsa USA
it got boring very quickly
I didn't like it

[Briana Cleveland · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is fraught with white saviorism. The narrator is a white teenage who, not once, but twice saves his black friend’s life. Also, this book isn’t really about the Tulsa Race Massacre.

[☼CHLOE☼ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing, mostly because I was born in Tulsa and I've never heard of this fire.

[Brantley Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it!!!

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tulsa Burning is by Anna Myers. This book is based on the true story of the Tulsa Riots which resulted in the burning of the colored section of Tulsa. It takes place in a small town near Tulsa.
Nobe Chase was afraid of his Father. When he was drinking, which was most of the time, he would beat Nobe and his Mother. However, Nobe always wanted his Father to show him some sign that he loved him. However, the day he lost his Father, Nobe’s life would change and not necessarily for the better. After the burial, Nobe and his Mother were having to move into Sheriff Leonard’s house where she would care for his wife. Nobe knew the Sheriff had other ideas and that he really didn’t want Nobe around. He definitely didn’t want Nobe’s dog. When Nobe tried to get him to agree to take him into town, the Sheriff shot the dog. This proved to Nobe that the Sheriff was not one to be messed with.
Nobe got himself a job washing dishes with Lester, the new cook. Lester didn’t want to have anything to do with Nobe; but they tolerated each other. Nobe spent a lot of his time with Mrs. Mitchell and her son, Isaac, especially when Isaac was in town. Isaac lived in Tulsa and was one of the first colored men to work in a bank. Isaac was also a peacemaker and didn’t like violence. It was only after Nobe started working with Lester that Mrs. Mitchell told Isaac that Lester was his Father. However, they never had anything to do with each other. Lester was trying to change and be a better man so Mrs. Mitchell would let him get to know Isaac.
One afternoon, the Preacher came in and told the Sheriff that there was a riot in Tulsa and at the start of it, Isaac Mitchell was in the middle of it. He had seen Isaac go down but didn’t know if he was hurt or what. Hearing this, Nobe set out with Lester to bring Isaac home from Tulsa where he could get help. Nobe thought so much of his friend Isaac that he was willing to go into the middle of a race riot with a black man in his truck to save the life of another black man. Would he make it back home unscathed?

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tulsa Race Riots and burning of Black Wall Street in 1921 are a facet of U.S. American history that is not talked about nearly enough. This book does an excellent job of starting a conversation (even if it's only an internal conversation) about not only the historical events, but the thoughts and intents of people's hearts and what they choose to do when confronted with hard truths, even about themselves or people they care about.
I absolutely loved Nobe as the main character. He was 15, but had gone through some tough things. As the racially motivated violence spilled into his own life, he was faced with some serious decisions to make, and I believe he did the right things.
May we all examine our own hearts, and determine to be on the correct side of history . . . the side that listens to the lived experiences of our siblings, and seeks from them the best ways to be of help as we all rise together.

[Danielle Routh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably wouldn't have even picked this up except for the fact that I now live fairly close to Tulsa, but I'm so glad I did. Sadly, the events and attitudes in this book are still relevant close to a hundred years later, and I thought Myers did a great job of showing varied characters and how they react to everything. Noble is highly sympathetic, and his dialect is spot on. The writing style is a bit juvenile, which only makes sense since it's geared toward younger readers, but I think this book would be great for middle schoolers, and I'm hoping my husband can teach it next year to his sixth graders.

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read this book in advance of using this novel to teach my gifted and talented students. I am adding this book to my wish list. Anna Meyers creates a simple yet compelling narrative that deals with gritty, difficult topic that many of my students also deal with. The Tulsa race riots also provide a fantastic yet terrible comparison to current events.
I highly recommend this book.

[Tara Zelvy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to see a book of this nature, the Tulsa Race Riot was something I've previously studied and written about. However, it fell a little short of my expectations. While I enjoyed the protagonist and thought he was a well developed character, I was wanting a book to be more focused on the actual riot, not a white boy in a nearby small town.

