Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry

Name: Colette                                                                                                                                                                                           2016 

Humanities

What are the components of a thorough, concise BOOK TALK?

Directions: When creating a book talk, use this helpful template to organize your ideas. Simply fill in what you’d like to say in the space below for each section.

Grabber:

Imagine being an eleven year old African American girl in Mississippi, 1933, at the peak of the Great Depression. Cassie Logan, the main protagonist in the book, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, faces many difficult obstacles. She is a major racial target, and is hurt physically and mentally by people who have lighter skin color and more power. Cassie and other African American families were discriminated against and attacked by the whites who wanted to keep them intimidated.

Plot Summary:

Cassie and her family experienced racism in various ways throughout the book. Early in the book, Cassie and her siblings, Stacey, Christopher John, and Little Man were walking to school, when a school bus full of white children drove over muddy water on purpose, drenching the children from head to toe. This happened every morning since. Cassie and her siblings decided to take revenge on the white children and bus driver. The children had to learn how to live in a racist environment where white people had more power and control. Even when Cassie’s strong minded mother tried to gather the community together in order to boycott the Wallace store, she was unsuccessful in the end because the whites had so much power. Everyone in Cassie’s community shopped at the Wallace store. Although, each time an African American went to the Wallace store, the price of the item would be increased. What does Cassie and her family have to do to persevere in this racist community? Cassie and her family had many obstacles to overcome.

Reading Strategy (with textual evidence)

During the Great Depression, people couldn’t find work, and Cassie’s father, Papa, had searched all around the Mississippi area for a job. “In 1930, the price of cotton dropped. And so, in the spring of 1931, Papa set out looking for work, going as far north as Memphis and as far south as the Delta country. He had gone west too, into Louisiana. It was there he found work laying track for the railroad,” page 7. This explains that searching for a job was very difficult, especially as a black man. Still, the Logans were fortunate for a black family in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. Cassie’s family was one of the more hated black families in her community because they owned land, sold cotton, and Mama, Cassie’s mother, was a teacher. The white community disliked the African Americans having success and more power. Since the Logans owned land, the Grangers, a white family, were constantly trying to take it.

Recommendation:

One of the reasons I liked this book was that I enjoy books about people fighting through racism and facing many struggles. Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry is a historic, interesting, and thought provoking book. This book shows how African Americans tackle life during the Great Depression. It’s also a unique story because books set during the Great Depression are usually about white families. Cassie and her family face many difficult situations and experience violence, insults, and hardships through their life. Racism and sexism were part of an African American girl’s life each day in the 1930’s. Since racism and sexism is still a recurring theme in today’s society, this book is important for everyone to read.