Oleander City

by Matt Bondurant

In the wake of the 1900 Galveston hurricane, three lives converge despite persecution from the Ku Klux Klan, a bare-knuckle boxing match gone wrong, and the recovery efforts of the American Red Cross. Based on a true story The hurricane of 1900, America's worst natural disaster, left the island city of Galveston in ruins. Thousands perished, including all ninety-three children at the Sisters of the Incarnate Word orphanage--except six-year-old Hester, who miraculously survived. Oleander City is the tale of this little girl and the volatile collision between the American Red Cross, the Ku Klux Klan, and one of the most famous boxing matches in American history. The bout, organized to raise money for the recovery effort, featured the enigmatic veteran Chrysanthemum Joe Choynski, the most successful Jewish boxer in America, and Jack Johnson, a young hometown hero known as the Galveston Giant. The storied battle forged a bond between the two legendary fighters and put Johnson on the path to become the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Meanwhile, Clara Barton and the Red Cross minister to the sick and hungry as mounted vigilantes use the chaotic situation to settle old scores. After witnessing a terrible crime, Hester finds sanctuary with the ladies of the Red Cross, in a heartrending convergence of these historic figures.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Sports, True Crime, Cultural

287 pages, Hardcover

First published June 14, 2022

Reviews

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Oleander City as an audiobook.

If it is even possible I enjoyed only half the book, yes I know this sounds very strange. The book was narrated by two narrators, one of them the female, she was reading the story of six year old Hester who was the only orphan to survive the hurricane. Hester is a very small six year old, very small for her age. When the hurricane hit their city, the nuns who ran the orphanage tied all of the orphans together with rope with a Nun at each end, in hope to keep them all safe. Hester, however wiggled and wormed and refused to be tied in the rope with everyone else, and a Nun relented and held her arms tight around little Hester. This ended up being Hester's saving grace, all the other orphans and the two Nun's did not survive.

Hester was then stranded, and fighting to survive on her own. She was a very tough little girl, with a lot of fight in her, but she came across some terrible things in her fight for survival, including the KKK.

The male narrator was telling the story of Chrysanthemum Joe, a Jewish boxer, he is known as the greatest Jewish boxer in America. He is contracted to a fight raising much needed relief funding for the Red Cross.

Obviously the two stories do come together later in the book, which made the story line, much more enjoyable for me, but Chrysanthemum Joe's story was just a little bland for me, until they became entwined. I am not sure if this was because of the Narrator, or the the way the story was written.

Overall though, the book was intriguing and enlightening.

I would recommend it to the right person.


Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Audio for this audio book. This book was available to purchase from 14 June, 2022

3 Stars: It was a good book and well-crafted. I would recommend it to the right person.

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[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up because of the historical content of the great hurricane on Galveston Island, in 1900. There is so much more to it.

The story is told through the eyes of 3 people. Hester, a young child from an orphanage, who appears to be the only survivor of the home. Diana, the assistant to Clara Barton, and a professional boxer, "Chrysanthemum Joe" Choynski. How these 3 people converge in the aftermath of the storm tells a story of a little girl and the volatile collision between The American Red Cross, the Ku Klux Klan and one of the most famous boxing matches in American history

Hester, frightened and alone after the storm believes she is living between two worlds, life and death. Diana is struggling to keep the help of the Red Cross going. At the time, Clara Barton was in her 80's and ready to end her life as a healer and helper and retire quietly. This leaves Diana in charge of way too much. Joe comes to Galveston to "perform" in a boxing match to help raise money for disaster relief.

This was, in my opinion, a mash-up of genres: literary, sports, and history.
A very surprising read, I did not expect to like it as much as I did

[Sallie Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Oleander City is a historical fiction novel based on a real event and real people set in 1900 in Galveston, TX. The hurricane that occurred in September 1900 killed 6,000 to 12,000 people and left 10,000 homeless in a city with of population of 38,000.

