The Filling Station

A Novel

De: Vanessa Miller

Narrado por: Angel Pean

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

A heart wrenching and hopeful novel from the USA TODAY bestselling author of The American Queen

"Absolutely worthy." —Booklist, starred review

"Should be required reading." —Library Journal, starred review

"Resilience, faith, and grit." —Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

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 Filling Station weaves together themes of love, hate, hope, trust, and resilience in the face of great turmoil. With every word, you will be transported into a story about strong Black women in a pivotal moment of history.

Discussion questions are included, so it's perfect for book clubs! Keep your tissues nearby because this one is practically guaranteed to make you feel all the feelings.

©2025 Vanessa Miller (P)2025 Thomas Nelson

The powerful resiliency of a community

Author Vanessa Miller wrote a masterpiece depiction with grace, respect and creativity! I not only was able to visualize the economic agility of a black-owned community that pulled their neighbors' up by the bootstraps, but also to visualize the strength of a community that continued to be a pillar of fortitude to rebuild and ignite a stronger movement of ' we won't be erased!'
I enjoyed " The Filling Station" so much, I am excitedly shouting out praises and recommendations in as many literary platforms and social media outlets as I possibly can!
It not only teaches history, but also the valuable principals of Greenwood's residents pride and collective community stand in the midst of adversity and despicable acts.
I can't say enough about Author Vanessa Miller's extraordinary gifts and talents of the written word!

Filling Station - Resilience and determination to rebuild what was destroyed

I like the historical context and resilience in the characters. This book made me wanting to do more research about the Tulsa Massacre. I like ending of how the community worked to rebuild what was destroyed by prejudice and racism in that era.

I dislike how in the beginning the acts of destruction and killings brought out my negative emotions. This gave me a desire to continue reading to see the outcome of fictional books.

This a great read

Resilience of Greenwood

Vanessa Miller in " The Filling Station" captured the pure essence and resilience of the Greenwood people and community during this horrific massacre in Tulsa OK. It captured my attention from beginning to the end. I was raised in the Tulsa, OK in the sixties, and lived in the Greenwood District. I remember my mother taking my brother and I to many of the businesses, restaurants and stores when I was a child. This book made me want to research, and learn more about our Greenwood history.

continual strength and commitment to the village

everything except the reader's performance. mispronounced words too often and in an attempt to read correctly, The presence of thick and very noticeable accent caused word struggle

The details of the story the characters

I absolutely love this book and I have said it before and I will say it again Vanessa Miller needs to be in every history teacher’s radar and every students cite page!

well written story with historical accounts

This is a wonderful book. Very little was known about the Tulsa Massacre. This novel was wonderful and beautifully written. The author brought the characters alive and the scenes were vivid.

Must Read

This was an excellent book with heartfelt characters about a true tragedy in American history. The narration was on point, the resolve of the characters, and the lessons in learning to have faith were incredible. The historical importance of this book must be shared.

Experience Greenwood

I absolutely love this book. It was like I was actually there living through what they experienced. This is a well written book. A must read!

Amazing

Vanessa Miller has done it again amazing amazing. This book I could not put it down after I got started with it.

The resilience of the survivors!

Life can be very hard for some and what the people in Greenwood experience was one of the most horrific things that anyone should have have to ever go through, but I loved how despite everyone in government and political officials and even the those that are that we’re supposed to protect and serve let them all down and even try to make things harder for them they never gave up.