**This mesmerizing narrative nonfiction draws on contemporary accounts as it traces the roots of an explosion that had been building for decades in race relations, politics, business, and clashes of culture.** **Coretta Scott King Award winner * Carter G. Woodson Book Award from the National Council for the Social Studies** On a hot day in July 1919, five black youths went swimming in Lake Michigan, unintentionally floating close to the white beach. An angry white man began throwing stones at the boys, striking and killing one. Racial conflict on the beach erupted into days of urban violence that shook the city of Chicago to its foundations. *A Few Red Drops* is readable, compelling history, *The Horn Book* wrote, adding that the book uses meticulously chosen archival photos, documents, newspaper clippings, and quotes from multiple primary sources. Includes archival photos and prints, source notes, bibliography, and an index.