Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry

The events in the book take place in 1933 in Mississippi. The story centers on a family of blacks, the main figure being Cassie who is in the fourth grade. The entire book is focused on the type of prejudice the blacks had to suffer under, and the many facets that prejudice took.

For example, school books were given to whites first and, when they were considered to worn out for them, they were then given to black students. The schools, of course, were segregated. A white bus driver drives in a way to throw dust, etc, on the black students who are walking on the same road.

There's also the rich, property-owning and store-owning whites who object violently to any blacks trying to shop elsewhere. There's the gang violence against blacks that was done at the times. Any of the blacks who tried to act other than 'in their own place' were met with swift and often brutal retaliation by the night riders.

This also shows, though, the strength of the black family as they tried to survive what was going on.

It's an excellent book for those who want to see just how prejudice was carried out at that time.

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