Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Story

Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry follows the story of nine-year-old Cassie Logan and her family, growing up in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression. Throughout the story Cassie learns the shocking realities of racism and the importance of the family protecting and owning their own land. Her family is attacked and framed for crimes but throughout they work together to ensure their land is kept as their own.

Why we chose it

A ground breaking Young Adult coming of age novel which powerfully demonstrates the impact racism on the life of a young black girl growing up in the deep South in the 1930s.

Where it came from

Mildred D Taylor aimed to tell the story of a strong black family, like her own. She wanted people to see her family and be represented in literature, as she never saw herself reflected in any books she read when growing up. She was inspired by Scout and Atticus in To Kill a Mocking Bird but when she wrote Cassie’s character she drew on her own experiences.

Where it went next

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry won the Newbery Medal in 1977. A 40^th anniversary edition was published in 2016.

Associated stories

Mildred D Taylor’s other novels are Song of Trees (prequel, published 1975), The Land (prequel, published 2001), Let the Circle be Unbroken (sequel, published 1981), The Road to Memphis (sequel, published 1990). She drew inspiration from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.