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readoodles's review against another edition
5.0
Cassie’s family has land, unusual for a African American family in 1933. They would do anything to hang on to the land. But they would also stand up for the right, not shopping at a store owned by night riders. Will it come to a choice between the land and their principles?
The complex individuals create a wonderful rich environment for the action in the book:
Big Ma, principled and practical hands her land on to her sons before she is anywhere near death so there is no doubt who it owns the land.
Mama, fired from her teaching because of her efforts to make hand-me-down books more exciting for her students and for teaching the truth of slavery
Papa, working the railroad until his organization of the store boycott motivates night riders to injure him.
Cassie, teller of the tale and firebrand whose mouth and principles get her into trouble.
Brothers Stacey, Christopher-John and Little Man learning the inequities of the white dominated South
Uncle Hammer, knows he can't live in the South with his temper
The complex individuals create a wonderful rich environment for the action in the book:
Big Ma, principled and practical hands her land on to her sons before she is anywhere near death so there is no doubt who it owns the land.
Mama, fired from her teaching because of her efforts to make hand-me-down books more exciting for her students and for teaching the truth of slavery
Papa, working the railroad until his organization of the store boycott motivates night riders to injure him.
Cassie, teller of the tale and firebrand whose mouth and principles get her into trouble.
Brothers Stacey, Christopher-John and Little Man learning the inequities of the white dominated South
Uncle Hammer, knows he can't live in the South with his temper
pris_asagiri's review against another edition
5.0
3/16/21: Read this with my daughter for Black History Month. Despite 30+ years since the first time I read this (back in middle school), this story holds up so well. I feel like it gives the reader an authentic reading experience of being Black in the US. It rang especially close give the political environment of 2020 (2016-2020), and it makes it so frustrating that it holds true so many decades (and centuries) later. I believe this should be required reading for all middle schoolers, but Taylor wrote this so well that adults can easily "enjoy" it. She did not talk down to kids but rather demanded they rise up. It's a prime example of how YA should be treated.
If you haven't read this series, I can't recommend it enough.
***
I read this in 6th grade and just loved it. It's one of those books that just stays with you. So I'm re-reading it to refresh my memory.
If you haven't read this series, I can't recommend it enough.
***
I read this in 6th grade and just loved it. It's one of those books that just stays with you. So I'm re-reading it to refresh my memory.
josie1996's review against another edition
3.0
Great interpretation of racial struggles for younger readers
jbr506's review against another edition
3.0
Great interpretation of racial struggles for younger readers
j_rowley's review against another edition
4.0
Good read. Well written. For fourth grade and up.
Story is of an African-American struggling to hold onto the land. Must fight racism and the sharecropper system, plus the Night Riders. The one African-American family that owns any land in their town in Mississippi struggles to help the neighbors and keep the young people on the right path. Several factors conspire against them. The prevailing attitudes toward African Americans. The cost of farming, paying a mortgage and taxes. Plus tempers on both sides.
Cassie and her brothers watch and help as her family tries to hold onto the land. Mom and Grandma hold things down at home. (Mom works as a teacher in the African-American school) Dad and Uncle work to pay taxes and mortgage. Man whose family used to own the land wants it back, plus he bankrolls most of commerce in area, including the store that gouges the poor African-Americans. Things come to a head after Cassie's father convinces other families to stop shopping in the store.
A story that gives hope.
Story is of an African-American struggling to hold onto the land. Must fight racism and the sharecropper system, plus the Night Riders. The one African-American family that owns any land in their town in Mississippi struggles to help the neighbors and keep the young people on the right path. Several factors conspire against them. The prevailing attitudes toward African Americans. The cost of farming, paying a mortgage and taxes. Plus tempers on both sides.
Cassie and her brothers watch and help as her family tries to hold onto the land. Mom and Grandma hold things down at home. (Mom works as a teacher in the African-American school) Dad and Uncle work to pay taxes and mortgage. Man whose family used to own the land wants it back, plus he bankrolls most of commerce in area, including the store that gouges the poor African-Americans. Things come to a head after Cassie's father convinces other families to stop shopping in the store.
A story that gives hope.
jfrizle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
whitney_dennise's review against another edition
5.0
I read it as a child and I wanted to see if I would still love it as an adult. I do.
fktkaye's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kathrynnemo's review against another edition
5.0
Re-reading this book as an adult was amazing. It was far more brutal than I'd remembered, probably because so much of the story is told in subtext. Very rarely do I get so invested in characters in such a short time, but this book sucked me in within the first few pages. Cassie's voice is clear and unique-- as a kid, I related to her frustration at not knowing what was going on; as an adult, I was terrified by her impulsiveness and felt bad for her mama.
A lot of this book went over my head when I read it the first time as a white northern kid. Kids will get more out of it if they understand the sharecropping system (I did not) and possibly if they understand the concept of lynching. The sense of menace in the scenes with the "night riders" was beautifully done-- I did not understand the first time I read this that it was possible for white adults to go around murdering people (let alone kids), but the fear still came through for me. I think this is both an important book to contribute to white kids' understanding of the Jim Crow South, and a fantastic story about everyday heroism.
A lot of this book went over my head when I read it the first time as a white northern kid. Kids will get more out of it if they understand the sharecropping system (I did not) and possibly if they understand the concept of lynching. The sense of menace in the scenes with the "night riders" was beautifully done-- I did not understand the first time I read this that it was possible for white adults to go around murdering people (let alone kids), but the fear still came through for me. I think this is both an important book to contribute to white kids' understanding of the Jim Crow South, and a fantastic story about everyday heroism.