Mildred D. Taylor and Cultural Awareness Page 3

Author of Nine Novels

Page 3

Mildred D. Taylor Book List

Song of the Trees by Taylor, Mildred D. (1975)

With the depression bearing down on her family, there isn’t much that Cassie Logan can count on anymore. But there is one thing that hasn’t changed—the whispering trees outside her window. Cassie’s trees, which have stood for centuries, are a great source of comfort to her. But they are also worth a lot of money. With Cassie’s daddy gone to lay tracks for the railroad, it seems like no one can stop Mr. Andersen from forcing Big Ma to sell their valuable trees.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Taylor, Mildred D. (1976)

The novel won the 1977 Newbery Medal and is considered to be among the greatest children's novels of all time. Its sequel, Let the Circle Be Unbroken, was released in 1981. Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family’s struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie’s story–Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect.

Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Taylor, Mildred D. (1981)

Let The Circle Be Unbroken is the sequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. T.J.'s punishment is approaching, Stacey runs away to find work, and the Logan children's cousin, Suzella Rankin, tries to pass herself off as a white person, but fails which leads to embarrassing consequences. A Coretta Scott King Author Award Book.

The Friendship by Taylor, Mildred D. (1987)

The Logan Family Saga and companion to Mildred D. Taylor's Newbery Award-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Cassie Logan and her brothers have been warned never to go to the Wallace store. So they know to expect trouble there. What they don’t expect is to hear Mr. Tom Bee, an elderly black man, daring to call the white storekeeper by his first name. The year is 1933, the place is Mississippi, and any child knows that some things just aren’t done. Can a shared past between the two men make a difference?

The Gold Cadillac by Taylor, Mildred D. (1987)

Lois and Wilma's father has a brand-new gold Cadillac, and they are looking forward to driving all the way from Ohio to Mississippi. But in the rural South there are no admiring glances for the shiny new car, only suspicion and anger for the black man behind the wheel. For the first time in their lives, two sisters know what it's like to feel scared because of the color of their skin.

The Road to Memphis by Taylor, Mildred D. (1990)

The Road to Memphis is the fourth book in the saga following: Song of the Trees, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry and Let the Circle Be Unbroken. Set in Mississippi in 1941, The Road to Memphis describes three harrowing, unforgettable days in the life of an African-American high school girl dreaming of law school. Caught up in the center of tense racial dramas unfolding around her, Cassie Logan is forced to confront the adult world as never before. A Coretta Scott King Author Award Book.

Mississippi Bridge by Taylor, Mildred D. (1990)

Another powerful story in the Logan Family Saga and companion to Mildred D. Taylor’s Newbery Award-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. A day of conflict and tragedy. Cassie Logan and her brothers watch as the weekly bus from Jackson comes splashing through a heavy rainstorm—they are there to see their grandmother off on a trip. One by one, the passengers board the bus. But this is Mississippi in the 1930s, so when several white passengers arrive at the last minute, the driver roughly orders the black passengers off the bus, including Cassie’s grandmother.

The Well by Taylor, Mildred D. (1995)

During a drought, the Logan family shares their well water with their neighbors, black and white alike. But David’s brother Hammer finds it hard to share with Charlie Simms, who torments them because they are black. Hammer’s pride and Charlie’s meanness are a dangerous combination, and tensions between the boys build and build—until they explode.

The Land by Taylor, Mildred D. (2001)

This prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry focuses on Cassie's grandfather, Paul-Edward Logan, and explains how the seeds were planted for feuds between the Logans and other families, as well as certain loyalties. Paul-Edward is the son of a white father and a half-black, half-Indian mother. His father raises him almost as if he were white, but when it counts, he’s treated as a black man with racist spite and hatred. He cannot fit into either the black world or the white world.