You never know what will happen to the people in the story.It really makes you believe that you are part of it.It also lets you know what it felt like to be Afican-American and live in the times of slavery and hate against you

Taylor has been a leading writer of young adult literature and the appearance of a literary and biographical sketch of the author provides an important critical analysis of her works, especially suitable for young adults providing reviews of author contributions. Presenting Mildred D. Taylor surveys the themes, history and background of all her novels and provides important insights.

The Well is a very compelling and resonant book by Mildred D. Taylor, the Newberry Award winner for Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. You will experience many emotions while reading this book, which are not limited to anger and sadness .The Well is set in the south during the mid 1910's, a time in which deep-rooted racism is practiced and where whites can do and say anything they please with abandon to blacks.
David Logan tells a poignant story of his boyhood in Smallsville, Mississippi when blacks could be hanged for considering themselves as equals to whites. The Logan family, the main characters in the book, are among few black families to own land. During an awful drought, they have the only well of sweet water in the whole town of Smallsville. The author eloquently describes how the Logan's believe that the water is not theirs to hoard but gods gift to share with black and white folks alike. Everyone is grateful to the Logan's except the white Simms family who hate being obliged to blacks. David's family lives by his father's words, 'use your head not your fists' but his insubordinate hotheaded brother Hammer is sick of the constant degrading of Charlie Simses and when Charlie pushes his handicapped brother with bitter rancor to the ground, Hammer reacts and does the unthinkable.
The characters are quickly and clearly brought into life, the setting is vividly drawn despite the frequent but historical use of the N word. The large cast of characters is masterfully individualized with opinions, beliefs, personalities and ways of life. I personally gained tremendous admiration for Mildred D. Taylor as an author for making such a luring plot seem so stupendous in a small book.

The Well by Mildred D. Taylor is one of the best examples of juvenile fiction that I have read in the last ten years. (Coming from a teacher, that's a lot of books!) The reader is invited into a world where whites can say and do as they please and blacks are treated to cruelty, deceit and humiliation. Yet the Logan family, the central characters of this book, maintain their strength and dignity through it all. The Logan property sits on the only well that has not run dry in this turn-of-the-century tale of the Deep South. They are generous people and share their sweet water with all their neighbours, even the bigotted Simms clan. David Logan, the narrator, tells us how he and his brother Hammer cope with the abuse and terrors inflicted upon them by the Simms boys and their evil father, Old Man McCallister Simms. This short novel tells us much about the deep seated racism that was so much a part of that time and place. The characters are quickly and clearly brought to life, the setting is vividly drawn and despite the frequent - but historically accurate use of the N word - this book is a great "read aloud."

I think Mildred D. Taylor is a good writer. She makes her books inspiring to most people. I like her books a lot because it is really interesting and talks about history and has good contrasting in the story. Her book tells you how people lived back in the olden days. Mildred writes a series of religious tales not just one book. Her books sound lifelike and it is easy to picture the story in your head. Her book makes me want to read more of the tales because they are so interesting. This book makes me wonder what it was like back then and WOW I'd like to be there. The charectors have good charectoristics. The story has a great conclusion. I'm inspired to learn more about the history back then. Her book has a sensitive plot that a person can understand.

After reading "Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry" and the two following books of the trilogy, I fell in love with Mildred D. Taylor's writing. I searched the library for more books by her, and when I was successful, sat down and read the books immediately, becoming more enchanted with each one. When I heard that there was a prequel to the books, I couldn't wait to get a hold of it. On the way home from the library, I started reading and didn't stop until the last page.
Paul-Edward Logan has a white father and a half black, half indian mother. Growing up on his father's plantation, he never quite knows his place. Although his mother is always warning him against it, Paul-Edward's best friend is his father's other son, born from a white mother. As Paul-Edward grows he learns of betrayal and watches his best friend abandon him for a group of rough white boys. When Paul-Edward is fourteen, he runs away with his new best friend, Mitchell. A book about racism, friendship and family, Mildred D. Taylor has created another masterpiece to be enjoyed for many years.

