Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Puffin (October 1, 1991)

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor is one of those rare novels that affectively addresses tough issues in an accessible manner for young readers.  Set in rural Depression era Mississippi, this Newberry Award winning novel paints a painfully accurate picture of what society was like for African Americans in the south at that time.

The story revolves around the narrator Cassie Logan, a young idealistic African American girl, and her family’s struggle to survive in the hostile south without compromising their freedom.  When the owners of the local store begin burning African Americans, the Logan family organizes a boycott of the store in hopes that the persecution will end.  This act of civil disobedience causes all kinds of trouble for the Logan’s and their friends.  Eventually the various conflicts are temporarily resolved in a tension filled confrontation at the end of the novel.

Some of the content in the novel could be offensive to some readers.  The book does contain some racial slurs and discusses terrible acts of violence towards African Americans.  However the “offensive language” is historically accurate and used to show the abuse African Americans received at the time.  If anything the violence in the book is toned down for young readers.  However, the violence in the book is very affective in conveying the situation African Americans during that time were in.

This coming of age story is an excellent book for middle school readers because it is written from the perspective of a young person not far from their age.  Cassie’s naivety when it comes to matters of racism probably mirrors those of middle school readers to a certain extent.  Showing racial conflict from this youthful perspective clearly shows the institutional and individual racism of that time.  It also gives context for racism present today.