I have known Jennifer Luitwieler for many years as our children grew up together in the same school, and I was honored to receive an early draft of this book; however, I am tardy in offering my praise to her and encouragement to you, dear reader, to pick up this book. Jennifer Luitwieler has crafted a riveting and educational story about the 1921 race riot in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I live in Tulsa and when I visit the Greenwood District and its adjacent streets, it is hard for me to imagine the tragedy and the laying to waste of life and property which Jen so vividly brings to light.In Jen's story we meet Grace and Mercy, two friends who connect when Grace's mother is hired as a maid by Mercy's family. It seems to me it is no accident that Jen has chosen these names for the girls. Mercy, is white, and her compassion and love of Grace, a black girl, prevails when it would be within her power in this racially divided time of history to punish or harm her. Grace is blessed by her friendship with Mercy but faces challenges from her classmates who do not understand her willingness to cross the color divide. Grace and Mercy are not oblivious to the risks they take by being seen together and you will be touched by the extent to which they will go to find a place of solace to talk freely.Jen's use of delicate details to introduce character, time and place, such as these evocative paragraphs in chapter one, not only triggered my memories of the simple act of ironing as a child, but captured my attention throughout her book:"Her mama sweated over the ironing board, a silk scarf that Miss Willie had given her one Christmas tied up around her head, her shoes squished on the floor as she reached from the pile of clean linens, plucking up the next napkin for pressing. Then she bent back to the board, making a tidy game of aligning the square of cotton, as though straightening the corners of a terribly wrinkled swatch could make the ironing unnecessary. Her fingers pulled the corners away from each other on the diagonal, opposed to each other, as if that could make it whole.Mama made it clear that hard work was no magic; she knew it was hard and necessary, so she found ways to make it more bearable. She spritzed the cloth with the fine, clear, lemon-scented water, then held the hot iron to the cotton in vast sweeps, pressing firmly, moving quickly, maintaining pressure over the trouble spots. Grace watched Mama as her eyes closed with delight, smelling the lemon as it rose to her face in steam. Sure, it was work, but Mama enjoyed the measured process of the task, the quiet hum of the kitchen, a peaceful Thursday with all her girls, she called them, which included Miss Willie. There was something fulfilling about accomplishing set tasks, leaving the house in domestic order, with a handful of cash on Fridays."Jen's use of metaphor conjures color, scent, sight, nuance, life and imagery to characters and transported me to this time and place with great clarity. When introducing characters in the book, metaphors such as those in the following paragraph, burst with personality:"His skinny legs hid inside wide legged trousers, bent at the knee from wear. His shirts bloomed around him. He might have been sturdier after the war, but his face was vaguely hollow, like a shrunken jack o’lantern. Gaunt, Rachel called him. Gaunt described Mr. Dub exactly; dried up by the war, and boiled down to the base of his person. He only said words he meant to say, and did everything with a calm purpose. He might have seemed weird to others. People want noise and laughter and happiness. Mr. Dub could do noise and laughter and happiness, but it was quieter, almost mechanical. Only the warm, browned butter eyes said he was genuine."The second literary device, foreshadowing, builds suspense throughout the book. As the characters in this book witness and experience prejudice and abuse, their friendships, their families, and their city's fragile balance is toppled. Jennifer Luitwieler takes us on this precarious journey through time and to her credit, she teaches history while creating a very readable story about memorable characters. I believe her story will inhabit your mind for many days after you turn the last page.