... The Land By Mildred D. Taylor

For the past month or so, my class has been reading The Land, by Mildred D. Taylor. I am not exaggerating when I say this is one of the greatest books ever! The Land is about an African American boy named Paul Edward Logan, who lives on his white father's plantation. Paul lives in the time of racism, slaves, and disrespect of black men and women. Even his very own father treats him differently than Paul's white brothers ' he cannot eat at the table when there are guests. Nor can he talk to white men the way they treat him. Paul begins to realize the truth of it all. However, he does not give up his dream ' to own his own land. He does not lose faith, even when his father denies him an opportunity to race a horse for cash. Denial only pushes him to accept the offer, but the owner of the horse refuses to pay him his winnings. Mitchell, his personal bodyguard, decides to take matters into his own hands and makes them running for their lives. The Land takes the readers on a journey of Paul's determination, hard work, and his daring and desperate decisions.
One reason I absolutely love this book is because of the plot! The way Paul and African Americans are treated helps me understand what it was like for people, like Paul during the 1800s. This book helps me realize how hard it was back then ' to treat others respectfully while they mistreat you, to try to be quiet when a white man was speaking! For example, in the book, Paul is not allowed to hit his brother when he has done something wrong because he is white. It makes me think about how unfair it was a century ago. People were treated unjust because of the color of their skin! I now appreciate my life much, much more, knowing how many lifestyles used to be.
In addition to this, I love the suspense! There is always something exciting happening ' from the horse race to the fights where Mitchell, Paul's bodyguard protects him. What makes this book so fascinating is the fact that there is always something incredible, simply amazing happening. This makes me want to read more! Not only is it entertaining, but also this book raises many intriguing questions. For example, what is going to happen to Paul, what dramatic decision will he make now, and how is Paul's father going to react to this chaos? As you can tell, many questions arise. This is one great aspect of The Land.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy books based on history ' something that actually happened. The Land is based on true facts ' how people were considered, how lifestyles were for African Americans, and how there were many unjust, unfair laws. This book has a wonderful plot, which is not only entertaining, but also educational. You would have to read it yourself!
I can understand why this book won the Coretta Scott King Award!

A compelling prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred Taylor' The Land brings us into the history of Cassie Logan's family as we follow the life and her grandfather, Paul-Edward Logan. The story opens with Paul-Edward as a boy on his father's land. As the son of a white landowner and a former slave in the southern state of Georgia, his biracial background complicates his life and emotions. His father had three sons with his wife, as well as Paul-Edward and his sister Cassie with his slave woman.

During the first 12 years of his life, he was treated roughly as an equal in his father's house'as much as possible for someone black in the 1880's. Relationships with his half-brothers grew strong, especially with Robert who was the same age. They did everything together and were the best of friends. On the other side of his life, Paul-Edward had a clashing relationship with a black boy on father's land named Mitchell. In exchange for teaching Mitchell how to read, Paul-Edward finds an ending to his daily fights and a personal bodyguard. After his brother Robert chooses his white friends over his own brother, Paul-Edward finally realizes the complexity of growing up black in a segregated society.

The final straw, however, comes when his father denies him an opportunity to race a horse for cash. As a fourteen-year-old, denial only pushes him to accept the offer, but the man refuses to pay him. Mitchell, his personal bodyguard, decides to take matters into his own hands and sets them running for their lives. In the remainder of the tale, their dependence on one another through lumber camps and land deals seals the friendship. Paul-Edward follows his dream to own land, with Mitchell helping him clear the way. They work together, eventually realizing the dream.

With a strong historical setting and captivating turns of events, Taylor does it again. Instead of telling her readers about the struggles of a black individual following the Civil War, she shows us. Through the personable character of Paul-Edward, we feel his pain, struggles, and hopes. The hard truths of segregated society ring clear as he is cheated again and again. Life in the lumber camps helps us see the scarce employment opportunities for freed slaves, and the denial of a bank loan shows the dreadful cycle of poverty.

Written in the common black dialect of that time in the South, the book brings another culture alive and respects the roots of Black English. Paul-Edward and Mitchell remain true to their roots and do their families proud in the end. They persevere and support each other through every hardship. Their friendship is a testimony to the strength and commitment of true friends.

