Roll Of Thunder Here Me Cry
...is the second oldest and only girl in her family. Cassie is intelligent, outspoken, and self-confident, even when those qualities threaten to get her in trouble for speaking her mind in a white-dominated world or simply with her teacher at school. She spends most of her time with her three brothers, who are her confidants and playmates, and worships her father. Over the course of the novel, Cassie comes to experience racism directed at her and learns the real dangers of being black in the 1930s South. At the beginning of the novel, Cassie is outspoken, proud of herself and her race but unaware of the consequences of that outspokenness in her society. From various sources - her teacher, a prejudiced white girl and her cruel father, a prejudiced store owner - she experiences racism directly. She also is witness to the real violence and injustice of the South - becoming aware of lynchings, of white power's curtailment of her father and mother's freedoms, and of the severe punishments meted out to blacks accused of wrongdoing, even when they are fourteen-year-old friends of hers, like TJ. Cassie grows up over the course of the year, learning some sad truths and experiencing the strength and love of her family.
Stacey Logan: Twelve years old at the start of the book and thirteen at the end, Stacey is on the brink of adulthood. As the oldest, he bosses his brothers and sister around and is the leader of their group, instigating schemes that could be dangerous. He is old enough to disobey his parents but not old enough to fully appreciate the consequences. His dawning awareness of racism leads him to make difficult choices, like pushing away his white friend Jeremy. In the end, he proves his true bravery and loyalty by risking danger by attempting to help his estranged friend TJ. Stacey begins the book by learning he must distance himself from TJ - because of his...
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