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Summary: Slow Beginning, Bold Ending
Review: This book is very slow-paced in the start, mostly talking of the children's perspective. Around the middle of the book, the main character, African American Cassie, learns the hardships of racism in the 1930's. The story picks up mostly from there, showing what happens when a good African American boy goes bad.
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Summary: I USE THIS IN CLASS BEFORE READING TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Review: Teaching in a primarily white school district(which is just a fact, not a problem), I enjoy teaching novels that bring knowledge of various groups' struggles, beliefs, and similarities that lead to the fact that "we are not as different as some choose to think." In teaching Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, I felt that my students felt sorry for Tom Robinson, but we needed to have a better understanding of where Tom was coming from. The two novels are very similar in settings, themes, point of view being that of a young girl, conflicts, and overall emotional impact they have on their readers. Kids love Little Man's strength that stretches beyond his size. They admire Stacey's confidence and loyalty to his family, friends, and people. Readers view T.J. with hatred, then confusion, and finally sympathy to this lost child...who can be compared with Harper Lee's Tom Robinson. Many of my students can relate to Jeremy Simms, who respects & enjoys the Logan family more than his own. And then there's Cassie, the narrator. Kids find Cassie to be the most complex of the Logans. Taylor presents Cassie as someone who is naive to discrimination(for lack of a better term). Often my students would write that they wished they could jump into the pages of the text and explain to Cassie what was going on so they could save her from further problems, as we see Big Ma do. My kids also wanted to just "give her a big hug." This book is a great read aloud & the sequels to follow are good as well. Let the Circle be Unbroken is #2 and also goes well with Harper's Tom Robinson's fate. The Road to Memphis is #3 and good as well, although I found the first two the best!
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly boring!
Review: ::Snore, Snore:: Sorry, thinking about "Roll of Thunder..." again. This is a REALLY REALLY REALLY boring book. Its guaranteed to put you to sleep. The same thing happens throughout the book. It's very repetitive. I personally don't even enjoy books about slavery and African Americans. I truthfully find them very boring and this one is no exception. Don't waste your money! Buy a different book! ANY other book is better!
Rating:
Summary: A great book for all moods and ages!
Review: This book is great! I loved it. It is a book to read over and over! I read it in reading class. Teachers every where should read this to their students. I wanted to read on and on. "Roll of Thunder Her my Cry" is a book about a girl( Cassie) who is a strong girl who can stand up for what she believes. Cassie struggles with parts of her life. I would to. This book is good for all moods. Joyful, Down, I could go on and on saying the moods. Could you stand a bus spitting mud at you? I surely could not. What about your brothers friend that caused trouble on you and your Brothers and sisters. If that sounds interesting there is so many more adventures to jump into and they are much more interesting. ENJOY!
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Summary: The Thunder in her Heart
Review: Twelve-year-old Cassie Logan comes of age that summer in 1930's Mississippi, as she learns the bitter truth about racial relations. Sharecropping was just a legalized substitution for slavery; her family is naturally the target of white suspicion, resentment and open hostility since they actually own property Her parents instill their love for the land and pride in ownership into all 4 children. The four adults valiantly protect the youngsters from harm, but no one can shield them from the frightful truth of generations of prejudice against blacks. Sometimes bigotry is the only way certain folks can feel Better than others and justify physical and social cruelty. Not all the white characters are bad in this story and one black youth goes to the dogs, as violence explodes before an overdue thunderstorm. The thunder is not only in the heavens, however, as decent blacks raise their heads to stand as people of quiet dignity--deserving of respect from all. But white scum do not recognize that personal integrity and honor are colorblind. It's easier to keep an entire race in moral bondage if one pretends they are innately inferior. This is a serious but fascinating read with brisk dialogue, fast-paced plotting, and intense characterizations, as three teenagers must grow up and face adult choices. Bigotry with no holds barred.
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Summary: a good cultural book
Review: Hello,My name is Ashley .I thought this was an excellent novel.I go to a very monority based school.I think this book taught me that it was a very hardship for African Americans.Although I am not an African American I thought the basis of the White families were true.I think they did wrong but part of it was not iknowingthat they were doing wrong.Even though the nightriders burned down the house of one black family and took the life of one man they had no idea that they were doing wrong because that's what they believed.Though the Simm's knew wrong and right and the way Mr.Simm pushed Cassie down into the street was wrong,and later Lillian Jean got what she deserved when she was beat up by Cassie.This story is a good way to tell people that ignorance and being mean get's you no where.An to tell people that they can have just as nice things as they do.This is a good book for teens.So I suggest you read it and understand this time period.
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Summary: Excellent story, beautifully written!
Review: This book is so excellent that I have no idea where to start. I don't think schools adequately teach pupils about segregation-era America and how awful it was. When I was in 4th grade our class read this and most everyone was brought to tears. The story is written so well that you know all the charecters and what they do, but it doesn't bore you with details. This book shows the real side of segregation and how awful it was. I am very surprised it has never been made into a movie.
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Summary: Especially for those using this for Lit
Review: I'm a 14 yr old who did this bk for Lit this year. This bookwas the better of my two Lit texts, the other being "The ClayMarble". Again, as in the situation of TCM, this book was written for children aged 7-12, and not for 14 year-olds. The character development was pretty bad, with mostly stereotypes, but this made character study a breeze. This book points out racism, but Taylor did portray some nice whites Americans and mean Afro-Americans, though these were in the minority. The only charac worth thinking about was TJ, but he was shed in a rather bad light. Talk about giving a dog a bad name and hanging him. Cassie (the persona) was another immature kid, and one wonders why she seems to take in so much but comprehend so little. The prejudice was portrayed fairly well; Taylor made it a point to show that the afro-american kids were reluctant to befriend friendly white Americans. Generally speaking, this bk's readable and not too boring, but it is a bad choice for sec2 Lit, for it is too shallow.
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Summary: Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
Review: I think this was a very good book. The book takes place in teh 1930's right after the "Great Depression". There is a family, the Logans, that go through many hard times. The father of the family is gone in the summer while the children stay home and help pick cotton. Although he is home in the winters, the children dearly miss him. I think this would teach you about the way people use to be before segregation. I think that if you read this book you will enjoy it.
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Summary: The Good In All of Us
Review: How can one not love a book that is full of great characters, and a literary depiction of a harsh historical period? Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry is an excellent book that I have recently been introduced to. The reason I love it so much is because of the way Mildred Taylor describes the relationships between the White and Black races in the book. In a lot of multicultural literature the White race is depicted as the horrible oppressor giving pain to a victimized culture. However, Taylor does something wonderful. She doesn't stick to this idea. Of course she writes about the racist characters and the despicable things they do, but more importantly she gives us characters that are White and truly good, like Mr. Jamison and Jeremy Simms. She also gives us Black characters that are truly good, like the Logan's, and not so nice Black characters. I really enjoyed the chance for a culture, or race, to be both good and bad not just one or the other. In fact I'm planning to place this book in a future lesson plan so the students can discuss the characters and whether they contribute to both the good and bad aspects of this racist period. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about the good that any person can do no matter what race they are. Taylor is a talented writer and I'm excited to read more of her books.
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