This book weaves a tale of a man's self-discovery, the prize from perseverance, a lesson in friendship, a positive romance, and the credibility of hope. Those things make it strong enough for use in a classroom. In addition, however, I recommend this book because of its historical value. Although fiction, Taylor brings key characteristics of the post-Civil War South to life. By showing us a full-color picture of the culture, we come away from the lesson filled in a way that would scarcely happen from a history textbook. She fills in the gaps, completing the picture.

In this book the Logan children experience a lot of things that get them ready for the real world. At the beginning, life is going pretty well. Life changes when Cassie's big brother, Stacey buys a new car that is very nice for an African American. It all starts in Strawberry when some white boys are making fun of Moe. They say things that really make him mad. He explodes and hits them with a crow bar. He then jumps into a truck that belongs to Jeremy Simms, a long time friend of the Logans. Jeremy is related to the people Moe just beat up. Being the good friend, Jeremy jumps in the truck and drives off. The Logans take off and pick up Moe in another town so they can take him to Memphis so he can catch a train to Chicago. On their way to Memphis they run into a lot of trouble with white people and they have a lot of car trouble. When the get near Memphis, Clarence gets really sick and has to go to an old lady's house to get better. The Logans finally get to Memphis and they get their car fixed so they can make it home. They finally get Moe on a train ticket. When he is getting ready to leave he expresses his love for Cassie. She is very disappointed because she knows she might not ever see him again. The ending of the book amazed me so to find out you need to read it.

I really enjoyed this book because it showed what black people had to put up with everyday. Also because it taught a very good lesson which was that even if things go bad they can turn out well.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the first book of this series.
Let the Circle Be Unbroken is the second book in this series.

I thought The Road To Memphis was a very dramatic,compelling book. This is the third novel in the series written about the Logan family. This book takes place in 1941, right before the outbreak of World WarII. Cassie is 17 years old and a senior in high school dreaming of going onto law school. Stacey is working in Jackson and is driving his first car. A sequence of tragic events, incuding pregnancy and death, threatens to seperate the family, possibly forever. In Jackson Moe lashes out at his white tormentors, an act unheard of in Mississippi back then, almost killing them. Cassie, Stacey and their friends must try to get Moe to Memphis and safety. At the end of the book it doesn't tell you what happens to Jeremy, Stacey, Moe or Cassie. I found myself asking what happened to them? Mildred D. Taylor is and excellent writer. In reading this book I found she depicted the magnitude of racism in the 1940's very well. It really gave me an idea of what life was like in that era. It also made me realize how times have changed and how ucky I am to live in this day and age. I would suggest this book to readers who are old enough to comprehend the realism of it. This is a great book that I think all people should read at sometime in their life.

I read this book in one day!! I read "Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry" in 8th grade as a class requirment and I loved it and I started looking for the sequals and prequals a couple of weeks ago. So far I like this one the best. Cassie Logan is 17 and still has a temper when it comes to segragation and one of the young white boys Jeremy Simms cousin Statler is setting eyes on young and beautiful Cassie Logan. an incident happens causing the Moe to flee to Memphis with the help of Cassie, Stacie, Clarence, Little Willie, and Jeremy Simms. On the way Cassie meets a very handsome man in a cafe........... Great book I highly reccomend you read it or get it for your child. Taylor is very good in expressing the hardships of the African American people during that time period.

I always enjoy reading Mildred D. Taylor books, and Mississippi Bridge was no exception. It was to short for my liking, but it was an excellent book. Taylor writes from the perspective of Jeremy Simms, a white boy, which is different from most of her books, which are usually told from the perspective of the african-american Logan family.
Mississippi Bridge descibes the unfairness of racial prejudice in the south, and how it backfired on some of the people who commited it. A swollen creek, a rickety bridge, and an out of control bus turn into a disaster. The book then ends with Jeremy, his african-american friend Josias, and others pulling people out of the water. It ends here, and kills the quality of the book. It seems like Taylor wanted a cup of Starbucks more than the importance of answering the questions I and most likely other readers are asking. This was a disappointing ending to an otherwise excellent book.

Mississippi Bridge by Mildred D. Taylor displays an excellent picture of what life was like in Mississippi in the 1930's. The depiction of racism that an African-American family had to go through was revealing.

