Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

1977 Newbery Medal Winner

Ratings Explanation

Language: The name of the Lord is taken in vain a couple of times, as well as a minor swear word. But the terms “nigger” and “nigra” are used twenty times–always derogatory.

Violence: Lynchings, burnings (of people), tar & feathering, and other violence and harassments by “nightmen” are common throughout the book. David is shot in the head. The Simms’s brothers beat up T.J. after the robbery and murder of Mr. Barnett when T.J. threatens to tell. The Avery family is dragged from their beds, kicked, spit on and beaten up. Children are whipped by their parents or teachers as a form of discipline. T.J. and Stacy have a fist fight. Cassie beats up Lillian Jean. Most of the violence and threats are racially motivated (whites initiating them against the blacks). There is the assumption that T.J. will be hung for his part in the death of Mr. Barnett.

Sexual Content: Brief mention of a white woman accusing two black boys of “molesting” her.

Adult Themes: The black community lives in constant apprehension of racially motivated crimes or harassments by the white people (whose actions are seemingly always outside the law). The book is written through the eyes of Cassie, a 9-year-old, who experiences this violence, discrimination and fear, mostly for the first time. She is afraid for her safety and that of her family and friends. The emotional trauma is as damaging as the physical trauma. There is a brief mention of kids smoking and drinking.

Synopsis

The Logans are a black family struggling to keep the land they’ve had for three generations in Mississippi. They experience the pain and fears of racial prejudice during the 1930’s, while trying to maintain their independence and integrity. Cassie Logan, age 9, must learn “the way things are” in society. From being given inferior school supplies to being forced to “cow down” to whites walking on the sidewalk, Cassie experiences prejudice. Around her, accusations cause the “nightmen” to burn and harass her neighbors. When her parents lead the black community in boycotting the local white-owned store, Cassie’s parents become the next target. Mr. Logan is attacked, thus making him incapable of working and Mrs. Logan loses her teaching job. The whites do not want “the balance of things” (in society) upset. After a burglary/murder occurs at the store, violent retaliations begin. Mr. Logan is forced to go to extraordinary lengths to prevent further tragedy.

This Newbery Award winning novel is a realistic portrayal of the segregation and racism experienced by many in the black community in the depression-era south. Hopefully, humanity has improved its attitudes and mores in the last 80 years. While I think that it important to teach our children such aspects of our nation’s history, I would not recommend this book to a grade school audience. I have a sixth grade daughter who won’t be reading this just yet. The violence and emotional trauma described are better suited for a jr. high or high school audience. I would have probably rated the violence and adult content a “3”, if an older teen read the book. The “4’s”given are with a 6th or 7th grade reader in mind. Also, I have read a couple of other books in the “Logan Family Series”—my favorite being, “The Land.”