Taylor, M. (1976). Roll of thunder hear my cry. New York: Bantam Books Inc. 

I already posted two traditional/multicultural books, but I had not realized one needed to be a chapter book. So... here comes another! I decided to read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry because it is a book I had always heard about, but had never actually gotten to read. Honestly, I had always assumed this book was about the Native American culture (I am not really sure where I got that impression). It is a great example of a multicultural book for many reasons. 

The first reason is very straightforward. Multicultural literature is defined as being about groups of people in this country that have been overshadowed and to various degrees disregarded by the dominant Euro-American culture. This book is about a black family living in Mississippi and the hard times they experience because of their color. During this story Cassie Logan begins to see how people in her culture are looked down on by whites because of their color. 

The point-of-view in this novel is first-person narrator. Cassie Logan is the narrator and tells the story from her point of view as her views of life and equality quickly being to shift during one very eventful year. I think it was an excellent choice by Mildred Taylor to use a first person point of view for this story. By using first person, the reader is able to get into Cassie's thought processes and really understand the cultural experiences from the mind of a young black girl. I don't think the emotions could have been as accurately portrayed using second or third person. 

The conflict in this story is person-against-society. The struggles that African-American families had to go through and are still sometimes going through is a fight they are in against society as a whole. It is a very difficult battle to win when it is against an entire culture but the Logan family does a wonderful job holding onto their property as well as their pride and morals. 

I think any book that discusses racial issues or the unfairness in equality is a great choice for older elementary or middle grade students. Every student is going to be out in the world and in the workplace with people from many races, and I think it is very important to not only teach them that all people deserve the same respect but also to teach them the history of our country and how people of a different color did not always have opportunities that they have today. 

Big Question:

Compare and contrast how the Logan family acted like the African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. 

Have you ever felt like you have been treated unfairly because of your ethnicity or maybe your social standing? How did that make you feel?

-Haley