Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

By: Mildred D. Taylor

Narrated by: Lynne Thigpen, Jacqueline Woodson

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)

Recapturing after 25 years

As a homeschool mom, this audio book has helped me to recapture the telling truth of Blacks in America before rereading, this time with my own child. The narrators spoke with proper emphasis and diction, taking nothing from Ms. Taylor's writing, making me crave more of the story. This has been a superb experience that I'm sad has ended.

Mmm...so, so.

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

The story was great. The sections in this audio player don't match up with the actual book chapters howver.

How could the performance have been better?

Performance could be improved by correcting the skipping/pausing that happens periodically.

wow!

Very well written and narration added so much to the significance and meaning, I would definitely recommend this!

Wonderful story about racism thru a child's eyes.

What an interesting way to see racism thru the eyes of a child. The story had many funny parts, but also approached racism in a way children can understand.

Phenomenal Novel

I really enjoyed listening to this novel. The narrator's tone was adequate for each part.

Outstanding

Tells the story of our people I'm a way that's rarely seen. Few books grasp the intricate way black people connect and how its been essential to survival. And yet makes it clear that feeling hate and anger towards white folk over what our past and very real parts of our present are obstacles to success, not the road to it

Excellent

Excellent narration, beautiful writing of a painful history. Will have as many students as possible read this.

I've loved it forever.

I have loved this story (series) since I was a child and I love it even more now as an adult. Thank you for having the courage to write these books.

maybe my first five star review...

what an incredible story and beautifully read. This is a book I will share with young and old in my life. A must read.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

It made me sad to know how the African Americans suffered after they were freed from slavery. Even today life had not been easy for the minority in any country.