Cassie Logan

''Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry'' is a 1977 novel by Mildred D. Taylor. Part of her Logan family series, it is a sequel to her 1975 novella '' Song of the Trees''. It won the 1977 Newbery Medal.

The novel is the first book in the Logan family saga, which includes four sequels (''Let the Circle Be Unbroken'' (1981), ''The Road to Memphis'' (1992), ''The Gold Cadillac'' (1987), and ''All the Days Past, All the Days to Come'' (2020)) and three prequels ('' The Land'' (2001), ''The Well: David's Story'' (1995), and '' Song of the Trees'' (1975)) as well as two novellas (''Mississippi Bridge'' (1990) and ''The Friendship'' (1987)). In the book, Taylor explores struggles of African Americans in 1930s Mississippi through the perspective of nine-year-old Cassie Logan. The novel contains several themes, including Jim Crow segregation, Black landownership, sharecropping, the Great Depression, and lynching.

Plot

Nine-year-old Cassie Logan lives in rural Mississippi with her three brothers, Stacey (twelve years old), Christopher-John (seven years old), and Little Man (six years old). Unlike most black families in their area, the Logan family owns the land on which they reside. It originally belonged to a white plantation owner, Harlan Granger, who sold it to cover his taxes during Reconstruction.

Rather than a single, overarching storyline, the bulk of the novel consists of several intertwining plots, each involving one or more members of the Logan family and illustrating various aspects of black/white race relations. Several episodes feature black characters being humiliated by powerful white citizens and being forced to weigh the potential cost of standing up for themselves.

At school, Cassie and Little Man notice that the books they use were originally distributed to the white children and given to the black students once they wear out.

Cassie's father, David Logan, visits the family from his job on the railroad during the holidays.

Mama organizes a boycott of the Wallaces' store because they are the cause of most of the trouble between the blacks and the whites, as well as possibly being members of the Ku Klux Klan. The Wallaces retaliate.

Stacey's friend T.J. sets Stacey up to be accused of cheating in school. T.J ends his friendship with Stacey and befriends two brothers, R.W. and Melvin Simms, who are white. The Simms boys convince T.J. to help them burgle the Barnett store. In the process, Mr. Barnett is killed and the Simms boys set T.J. up to take the blame.

After Cassie is humiliated by Lillian Jean Simms, she pretends to forgive Lillian Jean and becomes friends with her long enough to learn sensitive information about the Simms family. Cassie forces Lillian Jean to apologize for all the humiliation she inflicted on her, then threatens to reveal all of Lillian Jean's secrets if she tells anyone what happened.

When Cassie's mother catches T.J. cheating, T.J. gets her fired from her job, with the help of the Wallace family.

The book ends with T.J. about to be lynched for the deaths of the Barnetts when the cotton fields catch fire and the community bands together to stop the fire from spreading. Cassie realizes that Papa set the fire to save T.J. Stacey asks what T.J.'s fate will be. Papa tells the children T.J. will likely be convicted of Mr. Barnett's murder and may be executed. Cassie, overwhelmed by the news, silently goes to bed. Although Cassie never liked T.J., she cries for him and the land.

Reception

At the time of the book's publication, ''Kirkus Reviews'' wrote, "Taylor trusts to her material and doesn't try to inflate Cassie's role in these events, and though the strong, clear-headed Logan family is no doubt an idealization, their characters are drawn with quiet affection and their actions tempered with a keen sense of human fallibility." In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal-winning books from 1976 to 1985, literary critic Zena Sutherland wrote of ''Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry'', "There is no doubt that this book remains today as effective dramatically and as important sociologically as it was when it appeared... This is not an unflawed book, but it is a memorable one."

In addition to a Newbery Medal, the novel was also a National Book Award finalist and Coretta Scott King Award honoree.

Censorship and banning incidents

The Burbank Unified School District banned the book from the curriculum due to complaints from four parents who allege the material in the book could lead to potential harm to the district's African-American students. However, scholar Hyun-Joo Yoo argues that ''Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry'' can have a more positive impact: Taylor purposefully writes from the perspective of African American protagonists who are strong-willed and effect change. Taylor's positive depictions in ''Roll of Thunder'' counter the long history of racist and negative stereotypes about African Americans. Brooks also argues that ''Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry'' presents a minority perspective and challenges white-dominated narratives.

Film

In 1978, the novel was adapted into a television film directed by Jack Smight and starring Claudia McNeil, Janet MacLachlan and Morgan Freeman. The film won modest praise, including two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing.

References

External links

''School Library Journal''


at SparkNotes

{{Newbery Medal

Newbery Medal–winning works
1976 American novels
African-American novels
Southern United States in fiction
Novels by Mildred D. Taylor
Works set during the Great Depression
American novels adapted into films
1976 children's books
American novels adapted into television shows
Novels set in Mississippi