After the hurricane struck, Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, came to Galveston with a large contingency of helpers to provide relief services. (Ms. Barton was quite elderly by that time, and, in fact, her service in Galveston was her last field operation as the President of the American Red Cross.)

There was also a fight promoted between “ Chrysanthemum Joe” Choynski, a Jewish fighter (who incidentally weighed a mere 176 lbs.) and Jack Johnson, a black heavyweight fighter. This fight was set up to raise money for Galveston relief. But Prizefighting was illegal in Texas at the time, and there was a lot of pressure put on Joe to “win,” to “knock him out,” because his opponent was black. After Choynski knocked Johnson out in the third round, they were both arrested and in jail for 23 days because neither could afford to post bail.

So that’s the “true” portion of this entertaining novel. The author added a little girl, a lone survivor of the Catholic orphanage, to spice this story up. I loved the Hester part of this story as well and was surprised to read the author’s note at the end of the book explaining the true parts and the embellishments. I really enjoyed reading some early 20th century American history that was unknown to me. I would read more of this author.

With a sigh of relief, this is the last book of my reading challenges this year. I made it!

The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge - 2022
Prompt #52 - Published in 2022

[Joann 'bartunek' prashek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley I was able to listen to the audiobook. I rounded up from a 2.5 rating. I was expecting to learn more about the life of Clara Barton from the story and was somewhat disappointed. I do like multiple POVs in a book and this story did have that. I was put off by Diana's breathy voice in the narration. To me story was too much boxing that really did not add to the story line. I did enjoy Hester's character.

[Seth Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in just a short couple of days after my wife burned through it on vacation--it is all the things that make great historical literary fiction great--it is tense and lush and brings our past to our current world in wonderful and interesting ways, and moreover, the writing was just superb and shows Bondurant at his best. The world is undeniable and the characters and the situations they face even more so... I cannot recommend this book highly enough and it should be in everyone's bookshelf. I may go back and read it again, and I never do that, generally...

[James Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stirring prose, full of detail and humanity. Vivid and encompassing setting and mood. Mr. Bondurant is an exceptional writer.

[mib6475654 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book! I found the writing to be very insightful and interesting. I was intrigued by the premise and I enjoyed reading it from start to finish.

[Desiree Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

No quotation marks to indicate characters talking. Scenes of main character masturbating. And other dubious scenes. Bailed out at 35%.

[Kate Durant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been to Galveston on a hurricane relief trip, I was interested in the story of the 1900 hurricane. This book captured my interest quickly due to what I had already known about the area, and it's history. Having visited the Galveston museum, I had read the story of the Sisters Orphanage and the children being tied together.
I appreciated that Bondurant had taken an unknown character from a real life photograph and gave her a story. Often we are haunted by unknown characters and their stories amongst other's documented history.

This story followed the lives of Joe Choynski, the Boxer, Diana, the Red Cross worker, and Hester, the unknown orphan girl. While I was least interested in the Boxer's story- it stood as good historical lore and set the tone the environment of racial status, criminal treatment, and government corruption. Similar to present day tragedies, the 1900 hurricane which wrecked personal properties and business alike, also (unfortunately) gave opportunity for populations to be cleared, and communities reshaped.
The story of the masked men was heartbreaking, terrifying and (unfortunately) familiar.

While I was happy that Diana did end up adopting Hester and taking her away from Galveston, I was as equally disappointed that the loyal dog that also became a character in Hester's story was not mentioned about accompanying them on their journey, nor did the dog get a name- maybe that was intentional to stress Hester not getting attached, although it did seem like they were reliant on each other- so I'd like to think the Dog had a name and it made the trip with Hester to a better place.

[Meghan Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a book that has you googling. I personally knew absolutely nothing about this hurricane or the boxers in the story. Was interesting to read how the Red Cross and this boxing match all tied together

[Julie Forkner · Rating 5 out of 5]

An orphan, a Red Cross volunteer & a boxer make their way through the dangers & devastation of post-storm Galveston. If it sounds boring, that’s only because I don’t want to ruin any part of this book for anyone. Oh, this story was fantastic!

