Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

By: Mildred D. Taylor

Narrated by: Lynne Thigpen, Jacqueline Woodson

Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Mildred D. Taylor's Newbery Award-winning masterpiece with an introduction written and read by Jacqueline Woodson, just in time for its 40th anniversary!

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.

©2001 Mildred D. Taylor (P)2001 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

Newbery Medal Winner

"Recorded Books' commitment to producing outstanding classics for young people has never been more obvious than in this recording of one of the best books ever to win the Newbery Award.... Lynne Thigpen, one of the welcome new African-American narrators, is so convincing that it could be Cassie herself telling what happened." (AudioFile)

"The vivid story of a Black family whose warm ties to each other and their land give them strength to defy rural Southern racism during the Depression.... Entirely through its own internal development, the novel shows the rich inner rewards of Black pride, love, and independence despite the certainty of outer defeat." (Booklist, starred review)

"The strong, clear-headed Logan family...are drawn with quiet affection and their actions tempered with a keen sense of human fallibility." (Kirkus Reviews)

"The events and setting of the powerful novel are presented with such verisimilitude and the characters are so carefully drawn that one might assume the book to be autobiographical, if the author were not so young." (The Horn Book)

read this as a child

I read this as a preteen and loved it. Hearing it again made it even better

Mother and Daughter (6th grade) loved it

Any additional comments?

We both enjoyed Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry a lot. My daughter was sick and missed a week of school and listening to a good book really helped her pass the time. The characters are well developed and the story certainly gave us a lot to talk about. There were lots of plot lines that opened up various discussion topics. Thanks Audible for continuing to carry the classics - we love them.

Super Story Should Have Read as a Student

What made the experience of listening to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry the most enjoyable?

This was such a great story. It was authentic and gave so much insight into what was going on during this time period in the US.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?

When the kids took action against the bus of white students.

What does Lynne Thigpen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She does a wonderful job capturing the sense of the time and each characters personalities.

If you could take any character from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Mama - she had soul, strength and attitude. What a courageous lady.

Any additional comments?

I never read this book as a student growing up. I passed it over for years as a teacher but boy am I glad I read. I have already recommended it to students.

Great book you're in luck 😃

Great book please buy you will not regret it!!! It is soooo good no amazing, terrific, wonderful. Like I said before please buy this book

Amazing story made even more amazing by the narrat

This was one of our read aloud stories for home school this year. It's an incredible story, but the narrator delivers the lines with such flawlessness you cannot help but be swept away. We have an array of five children adopted from several ethnicities and this novel provided many, many hours of conversation and exploration. A MUST READ (or listen to) !

I loved it

I loved it. My favourite part was when their Dad came back from his long job because they hadn't seen him in a while.

Loved it

Beautifuly told and written! Thank you for sharing!

The narrator was perfect. I loved the personal story at the end.

Wonderful Story

I originally purchased this for my husband because he loved the movie version. To his surprise (haha) this was richer than the movie. I ended up liking it as well. I'd heard this title as a child but never paid it much mind. I am glad, that as an adult I stopped to take notice. It is very interesting to see how much has changed and how much has remained the same as far as human nature goes. I love the fact that these stories are based on family history, it makes them feel more authentic. I am glad to know that this book is one of a set and will go on to read the others. Thank you, Ms. Taylor, for this glimpse into the past.

Good one!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, this is a good story and the narrator does it justice. It's fast paced and has a good level of intensity.

What did you like best about this story?

The main characters are children and kids relate to them well. The main character in the book learns to deal with the situations (and emotions caused by them) in her not-so-simple life. There's a lot to learn!

Excellent!!

so good. best book I have ever read in z long time. love it. this book had me worried & scared.