Mildred Taylor Books

An award-winning children’s classic first published in 1976, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry remains a powerful and essential read today, offering a powerful exploration of racism and resilience and set in 1930s Mississippi during the American Depression.

The narrative is told through the experiences of Cassie Logan and explores the Logan family’s unwavering fight for dignity in the face of public racial prejudice. The story addresses key themes such as family loyalty and the pursuit of justice.  Students unfamiliar with the historical context will learn about the harshness of growing up as an African American in the American South during the 1930s –  a period of enforced racial segregation, Jim Crow laws, nightly Ku Klux Klan rides and the struggle for economic independence.

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry is a highly recommended classic book for tween and younger teen readers and one that will encourage empathy and critical thinking.