The Road to Memphis

Possibly the most painful of the Taylor books so far, this one follows the Logan kids -- almost grown up now -- as they try to help a friend in need. On top of that, it's December 1941. We know what happened in December 1941, but how will it affect the Logans?

There really aren't any books by Taylor that I don't like. She is the supreme story-teller. I love all of her books and have grown up loving and respecting the Logan family as if they are my own family. She has a true gift for bringing truth and honor to historic and realistic fiction. It was

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refreshing to see Cassie Logan all grown up and being open to living out her life during racially charged times.

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The Road to Memphis takes readers through the trials and tribulations of an 18 year old African American female named Cassie Logan. This is Mildred Taylor’s third book featuring Cassie as a main character. The story takes place in small town Mississippi in the 1940’s. Cassie’s family and

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friends are up against typical circumstances associated with heavily racial South in this era including constant belittling and bullying from their Caucasian peers. Cassie attends school in the city of Jackson for a better education with the ultimate goal of becoming a lawyer. On the way to Jackson Cassie, her brother Stacey, and friends stop in Strawberry to fix a flat tire. Fed up with the abuse, a friend of Cassie’s named Moe looses control and hits three white men with a crowbar. The group is now faced with the challenge of getting Moe to the train station in Tennessee where he can travel to Chicago and be safe. After a rocky start I began to fall in love the characters, plot, and themes of this book. It has your predictable characters but some that stand out in unique ways for example a white boy named Jeremy who played a crucial role in helping Moe get out of Strawberry. I would recommend this book to young readers due to its historical references of African American life in the south and event leading up to WWII. Some of the dialogue and continuous use of the N word could be somewhat distracting. Overall the unselfish acts of those that had so little but still willing to give would be inspiring to any young reader. Grade 9 and up.

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It was a harrowing read. Unflinching in portraying the very realistic story. Taylor is so good at depicting these strong but complicated relationships. Cassie is an amazing character. Leaves wanting to read more and re-read.