I don't think I've ever been blown away by a book as much as I was by Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. Putting this book down, I am consumed by the enormity of what this book offers to young readers, and I actually feel indignant that my formal education never included being asked to read this book. That's how important I think this book is.
In school, we learn the broad strokes of U.S. African-American history. We learn about slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, Reconstruction, Jim Crow segregation, and the civil rights movement. But much of the time, we learn about these topics in the abstract, and lose sight of the fact that actual people, individuals, generations of mothers and fathers and sons and daughters, actually lived through these events. White supremacy was sewn into the very fabric of American history for centuries. We can't possibly expect to make progress in racial justice now without looking at our past full in the face, acknowledging the truth, and directly addressing the institutional and systemic inequity that persist to this day. Reading this book is a good place to start.
Through the innocent eyes of 9-year-old Cassie, who is just beginning to venture outside her limited world of home and school, we see the horrors of post-slavery white supremacy in 1933. There is humiliation, indignity, and injustice. As parents, we want to protect our children and give them carefree childhoods, but the extent to which we can avoid exposing them to harsh realities is an indication of how privileged we truly are. Much of this book would be considered difficult content for young readers - frightening "night men" attacking in the night, people being burned alive - but then you are forced to realize that the events in the book are happening to young children. Though fiction, the life depicted in this novel was a reality for many people. For me, this book was so filled with tension and anxiety and suspense that it was chilling and heartbreaking to imagine living life with such a constant presence of fear.
This book is filled with well-crafted characters. Cassie is understandably angry and indignant as she witnesses acts of racism for the first time. Her 12-year-old brother Stacey is just mature enough to understand better, and it's painful to see him forced to step into the role of man at such a young age. Big Ma, in her years of experience, was resigned to the reality of racism, while Uncle Hammer had a fiery anger and needed to be held back from executing his own vigilante an-eye-for-an-eye sense of justice, which would surely put his own life in danger. Mama and Papa engaged in calm, calculated resistance as best they could, short of risking their own livelihoods and that of their neighbors. Sorrowfully, Mr. Morrison - more than any other character, to me - embodied the long-lasting effects of slavery, both literally and figuratively. And T.J. - poor T.J.! - who was just a boy, desperate for attention and acceptance when he fell victim to his own foolishness.
I appreciated, too, the characters of Jeremy and Mr. Jamison. They were brave and kind in their acts of allyship, and they - as much as the strength and dignity of the Logan family - give the reader hope that change is possible.
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