Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Taylor, M. (1976). Roll of thunder hear my cry. New York: Dial Books.  ISBN 0803726473. 276 p.

SUMMARY

The year is 1933, and the story begins in a small rural town in Mississippi.  Young Cassie Logan and her three brothers are walking to school in their best clothing since it is the first day of the school year, but they cannot keep themselves clean for various reasons. As Cassie tells the story of her daily life, she becomes suddenly and sometimes painfully aware that the community she lives in does not treat everybody equally.  In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Cassie begins to notice that African-Americans tend to have a different lifestyle in comparison to the white families.  This unfair treatment takes place not only in her town but in neighboring towns as well.  Even though slavery was abolished seventy years ago, Cassie learns that a declaration in words does not always change other people’s thoughts and actions.  

ANALYSIS

In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor shares an historical fiction story set during the Depression.  Written through the eyes of the young main character, Cassie, Mildred Taylor uses language true to the time period and describes the hardships and good times that the Logan family experiences.  Basing some of the scenes from stories told by her own ancestors, Taylor succeeds in creating a novel filled with believable characters, conditions, and problems.  Readers will experience various emotions as Cassie relates some humorous, serious, and painful events.  They will learn about problems that African-Americans faced within this country even many years after the abolition of slavery.  Winner of the 1977 John Newbery Medal, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, is a wonderful, quick–to-read story suitable for middle school and high school students.