Historical fiction does not always stick with me (in fact, I start more historical fiction than I finish, unfortunately), but this book is so gorgeous! It’s gutting & tender & the main characters are extremely well developed. (The secondary characters are less so, but I think that’s because we don’t spend as much time with them.)

I listened to the audiobook version & the narrators were equally wonderful! I ended up scrubbing my floors by hand one evening just so I could absorb hours of this book without guilt.

Absolutely 5 🌟!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this AMAZING book in exchange for my honest review. I will definitely be reading more by this author!!

[MJ Ziemba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go to Oleander City

Matt Bondurant writes is a style that is crisp and succinct but also rich and nuanced. A tale well told.

[Dorothy Schwab · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Storm of 1900 that struck Galveston, Texas on September 8, was the deadliest natural disaster in United States history. Matt Bondurant’s Oleander City recounts the days and weeks after the disaster from three points of view. Readers are immediately submerged in the devastating descriptions of human suffering and loss through the frantic, scared eyes of six-year-old Hester, the lone survivor from The Sisters of the Incarnate Word Orphanage. The second is the ringside view of bold, educated Jewish boxer Joe Choynski, who is hired to fight the “Galveston Giant” in a fund raiser for the recovery effort. The third view is from Diana, assistant to Clara Barton, American Red Cross Director, in Galveston to minister to survivors.
Based on the true story of a famous boxing match, Matt Bondurant ties Galveston’s gambling history, persecution by the Ku Klux Klan and the island’s recovery efforts into knots that are only untangled because of his in-depth historical research and superb weaving of the three narratives. This account goes beyond the architectural devastation and rebuilding to the colossal human effort that was required to restore families, businesses and hope for the future of the island.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any book about my home state of Texas always catches my eye. I wanted to know more of the history of the devastating Galveston hurricane. It was way outside my comfort zone and not my usual type of story. It is adult subject matter and contains some sensitive material. The bygone era, clothing, food and drink, prejudices and discrimination, all seemed authentic and realistic. The devastation descriptions of the aftermath were painfully atmospheric.
It is related by alternating characters per chapter. There were no quotation marks used in this ebook for the different characters when they spoke, which I found confusing to read. It is not a lengthy book and the pace was good after struggling at first with the authors intended concept.
Clara Barton is part of the story but, she is not the primary focus, her aide is. Diana is one of the American Red Cross ladies dispatched to assist in the hurricane aftermath. As Ms Barton ages and her health and mind deteriorates, Diana takes on more responsibility for overseeing and directing distribution of supplies, goods and donations.
Young Hester, only hurricane survivor of ninety-three, from St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum, is a central piece of the story. Her trauma has not ended as she witnesses more of mankind's inhumanity towards one another. I found myself cheering her on throughout the book. Diana makes it her personal mission to protect and care for Hester.
Boxing is another prominate part of the story.
Chrysanthemum Joe, from San Francisco, is touted as the greatest Jewish boxer in America. He's contracted to fight in a match raising relief funds. Joe's left his critically ill wife, Lutie, back home while he travels to matches. He's quite a complicated character and not what people expect. He's cultivated, likes theater, drama, plays, acting, literature, and good healthy food. He's the most developed in the story. Joe’s Scientific Boxing Revue bouts are detailed and prolific. His manager, Salazar, is peculiar and quirky.
Rabbi Henry Cohen of the Central Relief Committee was another relevant part of the story.
Overall the author's historical portrayal of the corruption, lawlessness, wild west atmosphere, and class disparity made for a thought provoking read. It seemed accurate to time period.
Thanks to NetGalley, Matt Bondurant and to Blackstone Publishing for the advance digital copy of "Oleander City". These are my honest and personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this historical fiction based on a real event and real people. The story starts with the hurricane that devastated Galveston in 1900. It still remains the worst natural disaster in America. Among the real people that inhabit the story are Clara Barton, Rabbi Henry Cohen, Jack Johnson and Joe Choynski. Joe’s sections take up a large portion of the book and I was less than enthralled by the time spent on his boxing matches, which are graphically described and extremely violent. The made up characters include Diana, who is Barton’s aide and six year old Hester, the only survivor from her orphanage. Hester comes across as older than six.
This story puts to myth the idea that people come together in hard times. Prejudice ran rampant and the KKK was prevalent in Galveston. Bondurant does a great job painting the time and place - the devastation, the hunger, the inhumanity. But in the midst of all this ugliness, there are glimpses of beauty and humanity, of those trying to do the right thing. There are parallels to more modern times, a reminder that the idea of “law and order” is often a thinly disguised method of keeping down minorities. And I was shocked to see that the Red Cross was viewed as a socialist plot by the white upper classes.
While the story wasn’t as tight as I would have liked, I still enjoyed it. And I found the ending to have a true karmic value to it. And I was thrilled to finally find a historical fiction that wasn’t a romance in disguise.
The two narrators both did decent jobs.
My thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advance copy of this audiobook.

