Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Title: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Published:Orinigally by Dial Books, but now by The Penguin Group, United States of America
Date: 1976
Summary: Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of the one turbulent year-the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she is black-to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood.
Age Level: Upper (10 and up)
Strengths: I really like the strong sense of connection between the Logan family, especially the children. Each are very different from one another (Cassie is tough, Stacey is the oldest, but more patient,Christopher John is quiet and Little Man is neat but can get angry easily), but they all stood together no matter what. Whereever one of them went, they all went. This story was told from Cassie's point of view, which was really interesting because she is the only daughter in the Logan family (not counting Mama and Big Mama), and it's interesting to see what she went through and how she felt. She learns a lot about her land and heritage, and the reader gets a sense as if they were there. I think what made it feel more real was the characters, the use of language and the great description of the setting and place. It's a very powerful and emotional story; especially the part where Casssie's dad set his own cotton on fire, so everyone in the town helped put out the fire, no matter what race they were. The reader could feel the tension rising within the story when the Logan family did some things that went against the town (For example, Mama pasting white paper in the school books, etc).
Concerns: My only concern is though the fire came at the end (the climax), which was appropiate, I wonder why the author did not continue. It goes by very quickly. I wonder what will happen to TJ becuase they just say he has been arrested for "killing a man" when he really didn't, and what will happen to the rest of the Logan family now that the fire has stopped. It's somewhat like a cliffhanger. Perhaps she left it at that because that's how reality can be. You don't know when something is going to happen, or where, but you can feel it.
Comments: This is definitely a strong story that teachers will want to share with their students. This would be for older students in order to talk about serious topics (racism). I think this book shoul be discussed in classlittle by little so the students will understand what is going on. The students can share their ideas, and thoughts, and express how they feel.