Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: 40th Anniversary Special Edition

This handsome volume is the fortieth anniversary edition of the book. It is a Newberry award winner in children’s literature for very good reason. The story is about Cassie, her three brothers and family in the South in the Great Depression. Like its predecessor To Kill A Mockingbird, it features a white attorney who intervenes during the family’s troubles and, like Mockingbird, it is told from the young girl’s vantage point. It is also very well written with a realistic depiction of a black family’s struggle to survive. Unlike Mockingbird, this story is based on the author’s father’s family and the stories they told about living at that time.

This beautiful book is illustrated and also features photographs of the author’s family. The book is normally read during the seventh grade, but adults will treasure the highly readable story. There is a forward by Jacqueline Woodson, the young people’s poet laureate who describes what the book means to her. Lest we forget the life of a black family in the South, this book is an excellent piece of history.