The following sites can be used to support and enrich the Book Club unit for Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Explore the Setting of the Novel

• Vicksburg National Military Park - Visitors learn about Vicksburg's role as a fortress defending the Mississippi River in the Civil War, take an on-line tour of the park, visit historic landscapes, and find out details about commanders, gunboats, and other topics related to the Civil War.
• Mississippi Maps - Access to many maps of Mississippi, ranging from views of the entire state to city maps and maps of the national parks, is offered here.

Find Out More About the Historical Context of the Novel

• African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship -This Library of Congress exhibit conducts the visitor on a splendid tour through time, which begins with slavery and ends in the civil rights era. Facts are balanced with reproductions of historical documents, photographs, and drawings, bringing significant events and important people in African American history to life.
• Africans in America - On this site, an overview of each time period from 1450 to 1865 is given, followed by more in-depth discussions of various aspects of the era by scholars and historians.
• Reminiscences of the Great Depression - Excerpts of firsthand accounts of life in the Great Depression make the hardships and spirit of the people who lived through this crisis very real.
• The Great Depression - This lecture by a professor of history reviews the causes and effects of the Great Depression in a factual but approachable style. The text is enlivened by photographs from this time period.

Learn More About the Lives of the Characters

• Sharecropping - This site covers the topics of sharecropping as well as lynching, voting restrictions, and Jim Crow laws.
• Brazoria County Historical Museum - From this page, visitors who go to the index find a multitude of topics about life for African Americans in the South after the Civil War. The situation in Texas is the primary focus, but most of the facts are relevant to the entire South.
• Cotton Gin - From the National Archives and Records Administration comes a complete lesson on the cotton gin, which includes background on cotton, a description of Eli Whitney's invention and patent, a drawing of the gin, and an exploration of the impact of the cotton gin on the South and the institution of slavery. This information is followed by activities that focus attention on and develop important ideas.

Examine the Symbolism in the Novel

• Confederate Flag Fight a War of Symbols - In this article, published in February of 2000 in a Detroit newspaper, the symbolism of the Confederate flag to various groups is explored.
• Confederate Flag - Although this essay, written for a class project, contains some outdated references to situations that have been resolved, it presents some insights into the ongoing controversy over the Confederate flag.

Meet the Author

• Mildred Taylor Resource File - From this page, visitors can access the biography of Mildred Taylor, her acceptance speech for the 1997 Alan Award, and miscellaneous book reviews and analyses of her work.