The story takes place by the town store. The bus stop was also outside the store, where many of the characters were waiting for the bus. Jeremy Simms, a ten-year-old white boy, was interested in talking to all of these characters. However, one particular black family, the Logan's, were not interested in talking to him. Jeremy was faced with a difficult dilemma. He was torn between what he felt was right and what his father and the other white men in the town felt was right. Every time he witnessed an injustice, he tried to comfort or let the black people know that he did not agree with the way they were being treated. Despite his constant feel of sympathy for the blacks in the community, the oldest Logan boy, Stacey, did not warm up to Jeremy. In the end, a trust is built between the two boys.

I thought the book was very realistic and appropriate when explaining racism and segregation to children. The ending was my favorite part and really brought the book together. There is a heart-shaking catastrophe that brings that book to a close.

I am simply facinated by the Logan series that Mildred D. Taylor has created. Born and raised in Mississippi, I have seen first hand the actions that Taylor writes about. I share the books with my students. I plan to read this one next week. I can't wait. Mississippi Bridge gives us a look into the character Jeremy Simms. The story is one of pride and human nature. This story, along with Taylor's others, is an excellent teaching tool. Children of all ages can learn from our past mistakes through these touching and true to life stories. I highly recommend ANY and ALL of the Logan series books!

I think the book Let the Circle Be Unbroken is great! It's full of drama. The book is written by Mildred D. Taylor. It's a story about Cassie Logan and her family. It shows how they deal with problems and how they help their friends. Cassie Logan is eleven years old and has three brothers. Christopher-John is 9, Stacey is fifteen, and Clayton Chester (a.k.a. Little Man) is 8 years old. They live in Mississippi with their parents, David and Mary, and their grandma, Big Ma. The sad part of the story is when T.J., Stacey's friend, goes against an all-white jury and is charged with murder. The other sad part is when Stacey goes to the cane fields and doesn't get home for about 2.5 months. Also, their neighbor, Mrs. Lee Annie Lee, tries to vote and gets driven from their home. They're black and so are their friends. The story is taking place in 1935-36. This is why I recommend Let the Circle Be Unbroken.

Our love for the Logan Family began when I read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry aloud to my children, ages 7 and 10. My husband, intrigued by the story, began to sit in on the readings. The Logans became a part of our family, so naturally, we continued reading their story in Let the Circle Be Unbroken. This continuation of their story is even better than the first book. Let the Circle Be Unbroken is a meatier story than Roll of Thunder, intertwining more historical events into the storyline than the first book. The reader gets a better overall feeling for the hardships and government programs of the Depression Era, the cruel treatment of farm laborers, the fledgling agricultural labor unions, and the disparities between North and South in their treatment of Black citizens. Yet this history never eclipses the narrative of the Logan Family. Author, Mildred Taylor, does a marvelous job of weaving history into a storyline which still keeps the reader emotionally invested in the Logans. We are looking forward to the continuation of the Logan saga in The Road to Memphis!

Mildred D. Taylor has written an excellent sequel to her story on the Logan family! T.J. Avery is tried by an all-white jury in this book. The Logan kids go to the trial even though they aren't supposed to. Cassie learns more about segregation while she is here, she can't use the bathroom or the drinking fountain. Mr. Jamison gives good arguments for T.J. and you think that they can't possible find him guilty of murder, but they do. He gets the death penalty. Their cousin, Bud, comes to visit and things don't go well between him and Uncle Hammer because he has a white wife. Cousin Bud leaves saying he wants to bring his daughter Suzella down to come visit her father's family. Sure enough, a few weeks later, Suzella comes. She looks a lot like Mama except for the color of her skin. A local white boy, Stuart Walker, makes the mistake of thinking she is white. Cassie does not like Suzella much because she goes around acting like she's white. The farmers around the town are all having to plow up part of their cotten as part of a new government thing to make the price of cotton go up. Stacey is going through some changes, too. He doesn't feel like staying at home and going to school when the family needs money. He also likes a girl named Jacey Peters, who's two years older and who Stuart Walker gets pregnant. He runs off with Moe Turner to work in the cane fields in Louisiana to earn some money, but never gets it. A black neighbor, Miz Lee Annie Lees gets a copy of the state constitution and decides to study it and registar to vote. When she goes and registars, she doesn't pass and gets kicked off her land by Harlem Granger. This is an excellent sequel to "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry", you should read it!!

