Content Warning: The novel refers to Black people as “colored,” but this guide will use the term Black to follow the example set by Black scholars, writers, and journalists. The novel contains graphic descriptions of the aftermath of a natural disaster, including loss of life. It references ecological disasters and their devastating effects. The book references and depicts sexism and intense racism and oppression toward Black and Latinx people.

Galveston is a city on Galveston Island, a small island just off the coast of Texas. The island separates the Gulf of Mexico from the North Bay and has an elevation of only seven feet above sea level. The city adopted a charter and was recognized by The Republic of Texas in 1839. Galveston attracted a flood of new residents, among them formerly enslaved Black people from rural areas. In 1870, the city had a Black population of 3,000, which was 25% of the city’s total population of 13,000. By 1900, though, Galveston had a population of 37,000, nearly tripling in size. It was Texas’s largest city and was sometimes called the “Queen City of the Gulf.”

Before the storm, Galveston was the third richest city in the United States. Its main business center, The Strand, was known as the “Wall Street of the South.