52 Books: Book 25

Another young literature book this week: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor won the Newbery Medal in 1977. It is the story of a family that struggles to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression.

The main character, Cassie, is a young girl who is slowly being exposed to the brutality of the world around her. Throughout the book she tries to come to grips with the lack of equality and the way that she and her family and friends are treated because of the color of their skin. 

I read this book in middle school and it was definitely worth revisiting.

 

Excerpts from the book:

"...look out there, Cassie girl. All that {land} belongs to you. You ain't never had to live on nobody's place but your own and long as I live and the family survives, you'll never have to. That's important. You may not understand that now, but one day you will." – Papa

"You know he was wrong." – Cassie

"I know it and you know it, but he don't know it, and that's where the trouble is..." – Stacey

"Baby, we have no choice of what color we're born or who our parents are or whether we're rich or poor. What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we're here." – Mama

"It's tough out there, boy, and as long as there are people, there's gonna be somebody trying to take what you got and trying to drag  you down. It's up to you whether you let them or not... You care what a lot of useless people say 'bout you and you'll never get anywhere, 'cause there's a lotta folks don't want you to make it. You understand what I'm telling you?" – Uncle Hammer

"The sad thing is, you know in the end you can't beat him..." – Mr. Jamison

"Still I want these children to know we tried, and what we don't do now, maybe one day they will." – Papa

"But the way I see it, the Bible didn't mean for you to be a fool. Now one day, maybe I can forgive John Anderson for what he done to these trees, but I ain't gonna forget it. I figure forgiving is not letting something nag at you – rotting you out." – Papa

"You were born blessed, boy, with land of  your own. If you hadn't, you'd cry out for it while you try to survive... It's hard on a man to give up, but sometimes it seems there just ain't nothing else he can do." – Papa