[Paul Sain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Myers is my grandmother, and she hasn't written a book I haven't liked so far. Tulsa Burning takes place in the times of the race riots. A boy is looking for a job, and he gets one washing dishes at a cafe. Later, riots break out and part of Tulsa begins burning.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

6th grader language arts book

During this quarantine, I was able to read this with my son for one of his classes. I have lived in Oklahoma my whole life and had no idea of what happened Tulsa in 1921.

[Robin Pelletier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hit me really deep in the feels. It’s historical fiction that leaves a mark on its readers. The history portrayed is horrific and the fictional aspects are heart breaking. This book has me crying from cover to cover. This book made me think.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.
It told the story in a very interesting way and made me want to keep reading. I loved the characters so much!
You may want tissues handy once you get near the end of the book. I was pretty devastated at one point.
This is a clean read with very minimal language.

[Tatum Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this with my students in class, but read it beforehand. It was a good book for students and good to open the floor to talk about the Tulsa Race Massacre. My junior high students loved it. It can be sad in some parts but you really start to become proud of the main character.

[Crystal LamleX===?\ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love using this book with my 7th grade when we talk about the Tulsa Race Riots. Have also had Anna Myers visit my school a couple of times and she does a really nice job.

[Meredith Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking book, but a must-read, especially for Oklahomans.

[Eryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel about hurt, anger and forgiveness in an Americana setting. Classic literature.

[Deanie Yasner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book several times and will probably read it again. Powerful and emotional. Nobe Chase is a character one can hardly forget.

[Vybhav · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tulsa Burning
Anna Myers

There was a boy named Noble Chase and he was 15 years old has a numerous amount of dramatic experiences like losing his dog, friends, and father. So they had to move into the downtown and made new friends like Isaac. Later in the book Isaac his best friend is not liked by many of the people that live there because of his race so this hatred turned into a riot and he was majorly hurt by the people. Later on in the book he is arrested by the sherif Leonard because he supposedly killed a little girl. He does save Isaac at the end of the story from being sent to a death penalty.

One of my favorite part of the story is when the reader writes, "Don't be afraid. I won't eat you or anything."(99). That quote is funny because it makes me laugh and you would wonder why would really someone say that, it is so weird! One of the more interesting parts of the book is when he says, "you smell like smoke...".(67) This is an interesting part because the reader gets a little bit of a clue what he is carrying. The serious part of the story is when Isaac is arrested because this is pretty much Noble's best friend and he is sentence to death!

I would recommend this to any middle schoolers because it is a good level book for any level for middle schoolers. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is below the age of ten because it is a middle school level book so it would be pretty hard. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone in high school because it is a little too easy book and it is going to get boring. I would also recommend this to anyone who is interested in realistic fiction because this is realistic fiction. Lastly if you have read any book that relates to sad or serious themes this would be a nice book for you.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, beautiful story. I absolutely love Noble Chase.

This book is written to teach young people about the Tulsa race riots in the early 1920's because the author writes, "it is the young who must learn from mistakes made by earlier generations. It is the young who must fight against prejudice and cruelty in the future.". I never learned about the Tulsa race riots until recently and as I have learned more I am saddened by the fact this piece of OK history has been kept secret and hidden for so long. Thank you Anna Myers for giving young readers a story filled with love and friendship while tackling such a dark and all too real subject of hatred.

This book is more than just a history lesson, though; Ms. Myers captured my heart with her storytelling and great character development. I loved Noble's emotional and real relationship with Isaac and his mother. True friendship and support. I also love the openness about children seeking, wanting to know and feel their parents' pride and coming to terms with growing up. The whole story was just one great, perfect package for me and I look forward to sharing it with my kids.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not the sort of book I would have picked out for myself. My 6th grader will read this for her English class this year, so I checked it out because I was unfamiliar with it. But once I got into the story, I was hooked. It's action packed; I think it would keep even my young boys' attention. And it encompasses everything that's good about humanity, as well as the worst stains our society can produce. It's very appropriate for youthful readers--it touches clearly on the main issues of race and morality without bogging down in minutae or philosophy. It talks simply about right and wrong, and how we as human beings have to navigate those issues within the context of such personal things as family, friendship, and community, and all of this on the very individual level of a lonely and sometimes confused young boy who's just trying to find his way. I really liked the book, and found it very touching and thought-provoking.