God of the Whirlwind

God of the Whirlwind is a book about the power of storytelling traditions to carry memories and shape ways of living. It assembles stories from members of the Black Waco community--stories that have been passed on and that have sustained life in Central Texas. In a region deeply shaped by racial injustice and the horrors of lynching, one such story tells of a destructive tornado as the justice of God. This story of the God of the whirlwind has served as one way of communicating the belief that justice is on the way. Based on oral history interviews collected and edited by Tyler B. Davis, God of the Whirlwind invites readers to listen deeply to community stories as they are shared and reflected upon across generations of Black Wacoans. The book asks readers to consider the resources for imagination and action these stories make available. In gathering the voices of Black Wacoans, God of the Whirlwind attends to the community that kept the whirlwind story, and many other stories, as part of the long struggle to imagine and build just ways of living in the region.