I can't say enough about this book. Vanessa Miller takes a deep dive into the aftermath of the 1920'sTulsa Massacre which occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma, beginning on May 31, 1921, and lasted for two days but left open wounds of destruction and devastation. The massacre left somewhere between 30 and 300 people dead, mostly African Americans, and destroyed Tulsa’s prosperous Black neighborhood of Greenwood, known as “ Black Wall Street". The mere fact that the range of deaths is so wide speaks to how the masses concealed this atrocity. The Filling Station tells the story of survival in the aftermath. Two sisters, Margaret and Evie, with the same experience, the same tragedy, yet different perspectives on what survival looks like. The Filling Station with it's well-developed characters, gives the reader a front seat view of the struggles when the dust settles after the massacre. The battles, externally and internally, that were fought, the continued racism, the strength of wounded people, having unwavering faith in despair and perseverance. This story is a testament to a favorite quote, Still I Rise, Maya Angelou. Is this a must read? Yes, don't wait.

Loved it! Great historical notes at the end!

One of the best stories this month1 Great narrating. I felt like I was there a part of it all. Highly recommend.

Horrific event, but well written novel with compelling characters.

This book was an eye opener to what happened during the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921. I had only heard of it, but never knew what actually happened. Definitely recommend to everyone!

I liked the book, it held my interest although I was horrified by what took place. I’m glad the book was written, we shouldn’t try to cover up the past but learn from it and do much much better.

A fabulous telling of the Tulsa massacre A story that needs to be told and remembered so as not to repeat it. The author adeptly shows the trauma inflicted on the residents of Tulsa in the Greenwood area due to not only the burning of the shops and homes and the killing of residents but the additional trauma inflicted when those in authority discounted the tragedy and attempted to blame the residents for the acts of the aggressors. As a white woman, I found the book a bit off putting at first as it appeared the author was lumping all white people into the aggressor or complicit group. However, the author did discuss the white men that vouched for those in police custody that did not have proper identification. Further, the author did capture the political winds that pushed the Mayor to direct the police to stop what could have been a second massacre. All in all, a well written historical novel accurately capturing the political tensions surrounding the Tulsa Massacre.

An excellent read, start to finish! Vanessa Miller's research and end notes are superb and I commend to those wanting to read more about Greenwood, OK. I highly recommend this book to Americans, especially those with an Oklahoma connection as well as readers who particularly enjoy "historical fiction." If you're curious about historical incidents omitted for many years from mainstream American history textbooks, this one is not-to-be-missed!

Heart wrenching story but one of resilience, family and love. Fundamental question repeatedly asked why do white people hate black people? Why? In order to understand generational trauma, white people need to read this book.

Good book! Enjoyed reading it and learning this part of history.

Great narration, story telling, and pacing. I love when I don’t know how the ending is going to end. The writing was mature but still kept the anticipation high without going too far. Great read!

This was a great read, especially if you enjoy historical fiction.

I enjoyed the cadence of the narrator, and the story was good

This book was not what I expected. I read to get away from harshness, and this story was full of hate. I’m ashamed and hurt for what happened to the people in the story. I hope and pray that justice is served and a healing balm is applied for the hurting.

I was a but disappointed with the story. I found it ok, but wanted a bit more of what was described. it slid over the attack itself & the rebuild. After the authors notes, I appreciate what she tried to do, but it didnt give me a sense of what happened, what it took to rebuild & the people lives. A little too much focus on the girls & very little about the station, which I was suprisedto find out was of great significance.

Marvelous Read, very passionate writing.

I loved this book! I would read more of her work!

Great book!!

Great read. The descriptions and characters felt real to me. It was a great eye-open as to what happened before, during and after the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.

Enjoyed this historical gut wrenching read. A story about resilience, faith, and love

Learnings through good storytelling

Very interesting. So sad. So powerful. Horrific that people can be so cruel. Wonderful people can be so resilient.

I could not finish this. I tried about five times.

Excellent book and wonderful narrator. The story and the narrator on many occasions made me laugh, feel like crying and feel hopeful and convinced that with God all things are good even going through the bad getting there.

I loved this 3rd Avery Keen novel - this one was better than #2 And kept me intrigued throughout!

I loved this book; the story, the narration. It’s one of the best that I have listened to in a long time.

This is a hard to listen to the reality of the story but very important history of which to be aware.

I had no idea this happened so it was very eye opening particularly since it wasn’t the Deep South. I loved the different perspective of both sisters. My favorite character was Elijah with his quiet spiritual strength in the midst of horrific events of misbehavior.

powerfully written and narrated

Really liked how this exposed the horror of Greenwood while telling two sister’s stories

Really an eye opener