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

I added Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry to my Classics Club list while I was researching children's books to include. I'd heard of the story before, but didn't know anything about it beyond the fact that it was a Newberry Award winner. I didn't own a copy of it at the time, but I recently picked one up at a Scholastic warehouse sale while I was shopping for my classroom library. As it's a fairly short read, and I'm gearing up for the Book Junkie Trials in July, I decided that it would be a good one to cross off my list now, before that challenge takes over my TBR lists.

The plot follows Cassie Logan, a young African American girl growing up in Mississippi during the Great Depression. She lives on her family's farm with her grandmother, her parents, and her three brothers, Stacey, Christopher-John, and Little Man. Her family has owned the land they live on for generations, and work tirelessly to pay the mortgage and hang onto it. In addition to farming cotton, Cassie's mother teaches at the local school and her father works building railroad tracks, a job that keeps him away from their home for months at a time. It isn't easy, but through their hard work and dedication, the Logan family makes enough to scrape by and keep their little farm going.

When the story begins, Cassie is entering the fourth grade and is just beginning to take notice of the racial tensions that exist in her neighborhood. As a bold and independent child, she struggles to keep calm when facing discrimination and bullying at her school. She is a fighter, but as her parents explain, it is dangerous for her to give vent to her feelings against any white children. As Cassie struggles with her peers, bigger problems are emerging among the adults in her town. A group of white men have been terrorizing any black people in the neighborhood that they perceive to be "acting above their station." One night, their violence culminates in a murder and Cassie's parents step in to try to help their neighbor receive some justice. Their involvement in the situation has consequences, however, and soon, their land and their lives are facing serious danger. Throughout it all, Cassie watches and learns difficult truths about the racism present in her world and the importance of persisting in the fight for what's right.

I have a penchant for classic children's novels, so it's not surprising that I liked Roll of Thunder. What was surprising, however, was how perfect this story was. The characters were lovingly developed, the writing was vivid, and most importantly, the story tells the truth. Taylor doesn't sugarcoat the violence or the language that African Americans of this era faced just because she is writing for children, and this decision brings the story to life. It feels wholesome and loving in some parts, and horrifying and chilling in others. All of it feels genuine. This is a popular novel to read in schools, and even though the days of reading whole-class novels are starting to (sadly) fade away, I believe that this tradition should continue on. As many children as possible should get to experience this book. It's that good.

A big part of what makes the novel so brilliant is the voice of the narrator. At the start of the story, Cassie is unused to dealing with direct instances of racism. She lives in a rural area and attends a segregated school, so her involvement with white people has been limited. As her interactions with white people increase throughout the novel, we get to learn about the injustices she must deal with through her eyes. Since she is young, she doesn't understand everything she sees and asks a lot of questions, making her the perfect character to convey these tough concepts to young people. Aside from her innocence, her tough little personality makes her lovable in her own right. She is stubborn and not afraid to stand up for herself and her family, which makes her quite entertaining to read and easy to root for.

The other part of why I loved this novel so much was Taylor's writing style. Her words were the perfect combination of simple and beautiful. Things like the importance of the Logan family land and the rustic beauty of their farm came across clearly. Similarly, the love Cassie felt for her parents and brothers shone out from the page. The text alternated between being suspenseful and gentle as appropriate and made for a smooth, easy read. Reading this, I felt like I was reading something important, necessary, and special.

I suppose the greatest endorsement I can give is that as soon as I finished this novel, I got on Amazon and ordered the rest of the books in the series. Roll of Thunder is Taylor's fourth book featuring the Logan family. There are a total of eight books in the series, although they don't need to be read in order. This story really wormed its way into my heart and I'm looking forward to experiencing more stories featuring these characters. This one is a new favorite for me.


Challenge Tally
Classics Club (#30 on my list): 48/100 

Total Books Read in 2019: 35