Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

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 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 show more 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

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 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 show more 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

I remember Mom reading this story aloud when I was a youngster. It was gripping, well-written, and made me aware of racism in a way I’d had little experience with before. Since becoming an adult, I’ve wanted to read it again—to see if my initial impressions of the book were accurate. And oh, they were!

This is a portrait of a loving family working together to bring justice and hope to their community, despite the injustice and fear surrounding them. As an adult, I picked up on things I doubt I would have noticed when I was younger—things like the cohesiveness of the family portrayed here (that’s often lacking in stories these days!), the way the parents loved their children and actively tried to protect them, their courage in show more the face of insurmountable odds, the way the night raiders’ deeds were described just enough that you knew that they were evil and a little of what they were capable of, but it wasn’t “in your face” or nearly as much on-page as it could have been…all things I greatly appreciated. These characters aren’t perfect—several times, different ones take matters into their own hands as they battle injustice. But overall, they were brave and loyal, and the family worked together to do what they could to bring justice and freedom to those around them.

I loved this book just as much as (or maybe even more than!) the first time I read it. It’s a stunning portrait of human nature, the battles many people have fought over the years, the resilience of the human spirit, and the hope that one day, wrongs will be righted and good will prevail. This is a landmark in American literature, and if you haven’t read it before, you ought to take the time to read it now. It’s a good book! show less

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor is one of those books I feel like I should have read years, maybe even decades ago, and not just because it's a young adult book. As I read the words I was transported into the lives of the Logan family. I cringed even as I cheered for Cassie to stand up for herself. My fear for her safety battling my need for her to conquer the injustice she faced. I saw in her an innocent child who couldn't and wouldn't understand why her life as a young black child had different rules than those for the young white children around her. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a story about perseverance, persistence, and strength in the face of injustice, hardship, and deceit. Taylor creates a story that puts show more the reader in the midst of the Logan family's love for one another, for community, and for their land even as she forces the reader to feel the turmoil of unfairness, manipulation, and danger swirling around them for wanting to keep and farm their own land. While Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is written for young adults, it is an engaging glimpse into the history of racial relations in the United States south that will engage readers of any age. show less

What a stunning, searing book. This is another classic I somehow missed while growing up, and I've been meaning to read since my daughter read it in 6th grade. Cassie Logan lives with her family on 400 acres of their own land in Depression-era Mississippi. Times are hard, and as Cassie's parents explain, this causes some folks to look to blame somebody. In this case, it is the black families of the community, including the Logans. The Logan children suffer injustices both small and large, but all demeaning, from outdated textbooks in deplorable condition to 'night men' who terrorize and sometimes kill black families in the night. Cassie's poor but secure world is shaken to its core as she matures and comes to understand "how things show more are," and how different rules apply depending on the color of your skin. A terribly important book for upper elementary grades. I listened to an absolutely stunning narration by the late American actress Lynne Thigpen that was every ounce a breathtaking performance.

Taylor, M. (2004). Roll of thunder, hear my cry. New York: Puffin Books. show less

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is as memorable a book in 2021 as it was in 1997 and as impressionable as I’m sure it was at its time of release – in 1976. Not many books age so well with time, but Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry remains an important book to read about the Jim Crow era.

First, the story. This novel addresses basic human rights and how they were (are?) constantly denied to Black people. The Logans are a strong family, and in any other world they’d be well-situated. They own their own land and on top of that Cassie’s father works or the railroad and her mother teaches at the local Black school. They are still only barely just getting by. They have to go into a different town to be able to buy home goods and basic show more necessities from a kinder proprietor. They are constantly under threat by their white neighbors who would want their land and their lives. Everyday, the Logans and the other Black families have to fight for their dignity… and most the time, at threat of their lives, they can’t even have that.

Every step in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry shares another story of oppression. There is joy woven around the stories. There are good people (Black and white) but there are also bad people (mostly white, but I’m not entirely discounting TJ). It’s not a lecture on racism, it’s a window into how life was. And, at that, I presume it’s a pretty generous window and that for so many, things were much, much worse.

Cassie’s story remains a staple because of all of these things, but on a technical level, Mildred D. Taylor’s writing makes a middle grade book both accessible and necessary for all ages. I was taught Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry in middle school and twenty-two years later, I’m glad to have picked it up again because it still rings true. It’s a good reminder of privilege and debt.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is an excellent book. It pulls your emotional heartstrings! Also, even though it’s the fourth book in the Logans’ story, it can easily be read as a standalone. I’m very glad I was taught this book in my little backwater central school, and I desperately hope it continues to be taught in schools today. show less

Roll of thunder
Hear my cry
Over the water
Bye and bye
Ole man comin’
Down the line
Whip in hand to
Beat me down
But I ain’t
Gonna let him
Turn me around.

I started reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor because it is a Newberry award-winning children’s classic. I did not expect it to hit me as hard as it did. I did not expect to love it as much as I did.

The book is narrated by Cassie, a precocious nine-year-old girl who lives with her family in the Deep South. The book begins with all the children complaining about having to go to school. Cassie dislikes her starched dress. Little Man, Cassie’s youngest brother is unhappy that his clothes and shoes are getting dirty from walking in the mud — why can’t they ride the show more bus like the other kids?

This book is so much more than I thought it would be. I adored these kids from the minute I opened the book. Their banter, their chatter, their endless questions felt real to me — and I’m a primary teacher, so I’m fussy when it comes to kids being written in books.

This book is so layered, so richly complex. It takes on such difficult, such ugly issues like racism and demonstrates to the reader that racism is a lived experience. Cassie lives it. She lives it when she can’t ride the bus, when she’s bullied in the street and told to step into the gutter, when she’s called words so ugly they make her tummy feel sick.

Children all have a greater understanding of justice and fairness than I think most people realise and what I like about this book is that any child who’s reading it will understand what is fair and what is not fair. Taylor taps into that sense of justice on many different levels and creates what I think would be a powerful discussion between child and book, or child and reader.

I think this book is wonderful at any age. All of the adult characters are wonderfully fleshed-out, sensitive and are written with considerable depth. I felt like I should take notes when Ms. Logan spoke to her children about racism at night, while she sat on Cassie’s bed.

There’s a moment in this book where almost all the characters are affected by racism. What Taylor does best is demonstrate, with considerable subtlety, how racism affects not only the victims, but their families and their friends.

This book is powerful. Mildred D. Taylor, your cry has been heard. show less