In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, By: Mildred D. Taylor, Cassie a twelve-year-old girl growing up in the thirties Mississippi, learning of the white's "superiority" in public and not liking it, she has false frienships with a white girl. many childish revenge plots from all, even the adults, and one quite dangerous with a bus. Friendships and love overcome all even friendships between black and white. A long time friend of Cassie's brother becomes a bad seed and nearly his life is nearly ended. Very historically accurate, and belivable, but it doesn't seem to get boring. In the end differences are overcome to save a boy and an the land that the Logan family worked so hard for. This book will keep you guessing until the very end. Other books similar: The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Let the circle be Unbroken. A GREAT BOOK

I reccomend you steal this from the book shop, unless you live in the projects and don't have one in the neighboorhood.
Shout Out to my posse HOLLA ...

I read Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor years ago as a college student studying to be a teacher. Reading it again with my sixth grade students reinforced my belief that Mildred Taylor is perhaps one of the best children's authors we have today. Everyone from age 10 to 99 should read this book. The story centers around the Logan family, an African American family struggling to survive in the turmoil of the 1930's. There are many reasons I love this book. The characters are well developed and believable. We come to know Cassie Logan, the main character and narrator of the book, as she confronts the harsh realities of discrimination. Mildred Taylor created an extremely likable character of Jeremy, a white boy who rejects his own family's behavior toward the Logan family. The plot unfolds slowly, almost deliberately, to provide us with the time to prepare for the stunning climax. One of the most memorable scenes is when the Logan children visit Mr. Berry, a man badly burned by three white men simply because of the color of his skin. Mildred Taylor's description is often difficult to read and yet necessary in order to gain a better understanding of the distruction hatred causes. Although I've never felt this kind of discrimination firsthand, I am grateful to Mildred Taylor for giving me the opportunity to open my eyes to the dark realities that existed back then and indeed, still exist today. Read this book slowly, carefully and again and again. You will not be the same after reading this extraordinary novel.

Mildred D. Taylor has given adolescent readers a powerful account of the Great Depression and the economic hardships it placed on many families, particularly blacks. As seen through the eyes of the Logan family, students learn about the inequalities between blacks and whites, beginning with the four Logan children being splattered by mud from a school bus that transported white children only. A further indignity occurs when the Logans are given dirty, tattered textbooks that have been discarded by the school for whites.

Much of what Taylor describes in this novel packs a strong punch for adolescents. Further, to fully understand the story's context, students need to understand a good deal of U. S. history, specifically, the Great Depression, the Restoration, the sharecropping system, and segregation practices in the south during this period. Yet, teachers and students who take on the challenge will be well rewarded. Teachers and administrators in the Boston Public Schools have been so impressed by the powerful themes in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, that they have selected it as one of six core novels for sixth graders as part of the Max Warburg Courage Curriculum. The other five novels are: Taking Sides, Number the Stars, Bridge to Terabithia, So Far from the Bamboo Grove, and Maniac Magee. As with Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, each novel addresses the theme of courage--different types of courage, what it takes to act courageously, and how even small acts of courage can have enormous consequences in everyday life.

As an Educational Consultant for the Courage Curriculum, I highly recommend Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Taylor does not speak down to students. Instead she presents them with genuine characters in a drama that reflects the story-telling tradition she was steeped in as a child.

i think this is a verey excellent book for a young person to get an idea about racism and prejudice all at the same time an enjoyable novel.

This was a wonderful book about the way a family pulls together to save the trees! I cried when I read it! You are crazy if you dont buy this book! It is so wonderful! Please buy it plase please!

This is an excellent book to introduce Black history and literary techniques. The author paints vivid pictures of the scenery that are easily pictured in one's mind. She makes excellent use of similes and comparisons. When read aloud to children, they can easily draw pictures to illustrate the setting and the characters. It is an excellent springboard to discussion of Black history and American history during the Depression.