My thoughts on Roll Of Thunder
... It had a display of both racism and loyalty. It was at times like these when you found out who your friends really are and TJ did. He found out that RW and Melvin Simms were extremely evil boys who were just out to get him from the very start. He found that the Logan’s were the ones that he should have trusted not the Simms. Racism played a major part of the book accounting for a number of incidents such as the times when there was the racist name written in the books and Little Man and Cassie would not accept them. The there was the incident with Lillian Jean, the time when the shopkeeper served the white people first and that is to name but just a few. The book also displayed a strong sense of family loyalty between the Logan family. The Logan family always stand up for each other like the time when Little Man refused to read his book and was about to get into deep trouble when Cassie stood up for him and gave him support. The book had me in two minds: hoping that Stacey and Cassie would get their own back but worrying of the consequences if they did; admiring the determination of their father and mother, but fearing that their effects would be unsuccessful. I found the members of the black community to be very loyal and close to each other. They always stood up for each other and tried their best to do things for each other like when Mary Logan organised the boycott of The Wallace store, she had everyone’s best interests at heart not just her own. They always stuck together. I liked the way there was a time in the book when both the black and the white community all came together in a time of trouble. They all worked together in order to put out the fire at the Logan household. This showed they could agree on some things. Overall I thought the book was very good in its approach to a number of different situations and issues. The book was interesting, enjoyable, and tense, touching and in my opinion very well – written. It displayed a number of different issues and dealt with many problems. I fell that I would read the book again and I would read on in the series. I thought perhaps that the ending was too abrupt, it just ended but that would be my only complaint. Apart from that I really enjoyed it. I would give it eight and a half out of ten. In my opinion Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor was a very informative and touching book. It informs you of the kind of racism that black people had to so often put up with. I found that the book had a strong sense of family loyalty and doing what you had to do to get by. It is a powerful and dramatic documentary based on a period of time in black history. You are let in on the ups, the downs, the good times and the bad times. I learnt something from reading this book which was that I am very fortunate with what I have and how I am treated in society. Take education for example. These children in the book were very fortunate to even get to go to school. Some of them set out in the morning about five hours early just to get there and didn’t arrive home until it was dark. This shows just the kind of commitment they had and how much they wanted to learn. It is different now though because now that we have the facilities some people take them for granted and don’t even attend school half the time. It is like when you have the facilities you don’t want them but when you don’t you strive for them. Society is strange. The commitment of the Logan family to one another and to the land is the central theme of this book. Their, strength, warmth and unity against all odds is evident from the very first page to the very last. It is a story about the family most of the time not the individuals in it. I found that at times the book can make you want to just keep reading, it really sucks you in to the story of this family and their struggles in life. I think that the racism these people had to face every day is unacceptable; no one should be treated like that, black or white, young or old. If that’s what really went on in society then something is definitely wrong. Cassie was the person in the book who found racist issues and situations hard to deal with; she wouldn’t have anything bad said about her, her family or anyone else in the black community. She always made sure she stood up for her rights. The part of the book which I found to be the most exciting and tense was the part which I also found to be quite sad. The part I am talking about is when TJ Avery was taken away by the night men. I think this was definitely the climax of the story....