Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In all Mildred D. Taylor's unforgettable novels she recounts "not only the joy of growing up in a large and supportive family, but my own feelings of being faced with segregation and bigotry." Her Newbery Medal-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry tells the story of one African American family, fighting to stay together and strong in the face of brutal racist attacks, illness, poverty, and betrayal in the Deep South of the 1930s. Nine-year-old Cassie Logan, growing up protected by her loving family, has never had reason to suspect that any white person could consider her inferior or wish her harm. But during the course of one devastating year when her community begins to be ripped apart by angry night riders threatening African Americans, she and her three brothers come to understand why the land they own means so much to their Papa. "Look out there, Cassie girl. All that belongs to you. You ain't never had to live on nobody's place but your own and long as I live and the family survives, you'll never have to. That's important. You may not understand that now but one day you will. Then you'll see."

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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"The vivid story . . . shows the rich inner rewards of black pride, love, and independence despite the certainty of outer defeat."

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140384510
• ISBN-13: 978-0140384512
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (464 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #177,465 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I USE THIS IN CLASS BEFORE READING TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, March 4, 2000

By	Trevor M. (Aurora, CO USA) - See all my reviews

Teaching in a primarily white school district(which is just a fact, not a problem), I enjoy teaching novels that bring knowledge of various groups' struggles, beliefs, and similarities that lead to the fact that "we are not as different as some choose to think." In teaching Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, I felt that my students felt sorry for Tom Robinson, but we needed to have a better understanding of where Tom was coming from. The two novels are very similar in settings, themes, point of view being that of a young girl, conflicts, and overall emotional impact they have on their readers. Kids love Little Man's strength that stretches beyond his size. They admire Stacey's confidence and loyalty to his family, friends, and people. Readers view T.J. with hatred, then confusion, and finally sympathy to this lost child...who can be compared with Harper Lee's Tom Robinson. Many of my students can relate to Jeremy Simms, who respects & enjoys the Logan family more than his own. And then there's Cassie, the narrator. Kids find Cassie to be the most complex of the Logans. Taylor presents Cassie as someone who is naive to discrimination(for lack of a better term). Often my students would write that they wished they could jump into the pages of the text and explain to Cassie what was going on so they could save her from further problems, as we see Big Ma do. My kids also wanted to just "give her a big hug." This book is a great read aloud & the sequels to follow are good as well. Let the Circle be Unbroken is #2 and also goes well with Harper's Tom Robinson's fate. The Road to Memphis is #3 and good as well, although I found the first two the best!

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great style, brilliant book overall, December 2, 1999

By	Mrs. Padilla "supreme genius" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

There have been so many great reviews for this book, I can't really say much that hasn't been touched on. However, in response to the two reviews before me, I cannot possibly see their point-of-view. Roll of Thunder reads very much like a fourth grader's work, in the sense that the narrator is nine years old. Taylor is *brilliant* at giving Cassie credibility as a narrator and the reader is privileged to see the events of the story through her eyes. I love every page of this book and have read it over again a hundred times. The "slow" opening actually gives us a clear picture of the setting and the character traits of those people who shape Cassie's world. I do not understand how people can not see this.

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.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Crafted Tale Told With Skill, July 13, 2001

By	Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.