Even as I put these blog posts “on hold” for the summer, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of many new graphic works from my local library.  I placed my request for one non-fiction book—adding it to my “on hold” library list—well before its recent publication date.  I had hoped to read Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre (2021) in time for this weekend’s centennial tributes to that painful event in U.S. history.  

Written by Alverne Ball and illustrated by Stacey Robinson, this graphic history comes complete with a timeline and background essays by concerned university professors.  It is one of is one of several titles aimed at tweens on up in the new Megascope imprint, focused on Black art and artists, put out by Abrams Books.  I commented about this imprint, with its strong focus on speculative fiction by Black authors in March.

Of course, reclaimed history about what happened in Tulsa in 1921, along with what is happening there today, remains vital long past the centennial commemorations, on site and in media newscasts and specials.   I look forward to catching up with Across the Tracks when my requested library copy arrives.

Have a great, safe summer filled with enjoyable and eye-opening reading.   I plan to resume blogging here in September.