Module 4: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Module 4 was an exploration of Newbery Medal winning novels.  The Newbery Medal is an annual award given to an author who makes a significant contribution to American children's literature.  For more information about the Newbery Medal, visit the website: Newbery Medal Home Page.  One of the novels I read for this module was Mildred Taylor's 1976 book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

Image credit: http://www.jacketflap.com/bookdetail.asp?bookid=0821919865

This book is the story of the Logan family, an African American family which grows cotton on their land in Mississippi.  The novel is set during the Great Depression.  The story begins with one of the Logan children becoming upset when he realizes that the school books being provided by the county are tattered, well-used copies which used to belong to white school children.  The story goes on to describe various injustices committed against African Americans in the South, including a lot of violence and hateful speech.

I thought this was an excellent book, and one which deals with issues of racism, poverty, and hate in such a way that will help today's children, who are somewhat removed (for the most part) from such violence and degradation, to understand the history of racism against African Americans and how that might feel.  While this story could be considered historical fiction, it is also very realistic, which allows the reader to empathize or sympathize with the characters of the book and connect to the story.  As the reviewers Nancy Livingston and Catherine Kurkijian state: "All can profit from the advice given in this book, such as "we have no choice of what color we're born or who our parents are or whether we're rich or poor.  What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we're here" (p. 129)."  

I believe this book could be included in any programming for Black History Month, whether that be a book display, a book talk given by the librarian, or a book discussion in a classroom setting.  Due to the violence portrayed in the novel, I would recommend this title to upper middle school or high school students.

References:

Livingston, N.  & Kurkijian, C.  (2003).  Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.  In The Reading Teacher, 57(1), 101.

Taylor, M.  (1976).  Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.  New York: Dial Press.