Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Puffin Modern Classics)

Twenty-five years after it was first published, this special anniversary edition of the classic strikes as deep and powerful a note as ever. Taylor's vivid portrayal of ugly racism and the poignancy of Cassie's bewilderment and gradual toughening against social injustice and the men and women who perpetuate it, will remain with readers forever. Two award-winning sequels, Let the Circle Be Unbroken and The Road to Memphis, and a long-awaited prequel, The Land, continue the profoundly moving tale of the Logan family. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter

I read this book on my own in third grade, and read it in school in eighth grade, so I think it has a good range of ages. I'm in college and I still like re-reading it. There are a lot of good themes/issues to explore with your kids or students if you read this book with them.


Well-Crafted Tale Told With Skill   July 14, 2001
Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States)
24 out of 25 found this review helpful

Mildred D. Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a beautifully told tale spoken with the fine voice of its young narrator, Cassie Logan. It is the story of the Logan family and their struggle to maintain both their small piece of land and their dignity in one tumultuous year, two things not permitted a black family in Mississippi in the early decaces of this century. The author brilliantly captures the times of which she writes but, even more important, captures the people she writes about. There are not characters here who can be simply called victims or survivors or fighters or any other single term. These are fully developed personalities, particulary the children, that speak with authentic and complicated voices and spool out a tale that is heart breaking with equal parts despair and hope. A wonderful book for children.


Powerful book for adolescents learning about courage   January 25, 1999
24 out of 27 found this review helpful

Mildred D. Taylor has given adolescent readers a powerful account of the Great Depression and the economic hardships it placed on many families, particularly blacks. As seen through the eyes of the Logan family, students learn about the inequalities between blacks and whites, beginning with the four Logan children being splattered by mud from a school bus that transported white children only. A further indignity occurs when the Logans are given dirty, tattered textbooks that have been discarded by the school for whites.

Much of what Taylor describes in this novel packs a strong punch for adolescents. Further, to fully understand the story's context, students need to understand a good deal of U. S. history, specifically, the Great Depression, the Restoration, the sharecropping system, and segregation practices in the south during this period. Yet, teachers and students who take on the challenge will be well rewarded. Teachers and administrators in the Boston Public Schools have been so impressed by the powerful themes in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, that they have selected it as one of six core novels for sixth graders as part of the Max Warburg Courage Curriculum. The other five novels are: Taking Sides, Number the Stars, Bridge to Terabithia, So Far from the Bamboo Grove, and Maniac Magee. As with Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, each novel addresses the theme of courage--different types of courage, what it takes to act courageously, and how even small acts of courage can have enormous consequences in everyday life.

As an Educational Consultant for the Courage Curriculum, I highly recommend Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Taylor does not speak down to students. Instead she presents them with genuine characters in a drama that reflects the story-telling tradition she was steeped in as a child.


Excellent! Don't leave this one on the shelf!   April 25, 2002
Jonny D. (Arizona)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

In a word I can describe this book as amazing. This book is about the Logans-a Black family-living in Mississippi in the 1930's who overcome racial segregation and bias, struggle to stand up to their white neighbors, and fight to keep their land. The land is the center of the Logans love toward each other. Their land is what holds the family together and keeps them from spreading apart. The story is written in Cassie's-the main character-point of view and how she sees things. Taylor does a great job in maneuvering Cassie so she can overhear certain conversations that are important to the books development of the conflict, and the resolution. Throughout the novel the Logans go through a Bus accident, a little girl that finally gets her revenge, and a great sacrifice that no one will ever forget.

I was introduced to this book when it was assigned as a literature study in my English class. Though I, along with others, groaned when the assignment was made, I have greatly taken that moan back. Once I started, I couldn't stop. The author's supense, humor, setting, and a great use of southern dialect for the dialogue make this book a hard one to put down. Though I have only read this book once, I plan to read it many, many times in the future. Take my advice, this book is unbelivable. Don't let the dust gather on it too much longer; it deserves to be read and cherished.