Structure

The exposition comes as Weatherford describes the affluent neighborhood the Blacks created for themselves in their segregated portion of Tulsa. The rising action comes when the Black man is accused of assaulting a White female elevator operator. The climax comes when Whites loot and burn Greenwood, leaving many dead and hundreds homeless. The action falls as it is described how some citizens left Greenwood forever while others stayed and tried to rebuild. The denouement comes as Weatherford describes the investigation into the massacre and the creation of Reconciliation Park.

Perspective

This book is told from the viewpoint of an omniscient third-person narrator. This narrator is not judgmental or biased but gives the facts of life in Greenwood. For instance: “Black guests were welcome there even as they were barred from Tulsa’s white hotels” (10). This quote lays out the facts of segregation. Blacks were not allowed to...