Tulsa Burning [Paperback]

Anna Myers (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

In 1921, fifteen-year-old Noble Chase hates the sheriff of Wekiwa, Oklahoma, and is more than willing to cross him to help his best friend, a black man, who is injured during race riots in nearby Tulsa.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-In Wekiwa, OK, in May 1921, Noble Chase, 15, struggles valiantly to live up to his name. His abusive father has died, and since the teen and his mother can't run their farm alone, she accepts a job as a live-in aide to the sheriff's ailing wife. On moving day, the unsavory, bigoted man exhibits his own violent tendencies when he shoots Noble's dog. Isaac Mitchell and his mother, who are African American, support Noble as he grapples with his new circumstances. He takes a job as a dishwasher at the local cafe, where he meets Lester Cotton, a fiercely anti-white cook who is Mrs. Mitchell's estranged husband. When the town preacher comes back from Tulsa reporting horrifying race riots in which Isaac has been hurt, Noble borrows the man's truck and enlists Lester's help, and the unlikely duo rescues a battered Isaac from a city in flames. A love interest, a wise and wily sheriff's wife, and an airplane ride flesh out this gripping novel. Noble is the best developed of the characters, though most of the central figures are sufficiently delineated. Perhaps the good folk are a little too good and the bad close to rotten; however, such is the reality of a boy's viewpoint. The plot develops with a lively, captivating pace that is sure to engage all but the most reluctant readers. Based on real events, this absorbing book is excellent for group discussions.
Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-10. When abusive, good-for-nothing Pa was alive, 15-year-old Noble was "just something to hit"--certainly not someone who would be allowed to pursue an education, let alone his friendship with the "coloreds" down the road. Far from being liberated by his father's death, however, he and his mother must still struggle when they move in with the corrupt, racist town sheriff and his ailing wife because "banks don't put no stock in half-growed boys and worn-out women." Noble's coming-of-age story--complete with "impure thoughts" about childhood friend Cinda, his raw hatred for the sheriff, and conflicted feelings about his late father--is set in rural Oklahoma in 1921, around the time that an actual race riot occurred in Tulsa. In this emotional page-turner, Myers expertly captures an era of poisonous racism while conveying the strong, true voice of a courageous young man who puts himself on the line twice for his black friend Isaac and gradually discovers the difference between fighting for justice and plain vengeance. Compassion and hope prevail in a powerful novel. Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Company (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802788297
• ISBN-13: 978-0802788290
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,821,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's in a name?, June 2, 2005

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tulsa Burning (Paperback)

"Nobe" (Noble) Chase doesn't think much. He certainly doesn't feel noble. When his Pa's around, he's just someone to hit. When Pa's out drinking the proceeds from their farm away, Nobe's stealing coins from the payphones with a key he's copied from the telephone employee's original.

Then Pa dies. Nobe's glad. He's not going to be hit on anymore. But he's sad for Ma, too.

They can't keep their farm. Nobe and his Ma have to move into town, away from Nobe's home and the colored friends he's made down the road, Mrs. Mitchell and her son, Isaac.

Nobe quickly learns that Sheriff Leonard who takes them in is not a good man, either. When the Sheriff shoots Nobe's dog, Rex, instead of allowing the animal to come live with them in town, Nobe swears everlasting hatred and revenge on the man.

Nobe's also worried that the Sheriff is looking too closely at his Ma. Ma admits, she'd marry the Sheriff when his invalid wife dies, but Nobe thinks Sheriff Leonard might just be meaner than his Pa.

Nobe's friend, Isaac, comes back into town from his job in Tulsa and teaches Nobe how to drive his new car. Isaac works on a section of town called Black Wall Street and he's doing right well--enough to buy both him and his Mama new motorcars and his Mama (Mrs. Mitchell) a victrola.

When Preacher Johnson returns with tales of the Tulsa race riots, Noble borrows the preacher's car to go get Isaac, who the preacher saw being injured.

There's more, but telling more would spoil the ending.

The author has taken a little-known event and turned it into a memorable tale of nobility and kindness. Within 150 short pages, Noble Chase's character grows by leaps and bounds as we see a bit of painful history that some folks meant to never see the light of day.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Word - VOICE, October 20, 2010

By 

Chris Bowen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tulsa Burning (Paperback)

Within the first few paragraphs, Myers does an excellent job of pulling in her readers. The voice of Noble rings loud and true and clear from the opening words. And, it's a voice that readers will be willing to follow almost anywhere. As a teaching tool in the classroom, the book offers quite a lot. First, so many books written for younger teens are heavy on plot and a little lighter on building memorable characters. The book is an excellent example to kids of how satisfying a book can be when relying on character. Additionally, the book deals with history of time and place that sometimes flies under the radar. It truly captures an era in time. History that goes untaught, goes forgotten, and there is clear danger in letting go of Myer's strong sense of time and place. I'm glad I read the book. I found it deeply satisfying and have had real positive feedback from kids who read it after my recommendation.

Chris Bowen
Author of, Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Book By Its Cover, July 23, 2009

By 

Dallas B. Koehn "Sneeze7x" (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tulsa Burning (Paperback)

The basic plot and main characters have been covered well in other reviews. I read this while looking for a book to assign in class, and it certainly meets most of the requirements--its good historical fiction, historically valid but still very much a book about people, relationships, anger, love, coming of age, etc.

The title is, I believe, a bit misleading. Although the Tulsa Race Riots form the backdrop to one key scene, this is NOT a book about the Tulsa Race Riots. It is about race and racism, among other things, and could certainly help a young person understand the dynamics behind the riots, BUT--most of it doesn't take place in Tulsa, the story of the riot is covered in a paragraph or two, and the results of the riot are only guessed at later and indirectly.

This is not a criticism of the book itself. Unlike much historical fiction for young people, TB actually does a pretty good job of letting the factual explanations flow naturally with the story and the dialogue. You don't feel as if the author is taking a break from the story to give a history lesson as is sometimes the case. There is certainly a lot to learn about both life in rural Oklahoma in the early 20th century and human nature and relationships in this well-told tale.

If you are looking for a book on the riots, however, this is probably not what you have in mind