Essay Questions

Why does the author choose to make the novel a dual narrative?

By telling two stories of black teenagers that are living a century apart, Dreamland Burning is a dual narrative. Latham effectively uses this narrative technique to compare the stories of each character, and how similar their cultural experiences are even a century apart. Racism has spanned the course of American history, and the characters of Rowan Chase and William Tillman embody the difficulties that African Americans through time.

What was the impact of Dreamland Burning on national understanding of the Tulsa Race Riots?

The Tulsa Race Massacre took place in 1921 after a white girl accused a black man of assaulting her inside of an elevator. Although there were an estimated 300 deaths during the lynchings of black citizens, the incident was virtually erased from history for decades and not included in school textbooks. Dreamland Burning extensively covers the incidents and impact of the Tulsa Race Riots, and unveiled to the world some of the long-hidden atrocities of the event.

How does Dreamland Burning serve as a coming of age novel?

As Rowan Chase explores her family's past, she discovers that things are not as pleasant as she seems. In her own backyard, she finds evidence of a buried black Civil War hero that, as a teenager, likely suffered many of the same effects of racism as she does in 1921. Chase feels lost and confused about her mixed heritage as the daughter of a black housewife and a wealthy white oil tycoon. Through the novel, Chase dynamically becomes more comfortable with herself and her family, realizing that she should be proud of herself and strive to fix the struggles of the past that plague the present.