Built from the Fire

Praise

“Built from the Fire tells a powerful story of African American resiliency and ‘hopeful anger.’ Of believing so much in the American dream and the promise of this nation despite slavery, despite the betrayal of Reconstruction, despite the terror that obliterated the achievements of multiple generations of black people . . . The scope, the elegance, and the power of Luckerson’s tale is simply breathtaking and empowering.”—Carol Anderson, author of White Rage

“Built from the Fire demonstrates how wealth is stripped away from black families whether at the hands of lawless white citizens, law enforcement personnel, or elected officials. It is also the story of black hope and the belief in the possibility of a brighter tomorrow.”—Dorothy A. Brown, author of The Whiteness of Wealth

“Built from the Fire is a deeply researched chronicle of Tulsa’s extraordinary African American community through decades of triumph and tragedy, heartbreak and determination. In telling the story of the life and times of the remarkable Goodwin clan, Victor Luckerson has provided us with a true American family saga.”—Scott Ellsworth, author of The Ground Breaking: The Tulsa Race Massacre and An American City’s Search for Justice

“By burrowing deep into the stalwart Goodwin family—survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre—Victor Luckerson has produced a dynamic, and propulsive chronicle of that episode in American history. Given the tenor of our present times, this is truly a necessary book—and one that marks the exciting arrival of a new literary talent.”—Wil Haygood, author of Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World

“By dissecting the way we’ve all internalized the racial and economic structures that guide city-making (and city-destruction), Luckerson offers us hope that we can build communities that support us all.”—Peter Moskowitz, author of How to Kill a City

“In a kaleidoscope of colorful details and moving moments, journalist Victor Luckerson profiles the people who built ‘Black Wall Street’ and then lost nearly all to a violent, racially motivated attack. Built from the Fire is a sensitively rendered account of a family and community that persists.”—Tiya Miles, National Book Award–winning author of All That She Carried
 
“Built from the Fire is an American epic—damning in its implications, inspirational in its theme of perseverance no matter the obstacles, and compelling from its opening paragraph to its final sentence. This is a new addition to the canon of required readings on this nation’s tortured racial history.”—Jelani Cobb, author of The Substance of Hope

“A vital book . . . An ambitious chronicle of a racially motivated atrocity that still resonates today . . . [Victor Luckerson] brings his considerable journalistic sensibilities to this sweeping and intimate portrait of racial violence, empowerment, and social action.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An immersive history . . . a comprehensive and impassioned portrait of a community fighting for its survival.”—Publishers Weekly