The Filling Station by Vanessa Miller: Book Review

 **ARC received via Netgalley for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Two sisters. One unassuming haven. Endless opportunities for grace.

Sisters Margaret and Evelyn Justice have grown up in the prosperous Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma--also known as Black Wall Street. In Greenwood, the Justice sisters had it all--movie theaters and entertainment venues, beauty shops and clothing stores, high-profile businesses like law offices, medical clinics, and banks. While Evelyn aspires to head off to the East Coast to study fashion design, recent college grad Margaret plans to settle in Greenwood, teaching at the local high school and eventually raising a family.

Then the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre upends everything they know and brings them unspeakable loss. Left with nothing but each other, the sisters flee along what would eventually become iconic Route 66 and stumble upon the Threatt Filling Station, a safe haven and the only place where they can find a shred of hope in oppressive Jim Crow America. At the filling station, they are able to process their pain, fill up their souls, and find strength as they wrestle with a faith in God that has left them feeling abandoned.

But they eventually realize that they can't hide out at the filling station when Greenwood needs to be rebuilt. The search for their father and their former life may not give them easy answers, but it can propel them--and their community--to a place where their voices are stronger . . . strong enough to build a future that honors the legacy of those who were lost.

The Author

Vanessa Miller is a bestselling, award-winning author and playwright. Her writing has been centered on themes of redemption and books about strong Black women in pivotal moments of history.

Several of Vanessa’s novels have appeared on bestseller lists. The American Queen won the prestigious Christy Award and was the 2024 American Fiction Award winner for Historical Fiction. The American Queen was also the Woman Evolve Book Club Pick for October 2024; is a North Carolina Reads pick for 2025; and has been featured in GMA, Washington Post, and Essence roundups. Her novel Something Good was the 2022 Best Christian Fiction Award winner at the African American Literary Awards. Vanessa’s books have received countless favorable reviews.

Vanessa is currently published through HarperCollins/Thomas Nelson. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and family. She graduated from Capital University with a degree in organizational communication.

Connect with her online at vanessamiller.com; Facebook: @vanessamiller01; Instagram: @authorvanessamiller; X: @vanessamiller01.

Book Review

Wow, what a powerful and emotional read this was. I'll be honest, before picking up this book, I don't recall having ever heard of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. While this story may be a work of fiction, the author did a great job of sharing the true history of this horrible event through these two sisters' experience. I cannot say that it was a particularly enjoyable read due to the subject matter, but it was beautifully written and a story that I think absolutely needs to be told today when racism is sadly still such an issue. Despite the difficulty, this story was also such a testament to the resilience and strength of this community that had to rebuild from the ground up. There was also a beautiful message of faith and love, all working together to create this beautiful story that I will not be forgetting anything soon. If you enjoy Christian historical fiction, this is one you absolutely won't want to miss. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4aOwWVj