Forced to flee to the muddy side of the road while white kids taunt them from the bus, Cassie’s brother Stacey vows revenge. All the Days Past, All the Days to ComeĬassie Logan, aged 9, is walking to school with her brothers and a friend when the white kids’ bus barrels down upon them.Taylor writes discreetly about some of those trials, but these are definitely books for the teen crowd, not middle grades. These novels show young people coming of age in a majority culture set against them. Mildred Taylor doesn’t shy away from the hard parts, from the reality her characters would have faced in their situations. The Well is shorter than Let the Circle Be Unbroken. I’ve only read Roll of Thunder in this list, but these other two are also in the general middle grades age range. I’ve only read Song of the Trees in its entirety. They would serve well to provide additional reading for a 5th or 6th grader who has “met” Cassie in Roll of Thunder, but who doesn’t have the reading chops or general maturity to plow through the other titles quite yet. In general, her chapter books aren’t as strong as Taylor’s middle grades and young adult titles. Please note: Taylor doesn’t shy away from using language that reflects the time period, such as the “n-word,” and she includes violence as it relates to the time period. These aren’t “Christian fiction” books, but Mildred Taylor certainly gives readers a powerful picture of faith in the midst of trials. The Logans themselves regularly allude to their faith in the Lord and several scenes show them praying for guidance for the days to come. The African American church is a prominent source of community, strength, and encouragement to the Logans and their friends and relatives.
In short, keeping one’s temper, treating each person with dignity regardless of skin color, and sacrificing for those you love and respect are values that cross cultural divides. What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we’re here.” ~Cassie’s mother, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry “Baby, we have no choice of what color we’re born or who our parents are or whether we’re rich or poor. Likewise, while the African American community is generally the victim at large, Taylor shows the impact of foolish decisions on the part of some and the wise actions on the part of others.
The broader white culture is not a friendly one to the Logans, but it serves to magnify particular characters’ small-mindedness even as it serves to magnify other characters’ bravery. No, the characters in her stories are all free agents. Taylor also manages to write fiction that addresses racism head on, but in a manner that doesn’t villify all white people or praise all Black people.
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