Dreamland Burning

"Brimming with unsparing detail and unshakeable truths. . . . An unflinching, superbly written story set during one of America's deadliest race riots." —Kirkus Reviews starred review

Some bodies won't stay buried.


Some stories need to be told.


When seventeen-year-old Rowan Chase finds a skeleton on her family's property, she has no idea that investigating the brutal century-old murder will lead to a summer of painful discoveries about the present and the past.


Nearly one hundred years earlier, a misguided violent encounter propels seventeen-year-old Will Tillman into a racial firestorm. In a country rife with violence against blacks and a hometown segregated by Jim Crow, Will must make hard choices on a painful journey towards self-discovery and face his inner demons in order to do what's right the night Tulsa burns.


Through intricately interwoven alternating perspectives, Jennifer Latham's lightning-paced page-turner brings the Tulsa race riot of 1921 to blazing life and raises important questions about the complex state of US race relations—both yesterday and today.


A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of the Year Pick


A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers


"Latham masterfully weaves together the story of two well-off, mixed-race teenagers—Rowan, in the present, and Will, who lived in Tulsa in 1921—in this fast-paced, tension-filled look at race, privilege, and violence in America." ―Booklist, starred review


"Enthralling, expertly paced." —School Library Journal, starred review


"Wrapped in a detective tale, this is a thoughtful look at racial issues, an exciting whodunit, and a fascinating glimpse into Tulsa history." —School Library Connection