Mildred D. Taylor

This perennial young adult favorite tells the story of the Logans, a black family living in rural Mississippi in 1933. Cassie, the lone daughter in the Logan clan, narrates her family’s tale of privation and discrimination through her 9 year-old eyes. The episodic narrative captures the clear injustice of racially segregated schools and post-WWI economic inequality among Southern black sharecroppers.

Although the tropes that Taylor uses are by now familiar to many readers—the strong show more matriarch, the family’s profound connection to the land, the irredeemably racist white folks (as well as the supportive and empathetic white folks)—her depiction of them through Cassie’s young but sensitive perspective lends them an authenticity and an impact that’s difficult to deny.

The plot might also be rather predictable, but the novel itself succeeds as an accessible way for young readers to understand the social injustices of early twentieth century life for southern blacks. show less

I was blessed with a wide variety of literature in my growing-up years, and one of the books that always stood out to me was Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Mom read that book and its sequel, Let the Circle Be Unbroken, aloud to us when I was probably 10 or 11, and they’ve always stood out in my memory as testaments to the love of family and the strength of many black families over the years as they’ve courageously stood together through racism and poor treatment.

I loved seeing Cassie a show more bit more grown-up in this story. She’s starting to understand her world a bit better—both the beautiful, good side, and the ugly, dangerous side—and as she matures, her perspectives on family and friendships slowly shift, as well. There’s still an innocence about her that’s lovely to see, but I loved seeing her world grow through studying the Constitution with an older lady or learning to accept her half-white cousin.

Taylor does an incredible job bringing us into the setting and Cassie’s world. T.J.’s story broke my heart all over again; getting to see what the court system was like for black people in this area in the 1930s was difficult to take in. Then there are other things like the union people were trying to start up to get fairer prices for everyone; Mo, who just wanted to help his family get ahead for once; and even a small instance like cousin Bud and the way the white boys had the power to cause a grown man to strip down to almost nothing to humiliate him. There was so much injustice that it’s almost hard to take it in.

At the same time, despite the fears and threats and very real dangers, Cassie’s family loved each other, supported each other through some very tough times, and did their best to help their neighbors and support them (I loved the story about the cow!), even to the point of putting themselves in danger. This isn’t an easy read, but it’s definitely hope-filled, and I loved that.

If you love historical fiction with realistic characters, strong family values, and well-researched, feel-like-you’re-there history with a thread of adventure and a gripping plot, I’d highly recommend you check out Let the Circle Be Unbroken. Better yet, start with Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; this one definitely builds on it, but both are excellent. show less

The first of the books about the Logan Family focuses on an event that is recapped in both Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and Let the Circle Be Unbroken. Unlike the two subsequent novels, Song of the Trees is quite brief: an illustrated short story.

The shorter length means less complexity than we see in the two subsequent novels, but the tight focus on the single event gives us something we could never see in the two following books: a clear victory. Papa goes head to head with a white show more neighbor, and Papa wins.

However, once the headiness of the victory has cleared, we realize that is only a partial victory. In subsequent books Taylor keeps returning us to the clearing, making us notice its scars and rotting logs. You know that Anderson's and Granger's properties don't have scars like this.

In the end, this isn't just a short story, but an allegory, too. An allegory and a question: will the scars heal? Will the trees ever sing again? Not in Papa's lifetime, certainly, but someday?

I wish I could tell Papa yes. show less

Cassie Logan and her brothers Stacey, Christopher-John, and Little Man are growing up in Mississippi. The Logans are a strong family, working hard to make ends meet and pay for the land, which they're fortunate to own since most of their neighbors and friends are sharecroppers. This year will be a trying one for her as she deals with night riders and her father being gone to work on the railroad during the Depression.

I'm having a hard time summarizing this book because it's so much more than show more the plot. It's about a loving family, and a girl's growing up as she deals with racism and injustice. Cassie's a feisty heroine that you can't help but root for, and the other characters - her mother Mary, her grandmother Big Ma, her father, and more - are vividly portrayed. Though I was often upset by what happened, this is such a rich book that I didn't want it to end. The audio is masterfully read by Lynne Thigpen, and included comments by the author on the final CD that explain a little about the story's origins. show less