Let the Circle Be Unbroken

Times are hard for everyone during the Great Depression, but Black share-croppers suffer uniquely under economic oppression. The Logans face more pressure than ever before to sell their land. But Papa will never let the family land change hands, no matter what the cost. As Mama and Papa labor to keep the family afloat, Cassie and her brothers struggle to navigate the world as young adults. Being a young woman means that Cassie doesn't get to do everything with the guys as she's always done. Becoming a young man puts Cassie's older brother at odds with his parents – to the point of running away from home. The Logans fight to keep hold their family together as internal division and external pressure threaten to rip their fragile relationships apart. Cassie learns that it is worth the effort, because family is all that matters in the end.

The Roll of Thunder Gift Set

My parents gave me the Mildred D. Taylor series gift set as birthday present. I must have been ten or eleven. The timing couldn't have been better. I sensed commonality with Taylor's life-like characters, immersing myself in the Depression era Deep South. The protagonist, Cassie Logan, is the daughter of Black land-owners who have over come generations of adversity and injustice. Their land-ownership sets them apart from the majority of their community who are share-croppers. This young girl is n o exception; Taylor follows Cassie as she experiences the cruelty and senselessness of prejudice first hand. The stomach churning accounts of hatred and lyrical prose will engage readers mind, body and soul.