[Lori Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. What you're getting yourself into if you select this book: a literary novel that doesn't feel like a literary novel. And I loved it. It's narrated from different stances if not points of view, so we get the stance of a very young girl, that of a Red Cross nurse, and that of a celebrated boxer. My favorite chapters were those from the female perspective, which is quite a feat from this male author (a sign of a great writer), but I found the chapters about the boxing champion so well-done that I --a wimp when it comes to violence and bloodsport-- was intrigued. As a reader with all her selfish preferences, I can say that this book delivered on my high expectations, as I've read the other novels by Bondurant. As a scholar, I can say that this book is expertly crafted, beautifully written, a jewel of historical fiction. Highly recommended.

[ei_tc Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brought to life a fascinating period of events in American history. The characters of Joe and Jack are painted so expertly that it is difficult not to create one's own image of the well crafted scenes and dialogue.

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel takes place in 1900 in Galveston, Texas. This was the time and place of the hurricane that still remains America's worst natural disaster, killing from 6000 to 12,000 people and almost totally destroying the city. The reader sees the action from the viewpoint of three individuals.

Joe Choynski or 'Chrysanthemum Joe' was a famous boxer of the time and considered the best ever Jewish boxer. He has traveled the United States and has been apart from his ill wife for over a year as he must continue to box to pay for her treatment. He comes to Galveston for an exhibition bout against the young Jack Johnston, known as the Galveston Giant and later holder of the heavyweight championship for seven years. The two men become friends after the fight and Joe becomes a mentor to Jack.

Diana comes to Galveston with the Red Cross to lend medical aid and relief in the form of food and finding housing for orphaned children. She is Clara Barton's chief assistant and heads up the effort in Galveston when Clara who is in her eighties, arrives too fatigued and ill to do so. She meets Joe at the theatre and there is an attraction between them although Diana never thought she could be interested in a man who makes his living by violence against other men. Diana also becomes attached to Hester who is an orphan.

Hester had been an orphan before the hurricane. She lived in an orphanage run by Catholic nuns along with ninety-two other children. All were killed in the hurricane including all the sisters except for six year old Hester. She can't believe that she is alive and lives on the streets by herself for weeks until she is finally brought to Diana and the Red Cross.

Hester is the focus of many. The mayor and the press want to make her the face of the Galveston survivors, even though she has not spoken since the storm. But there is another group that doesn't have Hester's best interests at heart. One night, from her hideout on the streets, she sees a group of Ku Klux Klan men kill three black children, the children of the city's most prominent black minister. That makes her a witness and the Klan tries to capture and kill Hester as well. The Klan has come to prominence after the storm with all its looting aftermath and turmoil in the streets.

