• The Ground Breaking

  • The Tulsa Race Massacre and an American City's Search for Justice
  • By: Scott Ellsworth
  • Narrated by: Ako Mitchell
  • Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Ground Breaking  By  cover art

The Ground Breaking

By: Scott Ellsworth
Narrated by: Ako Mitchell
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.54

Buy for $18.54

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A gripping exploration of the worst single incident of racial violence in American history, timed to coincide with its 100th anniversary.

On 31 May 1921, in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a mob of white men and women reduced a prosperous African American community, known as Black Wall Street, to rubble, leaving countless dead and unaccounted for and thousands of homes and businesses destroyed.

But along with the bodies, they buried the secrets of the crime. Scott Ellsworth, a native of Tulsa, became determined to unearth the secrets of his home town. Now, nearly 40 years after his first major historical account of the massacre, Ellsworth returns to the city in search of answers. Along with a prominent African American forensic archaeologist whose family survived the riots, Ellsworth has been tasked with locating and exhuming the mass graves and identifying the victims for the first time. But the investigation is not simply to find graves or bodies - it is a reckoning with one of the darkest chapters of American history.

©2021 Scott Ellsworth (P)2021 W F Howes
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"The persistence, empathy and painstaking research of The Ground Breaking move us much closer to the justice that the victims of Greenwood, and the people of America, deserve. Heartbreaking and inspiring." (Beto O'Rourke)

"Absolutely riveting.... With a stunning combination of objectivity and empathy, it demonstrates how even in polarised times we can come together in pursuit of truth.... Anyone interested in America’s future should read it as a template for the reconciliation that lies ahead." (Tim Blake Nelson)

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen everywhere

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Reach your reading goals

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for $0.00 $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

What listeners say about The Ground Breaking

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.