ABSTRACT
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, a sequel to Mildred D. Taylor’s first book, the novella Song of the Trees, continues the story of Cassie Logan and her family into 1933. This chapter examines Taylor’s novel through the lens of cultural studies. Roll of Thunder has earned near canonical status in middle and high school English classes for its representation of racism in the early 20th century and because Mildred D. Taylor uses an authentic African American voice to tell a more complex story of that racism and its consequences than other novels set in the same era. Taylor’s novel strives to speak to all readers, but the lessons Cassie learns are much richer than a story steeped in didacticism. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry has shown remarkable staying power, making it perhaps the most successful and widely read novels in African American children’s literature.
