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

Title: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Author: Mildred D. Taylor

Genre: Fiction, Historical

Book Size: Medium Read (200-300 pages)

Big Ideas (Themes): Bias, discrimination, and or racism, Coming of Age, Family

World Categories - Setting: North America - U.S. & Canada

World Categories - Characters: Black, White, North American - U.S. & Canada

World Categories - Author: Black, North American - U.S. & Canada

Other Representation - Characters: Complex female characters

Reading Level Based on Difficulty: Middle School

Maturity Level Based on Content: Middle School, High School, Adult

Sensitive or Mature Topics Include: Violence

Notes on Sensitive or Adult Topics: Racial Violence

Series? Characters appear in other books, but intended to exist independently as well.

Number of Books in Series: 10 Logan Family books

Introductory Summary: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry tells the story of Cassie Logan and her family fighting for their land and dignity in the Jim Crow South. Cassie and her three brothers - Stacey, Christopher-John and Little Man - were raised to take pride in themselves, their families and education - so its a culture shock for them to go out into the world and discover that they're treated as less than because of their race. They don't take the ill-treatment quietly however and find personal and creative ways to strike back against their tormentors. Meanwhile, the community as a whole is facing the inequalities of the era, one in which a black man can be murdered without consequences to the white men responsible. On the verge of the Great Depression, the family and their neighbors ban together to stand up against their oppressors and hang onto their land. Unfortunately, the kids' friend TJ doesn't share others' caution and values and gets himself into trouble hanging out with people who don't have his best interests in mind. All these plots converge in a matter of life and death.

What we like about this book: I love everything about this book! I find the characters very relatable, especially Cassie, and the plot is interesting throughout. I really love how the kids fight their own battles on a kid level, while the parents and community fight for their dignity and rights on an adult level. The characters are smart and mischievous and the protagonists are easy to cheer for. Even though I didn't like TJ, I also got very invested in his story and the trouble he got into and appreciated this inclusion of him as a very flawed human. There's never a dull moment in this book.

3 Reasons Students Will Like This Book:

1. The kid and teenage characters are relatable, mischievous and flawed.

2. Ongoing conflict and action throughout the plot keep it exciting.

3. The kids get their revenge on the bullies which creates a feeling of hope, pride and control.

Teaching Notes / Recommendations:

One of the key factors in this story is that while it is set in a particular place and time in history that is inextricable from the plot, the characters have a universal appeal and the theme of family and friendship goes well beyond the context of the story. If I were to teach this story to American kids again, I would do a before and after questionnaire to illustrate the universality of this story. I would ask kids to reflect on how they deal with bullies, whether they would report a friend for cheating, about peer pressure, and how important their friends' opinions are. After the reading, I would have them reflect on any changes to their opinions.

I would also look at the story in the context of its genre of historical fiction and how much of the theme is integral to the setting. I recommend students researching different aspects of Jim Crow laws, major events and trials of the era, and the Great Depression (a lot of the same materials can be used from teaching To Kill a Mockingbird) to help them better understand the book's context.

Another theme I would look at would be looking at the relationship with the parents and how many kids see their parents as heroes, or how often they agree with their parents' decisions. A great companion project would be to have the kids research and write on black heroes or family heroes.

I would also discuss with the students what their exposure to black stories has been and play clips of Lupita Nyongo's Danger of a Single Story. With an intellectually open an mature group, I might ask the students to think about whether we see black stories - those with black actors - as specific to black people and question whether they perceive stories with white actors and about white families as if made for a universal audience.

This is a pretty long book for today's middle schoolers at 276 pages. Give yourself plenty of time to read it in and out of class.

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