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

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Logans, #1)
By Mildred D. Taylor
Publisher: the Penguin Group, 1997
276 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 9/3/2010
Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction

First Line of Book: " 'Little Man, would you come on?' "
Last Line of Book: "I cried for T.J. For T.J. and the land."

Review: I reread Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry initially for a challenge on GoodReads, but I really didn't mind. This novel is actually not the first book in the Logans series. There are prequels named The Land and Song of the Trees. Anyway, the main character, Cassie, lives in Mississippi with her family during the 1930s, and things aren't as great for blacks as they are now. Taylor showed us some very good, but terrible, examples of what blacks went through during those times. Cassie and her family are lucky enough to have their own land, and Harlan Granger wants that land back. Lots of family stuff in the book, learning how to stick together, even in bad times. Anyone -- black OR white -- should read this book. It really has an effect on people. :)

Rating:


Quotes from the Book:

" 'How'd she look?' inquired Little Man.
'Like . . . death.' T.J. waited for a moment for his words to be appropriately shocking, but the effect was spoiled by Little Man, who asked lightly, 'What does death look like?'
T.J. turned in annoyance. 'Don't he know nothing?' "

" 'And good riddance,' I thought, promising myself that if he ever pulled anything like that on me, I'd knock his block off."

"Then, red with anger, she stepped daintily across the clearing and struck me hard across the face. For the record, she had hit me first; I didn't plan on her hitting me again."


--Zakiya, the walking butterfly