Mildred Taylor - 1943
|
Houston High School in Houston, Mississippi
Mildred Delois Taylor was born in Jackson, Mississippi, on September 13, 1943, to Wilbert Lee and Deletha Marie Davis Taylor. Her literary works were influenced by her father's stories passed down from generation to generation. Three weeks after she was born, her parents moved to Toledo, Ohio, to escape the racial tensions of the South.
I. Upbringing, Education, and Professional Life
Mildred D. Taylor grew up in Toledo, OH. In 1965, she graduated from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor's in education. She soon joined the Peace Corps and spent two years teaching English and history in Ethiopia. After returning to the States, Taylor recruited for the Peace Corps and then enrolled in graduate school in journalism at the University of Colorado. While there, she structured a Black Studies program. In 1969, she received her Master's degree in journalism. Two years later, she moved to Los Angeles to take an editing job. She later went back to school to get her degree in international training, and she moved back to the East Coast for further graduate study. Taylor is divorced and has one daughter.
Song of Trees, featuring the Logan Family, was Taylor's first book. It is narrated by eight-year-old Cassie.
Her second book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, was released the following year. Let the Circle be Unbroken, Taylor's third book in the award-winning series, was published in 1981. Her next book was The Gold Cadillac, published in 1987 followed by The Friendship the same year. Her next books Mississippi Bridge and The Road to Memphis were both published in 1990. Taylor's latest published book is The Well: David's Story.
II. Literary Works
Song of Trees, reflects on the conflict between Papa Logan and money-hungry white men over some timber on the Logan property. This conflict ends when Logan threatens to blow up himself and the rest of the timber. The style of the novel is up-tempo and has a nicely constructed plot. "The simple story has been written with great conviction and strength," concurs a Horn Book reviewer, "Cassie's descriptions of the trees add a poetic touch."
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, which is Taylor's next book, continues the story of the Logan family. Highlighting on a brief time between 1933 and 1934, this book shows how discrimination can be observed daily. In this book, the family struggles with cruelty and stereotyping in their community while Papa is working on the railroad. The children are targeted for splashing by the driver of a white-only school bus and are also given older textbooks that the white students didn't use because they were ragged. Mama Logan is fired from her teaching job for leading an open discussion of slavery in class. When several Black men are set on fire, the Logans help organize a boycott on the suspect's store. After this, the Logan's land has a foreclosure threat and a suspicious fire is set. "The events and settings of the powerful novel are presented with such verisimilitude and the characters are so carefully drawn that one might assume the book to be autobiographical, if the author were not so young," concludes a Bookbird review.
In a continuation of the Logan sequels, Taylor presents us with Let the Circle be Unbroken . Cassie narrates another story concerning her community and how the devastation of the depression brings out the best and worst in people. In the novel, white and Black sharecroppers come together and give each other moral support and supplies. During this time, an elderly Black woman is ridiculed for wanting the right to vote, which involved memorizing the state constitution. In addition, a young Black man is denied a fair trial. June Jordan, a New York Times Book Review contributor, praises the book for its "dramatic tension and virtuoso characterization." On the other hand, Holly Eley of the Times Literary Supplement notes that Taylor "gives us a historical perspective on racial issues which she insists can only be successfully resolved by recognizing the fundamental equality of all human beings."
In The Road to Memphis , Cassie's story is continued. Dreaming of becoming a lawyer, Cassie is now a senior attending school in Jackson, Mississippi. Stacey, Cassie's brother, and friend Moe are also living in Jackson were they work in a factory. Away from home, these three must face reality despite the ugliness it brings. Racial incidents and the start of World War I put a strain on the three young people. This affects Moe the most because he has to flee the city after defending himself in a racial attack motivated by hatred. Susan Sculler of the School Library Journal concludes that the work "is a dramatic, painful book."
Mississippi Bridge is told from the viewpoint of Jeremy Simms, a white ten-year-old boy who befriends the Logan family. This novel shows the reaction of Jeremy when Grandma Logan and other Black passengers are forced off the bus so that white latecomers can ride during a severe storm. A few minutes after this incident, the bus crashes into a creek with its new passengers.
The Well: David's Story is told by Cassie's father David. This tale reflects on a summer in David's childhood during the drought. Well-off landowners, the Logans are the only family with a well that has not gone dry yet. They are content to share their well openly with other neighbors. Between Charlie Simms and the Logan boys, a conflict arises. Charlie hits David and David's older brother retaliates and beats Charlie. Under Mississippi Code, both of the Logan boys must be punished. Charlie Simms then poisons the Logan's well.
The Friendship presents a confrontation between two men during the 1930's in Mississippi. A young Black man Tom Bee saves the life of John Wallace, a white storekeeper. John insists that they remain friends. Years later, John forgets this friendship and shoots Tom because he does not address John in a proper manner in public. This book shows how cruel and unjust the South was in those times.
The Gold Cadillac reflects on a Black family's car trips to the South. These trips are much like those of the ones Taylor and family took. Wilma, 'Lois, and their parents face the racial tensions of the South. The family suffers harassment and jealousy by white police officers because of their car. Through these situations, the two sisters learn to appreciate their freedom in Ohio.
III. Personal
Taylor was born in Jackson, Mississippi to Wilbert Lee and Deletha Marie (Davis) Taylor. She married Errol Zea-Daly in August 1972 (divorced in 1975). She has one daughter.
IV. Literary Works by Mildred Taylor
Song of the Trees (1975)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976)
Let the Circle be Unbroken (1981)
The Gold Cadillac (1987)
The Friendship (1987)
Mississippi Bridge (1990)
The Road to Memphis (1990)
The Well: David's Story (1995)
V. Awards
Song of Trees
First prize (African-American category), Council on Interracial Books for Children, 1973
Outstanding Book of the Year Citation, New York Times, 1975
Jane Addams Honors Citation, 1976
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Notable Book Citation, American Library Association, 1976
National Book Award (finalist)
Honor Book Citation, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, 1977
Jane Addams Honor Citation, 1977
Newberry Medal, 1977
Buxtehuder Bulle Award, 1985
Let the Circle Be Unbroken
Outstanding Book of the Year Citation, New York Times, 1981
Jane Addams Honor Citation, 1982
American Book Award nomination, 1982
Coretta Scott King Award, 1982
The Friendship
Coretta Scott King Award, 1988
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for fiction, 1988
The Gold Cadillac
Notable Book Citation, New York Times, 1987
Christopher Award, 1988
The Road to Memphis
Special Award, Children's Book Council, 1988
Coretta Scott King Award, 1990
Mississippi Bridge
Christopher Award, 1990
The Well: David's Story
Jane Addams Book Award, Jane Addams Peace Council, 1996
VI. Mildred Taylor's Books Are Available In Audio
To order Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry on audiotape please contact:
VII.
Mildred Taylor's Web Linkshttp://www.penguinputnam.com
http://www.SHS.Starkville.K12.MS.US/mswm/MSWritersAndMusicians/writers
VIII. Sources http://206.183.164.3/cmslmc//Grade6/taylorbio.htm
This essay was submitted by students of Beverly Doss, a teacher at Houston High School in Houston, Mississippi.