About this title: 'We have no choice of what colour we're born or who our parents are or whether we're rich or poor. What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we're here.' The Mississippi of the 1930s was a hard place for a black child to grow up in, but still Cassie didn't understand why farming his own land meant so much to her father. During that year, though, when the night riders were carrying hatred and destruction among her people, she learned about the great differences that divided them, and when it was worth fighting for a principle even if it brought terrible hardships.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: 31st printing
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Date Published: 1976
ISBN-13:9780590982078ISBN:0590982079
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Very clean and tight pages, no spinecreases, just some wear to cover keeps this at VG. 210 p. read more
Edition: Reprint.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Puffin Books, US
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780140384512ISBN:0140384510
Description: Pinkney, Jerry. Good. No dust jacket as issued. Shipping upgrade! ! Order processed within minutes of your purchase! In business since 1975. Clean text, healthy binding. Moderate cover wear and tip bumps. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 276 p. Audience: Children/juvenile. read more
Description: Fine. 014034893X Excellent condition paperback book, clean pages, NO creases to spine, this book is Near NEW! Shop & Save With US. read more
"This is a YA realistic fiction novel that centralizes around the Logan family and the experiences in their town. Cassie and her three brothers walk to school everyday and see the big bus full of white kids blaze past them, covering them with mud. Little Man, Cassie's younger brother, complains about the condition of his textbook and how the white kids get them when they are brand new. These are just the small details of the racial inequality that the Logans are experiencing on a daily basis. It becomes more dangerous when T.J. gets mixed up with a group of whites that convince him to go in to a store and steal a gun that he has wanted for ages. Of course, when they get caught, the white boys find a way to single the blame on T.J., who is now wanted for robbery. Robbery for blacks in this novel infers an unfair trial that will most definitely result in a death sentence. The end is a beautiful sacrifice that Cassie's dad makes in setting the fields of crops ablaze so that both races can come together to fight a common enemy rather than face off with each other. What I thought Mildred Taylor did most cleverly was her choice in the narrator. I was questioning why she chose Cassie and not Stacey, or Little Man. But then the answer was all too obvious-her age. Cassie, in the story, is a nine year old still trying to figure out the way things work. She is not like Stacey, who more or less understands why whites treat him a certain way, or why Big Mama made Cassie say sorry to Miz Lillian Jean. She is not like Christopher or Little Man who are still to young to understand the world. Cassie still sees the word in one color and remains innocent by it. Only by looking through Cassie's eyes can the reader not accept the things that are happening. I thought that Uncle Hammer was the most interesting character in the novel. He appears in nice clothes, bearing expensive gifts and a smile. He pulls up in a car that is newer, but the same type and make, as Mr. Granger's-the town bigwig. It is as if he is trying to make a statement on behalf of the blacks that if given a decent wage, we are exactly like you (the whites). It is this dependence upon the whites that degrades the race and holds them back. This is also why the land proves to be a huge symbol. The land allows the Logans to remain stable and live with honor."
"Cassie Logan takes us through the trails of understanding racism and discrimination as she realizes little by little that the world around her is unfair and unjust. Reading from tattered discarded textbooks previously owned by white children and being sprayed with mud by the bus carrying the white children to their school everyday are realities that Cassie and her brothers must face. As the Logans are lucky enough to own their own land, the book comprises the constant battle between them and the Grangers, a family that claims the right to take the land back.
The book was well written, lovely and didactic. It is amazing how Mildred Taylor demonstrates the sad plight of blacks during this era without mentioning the words "racist" or "discrimination." The mark of a good writer: she can show it without having to straight out tell it. It is evident in the sad events that the Logans live through how unfairly they were treated. A powerful read."
"Genre/Category: young adult/Southern racism/ family/ courage/ defiance
Summary: Cassie Logan is the 9-year old daughter of an African-American family who owns their own Southern land in the 1930's, a time when all other black families were forced to sharecrop. Still at an age of innocence, Cassie narrates the story of her community and the hardships of racism with a quality of naivety, slowly coming to a realization of the horrors of discrimination. As the white neighbors, particularly the Wallace family, begin to harass the black families in the town, Cassie's family is the only one with the resources to provide a way to survive without relying on the Wallace's supplies. Their defiant stand and simple boycott against the their white enemies causes terrifying trouble for the Logans. Night men stalk the family, family members are beaten, and friends are blackmailed. Cassie tells the story of her appalling awakening to the realities of life in the Deep South, revealing a story of fear, strength, and brutal honesty. But more importantly, it tells of the great sacrifice one family gives to ensure that they can hold their heads high and not bend their backs to the system.
I personally loved this book. Cassie's naive narration provides a perfect lens through which to view this world of racism and fear. Her development from innocence to experience creates questions that the reader desperately wants answers for. The story is touching, telling of a family and community that bond together to provide strength and support to one another in a horrible time. The sacrifices made make this an unforgettable story."
"Historical fiction/Coming of Age/ Loss of Innocence
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is told from the viewpoint of a nine-year old black girl who lives in Mississippi in the 1930s. Through her, readers see a world of segregation and racism. Everyday, Cassie and her three brothers walk over an hour to reach their all black grammar school. They don't have new or updated books and each room holds two grades. Cassie and her brothers resent this as well as the unfairness they deal with at the hands of the white population in the area. Black children and adults in Cassie's town are on edge because hatred has turned to violence in their small town. A white mob has recently burned several men alive and the black population in the area is afraid, yet looking for a way to retaliate. In the end, racism does not cease, but as for Cassie, her perspective has broadened and her innocence is shaken. I loved this book! Seeing the story through Cassie's eyes engages readers and highlights the injustices of what is occurring . Taylor has an amazing writing style that keeps the book moving and readers engaged. I was drawn in as the harsh realities of the time period were not sugar-coated or skipped over. I think this book is a great way to begin to understand the depth of hatred and racism that existed in the early 20th century. It is also good because it causes thought about racism, hatred, and biases that exist today. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a book I recommend to every one of all ages and backgrounds. It is a great story, but also a great way to learn about and connect to the past."
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