Matt Bondurant is an author specializing in novels, short stories and screenplays. He often writes about adventures and bases his works on true stories such as the Galveston hurricane and a novel about bootlegging based on his own family. In this novel, he brings together these three individuals who would never have met except for the storm and made their lives believable. He weaves the lives of individuals who did exist along with those invented for the novel such as Diane and Hester. Readers learn about the world of boxing, the work of the Red Cross and the rise of such organizations as the Klan. I listened to this novel and the narrator did an excellent job of transporting the reader to another place and time. This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I vaguely knew that Galveston, Texas had been hit by a major storm sometime long ago, but that's about all I knew before cracking the pages of this novel set in the immediate aftermath of the 1900 hurricane that killed 1 in 5 residents and destroyed the homes of about a third of the remainder. The story follows several historical figures into this disaster zone, weaving their stories together into a colorful melodrama of sorts.

There is the real-life California Jewish boxer "Chrysanthemum Joe" Choynski, who is brought in for a fund-raising exhibition bout with the real-life local hero, Jack Johnson. There is the real-life Clara Barton on her final mission for the Red Cross, assisted by the fictional Diana Longstreet. Joe and Diana are brought together by the real-life British rabbi, Henry Cohen, as well as a young orphan girl named Hester (based on an unknown real-life girl from a historical photo). Running around in the background are the Ku Klux Klan, and some corrupt local officials.

It's a decent collage of material, albeit probably more of interest for the colorful historical lore and details than the story itself. The strongest parts for me were the details about Choynski's past, and then his bout and subsequent incarceration with Johnson. There's a chaste romance that's kind of pro forma, and a very underdeveloped plotline around the orphan child and what she may have seen one night on the beach. Readers with an interest in Texas or boxing history should check it out, and avid readers of historical fiction may want to give it a whirl, but it's more a diversion than deeply engaging. Those interested in the story of the storm should check out Erik Larson's 1999 nonfiction book "Isaac's Storm."

[Seana Zimmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction is often set in WWII or during national catastrophes like the Dust Bowl or the Depression. Oleander City takes place during a lesser known disaster, the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900. This was the largest natural disaster in American history at the time, flattening the island and killing over 6,000 people.

Based on true accounts from the American Red Cross and the publicity from one of the nation’s most famous boxing matches, author Matt Bondurant introduces the reader to three primary characters: Joe, Diana, and Hester. Their stories weave together to provide a narrative of depth and emotion. Local power struggles, emotional exhaustion, and decrepit conditions consume adults and children. The reader feels their frustration and smells their fear. These characters will stay with the reader for a long time.

The audiobook was read by Chris Henry Coffey and Julia Atwood. Both of these narrators added depth to their characters. Listeners hear Hester’s fear, Joe’s rage, and Diana’s determination. The text provides amazing details, but the narration builds on the author’s words to encompass the listener.

[Zach Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit slow to get into but Bondurant has a sometimes dreamlike and mesmerizing writing style that really creates the world he’s writing about. This one centers around three main characters: an orphan named Hester, the famous Jewish boxer Joe Choynski (the only main character to have actually existed) and Diana (a fictitious right hand woman to Clara Barton, head of the American Red Cross. The action takes place around a boxing match between Choynski and Jack Johnson (and their subsequent arrest) and goes into the recovery of Galveston after a major hurricane along with all the racism and corruption that went into said recovery (or likely did, as this is a work of fiction BASED on real events). It’s engrossing and all three central characters are extremely well created and endearing. The roving band of masked killers are terrifyingly well crafted, especially as they tie into the corruption within the highest levels of local government at the turn of the century. This is a moving literary work but the action would also make for a great film, as one of his previous books - made into the film Lawless - did.

