Author(s): Cooper, Floyd

Young Adult | LIB Presents: Books about War | New Arrivals

Book connoisseur Natalia Bragura writes:

Unspeakable by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper is a moving and powerful children’s book that sensitively introduces young readers to the tragedy of the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in US history. The book tells the story of the thriving African American community in Tulsa’s Greenwood district in the early 1900s, with its own schools, libraries, churches, and businesses, which were destroyed by a white mob in 1921. The devastation left as many as 300 African Americans dead and over 8,000 homeless, and news of what happened was largely suppressed.

Illustrator Floyd Cooper‘s exquisitely rendered faces are masterpieces of empathy and add an extra dimension of emotion to the book, especially given that Cooper’s own grandfather was a member of the Greenwood community and passed down stories about the massacre. This bold and subtle book design provides a call for a better future for all. It is a tribute to Floyd Cooper’s life and legacy, as it was his last book before he passed away in July 2021. The book’s poignant and timely message reminds us that we must confront the difficult truths of our past to build a more just and equitable future for all.