[Laronda Blessing · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. OLEANDER CITY, by Matt Bondurant, tells the story of a legendary boxing match between "Chrysanthemum Joe" Choynski, the most successful Jewish boxer in America, and up-and-coming black boxer Jack Johnson, known as the Galveston Giant. Based on actual events, the book follows a fictional six-year-old orphan, Hester, the sole survivor of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word orphanage following the devastating 1900 Galveston hurricane (in reality, all--or all but 3 in some accounts--93 children and 10 nuns perished in the catastrophic flooding). In order to raise relief funds, the Red Cross coordinated an exhibition boxing match between Chrysanthemum Joe and the Galveston Giant. Due to restrictions on prizefighting, the boxers ended up spending 23 days in jail together. The book delves into the Ku Klux Klan's reach into the upper echelons of Houston society and governance as well as Clara Barton's efforts to bring relief to those Houston residents in the most need, regardless of the KKK's machinations and her increasing fatigue in her older age. It's quite a memorable read and includes some great photographs of the (real) main characters and events.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because of its title, hoping it was indeed a story of Galveston. And what a story it is! Taking place in the immediate aftermath of the 1900 hurricane that decimated the island, Mr. Bondurant has taken a lesser-known history of events and crafted a novel of brilliant imagery, evoking scenes that involve all the senses and weaving together his characters with those of the past. He has been meticulous in his research and includes many factual details of the time. Written in first person for several characters, he writes equally well from the male and female perspective and for adult and child. In the hands of a lesser writer, some of his scenes would seem treacly, but Mr. Bondurant's writing has a flow and sensibility that gives every action such a natural feel that they feel authentic and real. I am looking forward to picking up his other titles.

[Jayna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished and I still do not know the purpose. What was the author trying to tell? I have no clue. It is definitely not what I expected based on the description. Very heavy on the boxing aspect. Which most of had no relevance to the rest of the story, hence my confusion.

I listened to the audiobook and both narrators were fine- clear, easy to follow, distinct voices for dialogue.

Some people will enjoy this- boxing fans, Texans, etc... I chose to read it because I love historical fiction, but this one was not for me.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story takes place after the hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas in 1900. There are several storylines that do merge and the characters are a mixture of real people and fictional characters. There is a lot of boxing in this book. The male narrator is a boxer and is there to raise money for recovery. His fight really happened. It was too many boxing details and content.
The fictional female narrators, Diana and Hester, were more interesting to me. Diana works with Clara Burton of the Red Cross and Hester is an orphan that survives the storm. Their thoughts and experiences were more compelling.

[Jazzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is it made me realize I NEED to read Unforgivable Blackness, the biography of Jack Johnson. While Johnson's role in this book probably falls 5th if we rank by page-time given to each character, he steals most of chapters in which he appears.

The worst thing is the opening segments almost had me put this down and starting another book. The opening segments aren't bad, but they had a sort of anti-septic documentary feel. Eventually, the book brought the emotion to go with the tragic setting, and that made the opening well worth the doubts.

[Jennifer A. Orth-Veillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oleander City reads with the grit and suspense of a Western through a divine use of lyrical language. Matt Bondurant manages successfully to show us that besides the boxers and the gang thugs, the most notorious character in history is also the weather and the environment. Bondurant's narrative that plays out in the hurricane's aftermath tells both a human story of vulnerability and sorrow and also of triumph, giving us hope that even the greatest catastrophes can't hold back incredible, dynamic stories of survival.

[Chaitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it better than I thought I would, given the description of a boxing match. I don't get it, not even when I'm watching it, let alone just the description of a match I can't even see. But I get what the author was going for - after all, the entirety of Hester's story was based on one anonymous girl and an old hound dog in a photo with Joe Choynski & Jack Johnson. However, it was a stretch connecting the two storylines and I much preferred the one with Hester and her dog in it. It's a personal preference.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not mind chapters that switch points of view but with this one, one of the viewpoints was about a boxer and his friends and it was so boring, I found myself just scanning those chapters. The other points of view were very interesting. This story is taken from history, though it is fictional in part. It tells the horrible story of the 1900 hurricane in Galveston Texas. The damage and devastation were awful! Clara Barton and her Red Cross crew make up a big part of the story as do the Klansmen of Texas.